apple does have one ace up their sleeves:
the ability to sell people stuff they dont need nor want
then they can break even, discontinue it afterwards, support it for a few years, and then start working on their apple car again
Bloomberg: Sony PSVR2 Headset Off to Slow Start, “price cut may be needed to avoid complete disaster”
- Thread starter Atheerios
- Start date
the ability to sell people stuff they dont need nor want
then they can break even, discontinue it afterwards, support it for a few years, and then start working on their apple car again
I can't imagine there isn't some sort of strategy involved here considering you can't buy the thing at retailers. Sony isn't a no name partner, if they wanted it in stores at Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. it'd be there. Whether or not that strategy is very wise is to be seen. Maybe they're planning a bigger retailer push to coincide with the revised PS5 hardware.
It seems like a very soft launch. Hardly any mainstream marketing, relatively small first party lineup, very limited retail presence, no free title like Astro's Playroom to help show off the system out of the box, etc. Feels like they just wanted to get it out there.
My hope is that in the fall they do a bigger relaunch sort of thing for it, maybe at a slightly cheaper price ($499 maybe).
My hope is that in the fall they do a bigger relaunch sort of thing for it, maybe at a slightly cheaper price ($499 maybe).
Nobody is saying it's too expensive relative to the tech. I'm certainly not. The issue is it's too expensive, PERIOD.
The overwhelming majority of people who have a passing interest in VR saw the price and noped the fuck out, let's not even mention your regular gamer.
You know who cares about the tech inside that thing ? Hardcore enthusiasts. And that market is proving to be tiny as hell, especially when you factor out PC users.
There's also the fact that they've made this great piece of tech at a premium price and then didn't create a game fully built around it to make it really enticing, but that's not even the biggest issue.
What a massive strawman. Look at all the haters coming out of the woodwork too. Just ignore VR threads if it's not your thing. Not hard.
Strategies will always continue to evolve. It could be as simple as them wanting to build up a library for the platform before offering games on Plus.
Oh I know it's confirmed. But it just seems baffling to launch without it. It is a system seller for VR.
And I really want to know how much effort Sony put into at least trying to get Alyx. It's the signature VR title alongside Beat Saber. It's one thing if they tried and Valve didn't budge, but if they didn't try at all I'd be very concerned.
You can't even buy it at US retailers yet, it's one month since launch. Does he have access to Sony's sales targets one month in?
What does PSVR2 have to do with "the metaverse" ??
What does PSVR2 have to do with "the metaverse" ??
Probably because, even with the common goal of growing VR they all share, those are games owned by their two competitors in the VR space.
half the article is talking about meta and zuck failing, so i guess its context for vr business folks who dont care about video games or sommit
It should still be noted that the idea that the headset is doing bad...
Is literally Bloomberg basically making an assumption.
They reported on a number that Sony never confirmed and so when they got info about the number of sales, they assume it must be doing bad because it doesn't match the numbers that Sony, again, never confirmed was their goal. So it's only doing bad if your under the assumption that Bloomberg was right, which the author has dubious credibility.
You can't hold up a device for one or two games. Otherwise why launch anything until literally every single game is ready for it. If you already have a large number of games ready to go- you launch it.
Nothing, Sony has never mentioned Metaverse for PSVR2, and if you literally search: "PSVR2 and Metaverse", this article is the first thing that shows up.
Is literally Bloomberg basically making an assumption.
They reported on a number that Sony never confirmed and so when they got info about the number of sales, they assume it must be doing bad because it doesn't match the numbers that Sony, again, never confirmed was their goal. So it's only doing bad if your under the assumption that Bloomberg was right, which the author has dubious credibility.
You can't hold up a device for one or two games. Otherwise why launch anything until literally every single game is ready for it. If you already have a large number of games ready to go- you launch it.
Nothing, Sony has never mentioned Metaverse for PSVR2, and if you literally search: "PSVR2 and Metaverse", this article is the first thing that shows up.
This is so weird to me, here in Vancouver I literally saw it at Best Buy today. As someone else mentioned though, it's a massive product to have on shelves so if it isn't selling and the margins are as low as other gaming hardware then it's a tough ask for retailers to consider
That's a shame to hear. I remain glad I jumped in from the get-go because I've only been happy with my experience of it, and the ease of setting up means I'll continue playing it alongside my other games on PS5. Just makes me nervous for what the landscape of games will look like, and sad for a future without a PSVR3. Or rather a PSVR3 that doesn't aim to be competitive with PCVR and provide one of the best headsets in its range. Since that has been something I've really appreciated Sony gunning for with this.
It's not available at retailers in countries that have PS Direct as a distribution source, it seems. The USA being the biggest of those countries. Up here in Canada we can buy it from retailers directly, I got mine from Best Buy.
PC folks understandably wants PC support but there's a difference between personal desire and sales analysis. I just can't take "it needs PC support to succeed" commentary seriously. What logic is this based on?
Anyway the key issue has always been content and it is glaring right from the get go. There is zero must-play mainstream VR experience in existence right now and Sony really needs to fund VR version of the big guns.
Anyway the key issue has always been content and it is glaring right from the get go. There is zero must-play mainstream VR experience in existence right now and Sony really needs to fund VR version of the big guns.
What a bad decision. PS Direct means nothing to most people. Something expensive like that, you'd expect a lot of people would want to use retailer credit or gifts cards.
I wonder what sold better, this or the Dualsense Edge. Releasing two super expensive accessories (one of which costs more than the console) weeks apart from each other was always going to not go well for Sony.
With that said, this really could be PSVR's Vita moment. Fantastic hardware failed by terrible business decisions.
With that said, this really could be PSVR's Vita moment. Fantastic hardware failed by terrible business decisions.
Would've been an absolute buy for me with PC support, but I just don't see me using it enough to justify paying for it just to play PS5 VR games. Honestly, I'd have to be talked into it even if it dropped to $200 if they aren't adding PC support.
Got way over excited and bought one on impulse after GT7 and Horizon hype. I regret it so much. Haven't used it since release week. Just not for me, I wish I could sell it.
Huh? I've literally seen advertising on TV and at the cinema. They have that stupid Ozzy Osbourne ad.
literally my biggest fear with the thing, and why i didn't buy it. i know i'd play through Horizon and then just do nothing with it, and then i'd be stuck with a fucking massive peripheral taking up space
Maybe they could try selling them on other sites/retail here in the U.S. I'd have bought it day one if I could have grabbed it from Amazon or Best Buy
I like the PC sets because you have an infinite stream of indie VR titles coming in every week and some pop off pretty hard
Im just too nervous about being locked down to a console for VR and being done with the games only to never touch it for months at a time
It's not based on any logic. Sony has no current incentive to support PSVR2 on PC - well, unless their desire is to piss away money. Based on what little we know, the PSVR2 is either being sold roughly at-cost, or possibly even at a loss. Sony has no real way of monetizing sales of software on PC, meaning they have no way of recouping their investment into the headset when PC players pick it up right now. Not to mention additional sunken costs in providing that PC support. Not to mention that every PC user that would pick up a unit means one less unit for a PS5 player who might actually pump money back into Sony's pockets via software.
Hell, come to think of it, its MSRP may have been artificially raised prior to it being announced, to keep up with global trends. I mean, Sony raised the price of the PS5 globally last year, and Sony Group raised the price of many of their electronics earlier in the year. It's not outside the realm of possibility that the PSVR2 was meant to launch at a lower price and they went with the higher MSRP at launch and will lower it back down to its intended figure later in the year when the rumored PS5 revision shows up.
Any mention of Labo gives me PTSD to some of the absolute dumbest conversations I've ever had on this forum lol. I'll never forget hitting my head against a wall as dozens of people here were convinced Labo would be this massive thing that would be adopted by schools across America. Presumably the same schools where teachers need to pay out of pocket for markers and pencils, would suddenly all adopt expensive single-use cardboard sets that need a Switch to function.
Listen. I just dream of Metroid Prime, Zelda, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Nintendo Sports in VR. 🥲
That's only for launch. It'll open up to other retailers eventually. This way Sony's able to curb the tide of potential scalpers who might hoard units and further drive up the cost of entry into the platform, which would hurt the PSVR2 moreso than the PS5 itself when it went down that road. Plus Sony no doubt makes a larger cut off of direct sales than retail sales.
It's only a bad decision if the results don't meet whatever Sony's expectations were, and we have no way of knowing that until Sony tells us. The data in this article doesn't mean much when Bloomberg are comparing this figure against data that Bloomberg themselves originally reported. No one else, especially Sony, has corroborated that data.
People are trying to make "the metaverse" anything VR or AR now.
Why have you got to hurt me by putting the idea of Animal Crossing in VR in my head? The thought of seeing my New Horizons townfolk in VR? 🥹
I've heard nothing but good impressions from people who have gotten use one but...
- It's $550.
- It's locked behind a $500 console that is still somewhat rare.
- It's not even being sold at retailers so only the hardcore enthusiasts even know it's out.
Thing has everything possible working against it. I know I sure as hell can't afford one but hey give me a solid price cut and put it in stores and I'll get one eventually.
- It's $550.
- It's locked behind a $500 console that is still somewhat rare.
- It's not even being sold at retailers so only the hardcore enthusiasts even know it's out.
Thing has everything possible working against it. I know I sure as hell can't afford one but hey give me a solid price cut and put it in stores and I'll get one eventually.
It's just too expensive... it's unfortunately that simple. It's effectively an accessory for the console, that costs more than the console.
From everything I've seen it looks like a really well crafted headset that delivers good value relative to what is inside it. But to the average person it's going to be viewed as an expensive as hell accessory that only potentially enhances the games that choose to support it. Throw in that you're still mostly looking at short games and "experiences" for them, and VR still comes off like a tech demo more than a real platform to game on. That's a tough sell at over $500.
Seeing GT7 in VR had me getting impulse buy itches in my mouse hand the night I watched some videos, but that's not enough for the price. It's the same reason I've never pulled the trigger on a PC headset either.
VR is an endless chicken and egg situation with the software.
From everything I've seen it looks like a really well crafted headset that delivers good value relative to what is inside it. But to the average person it's going to be viewed as an expensive as hell accessory that only potentially enhances the games that choose to support it. Throw in that you're still mostly looking at short games and "experiences" for them, and VR still comes off like a tech demo more than a real platform to game on. That's a tough sell at over $500.
Seeing GT7 in VR had me getting impulse buy itches in my mouse hand the night I watched some videos, but that's not enough for the price. It's the same reason I've never pulled the trigger on a PC headset either.
VR is an endless chicken and egg situation with the software.
Going fishing in Animal Crossing with all your buddies on your island in VR. 🥺 Nintendo has too many perfect IPs for VR.
Not shocked by this at all. This screamed niche product. The price is keeping this to diehards, and they can't even hope a PC audience will also buy it because it's wall gardened, so it's a niche within a niche.
GT7 is the flagship title for this VR device. This really says where it lands regarding a mainstream audience, which in case it has to be said: this product isn't for the mainstream at all.
GT7 is the flagship title for this VR device. This really says where it lands regarding a mainstream audience, which in case it has to be said: this product isn't for the mainstream at all.
You're probably gonna catch flack for this, but I have to agree. VR is fun for awhile, but once the novelty wears off, it's just uncomfortable and isolating. My Vive has been collecting dust in the garage for years...and I have zero desire to go back to it, even with Alyx in my Steam library.
Meh. It's still just a screen slapped on your face.
Once Meta pulled back hard on VR spending , it was pretty obvious the whole VR sector was going to be hurting.
VR is just not there yet for non-niche adoption.
VR is just not there yet for non-niche adoption.
I shall now return to sleep with tears in my eyes and the idea of meeting best boy Tybalt in my head.