It's no secret that virtual reality is everywhere these days — in fact, much of CES 2016 was dominated by the three major VR headsets coming in 2016. That being said, the Oculus Rift has stumbled a bit with its pricing PR missteps, and aside from a single minor announcement, HTC's Vive headset hasn't really shown off much in the way of new tech.
If anything, the PlayStation VR has had the strongest showing of all.
Then again, doing well at a trade show doesn't necessarily translate into sales figures. If the Rift is anything to go by, virtual reality headsets are going to be expensive — for Sony, that could mean PlayStation VR ends up being just as expensive as the console required to use it, if not more so. The tech is great, there's no denying that ... but will such a high barrier of entry stop gamers from giving PlayStation VR a chance?
According to a new report from SuperData Research, it's definitely possible: after taking the PC, console and mobile platforms into consideration, SuperData is predicting that the PlayStation VR will sell roughly 1.9 million units throughout 2016.
First things first: sales predictions can be tricky, especially when it comes to new technology. Something that was once thought of as "too niche" could end up being a massive hit, while a "surefire success" could end up tanking miserably — that's just how the market works. SuperData's findings are estimates and predictions, not 100 percent guaranteed sales figures.
Of course, SuperData has done its research ... and the results are somewhat obvious. While dedicated VR headsets won't necessarily fail, they won't be the most popular way to experience virtual reality — less expensive options, such as mobile peripherals, will likely be the gateway to VR for most users. It makes sense: virtual reality on mobile isn't the same experience as a standalone headset, but it's far more affordable. Sure, there are plenty of people who are willing to drop $600 on a VR headset ... but there are a lot more who'd want to try it out before spending that much, and that's where mobile VR comes in.
What does this mean for Sony? Well, compared with HTC's Vive and the Oculus Rift, SuperData expects Sony to lag behind — at least for 2016. The report expects PC-based headsets to sell far more units, with roughly 6.6 million sold between the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. Again, that doesn't mean Sony will fail — it's just looking like PlayStation VR may have some catching up to do.
Again, the SuperData report is an estimate — no one's saying that PlayStation VR will necessarily miss or exceed 1.9 million units. However, SuperData has obviously done its homework ... and Sony's VR headset looks like it's got its work cut out for it.
Sony's virtual reality headset, the PlayStation VR, is expected to launch sometime later this year.
