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Superdata: VR likely biggest loser this holiday, digital more agressive, Nintendo

I've spent a few hundred dollars on PSVR software, but haven't purchased anything on disk. Changing disks with the headset on is too cumbersome.

Anecdotally, I'm in Australia, which I think accounts for only a few hundred thousands out of the 40m+ PS4s out there, but I've personally witnessed 2 people leaving a JBHiFi with PSVRs in their arms in the weeks since launch. I also have one IRL friend who recently got one.

I also just the other day saw a bus go past with a huge PSVR banner down the side - so Sony are marketing it, as difficult as marketing VR is. AFAIK, there are no in-store demos anywhere in Aus.

I must say though, that I went into JBHiFi recently, and they do not have a very good PSVR display. They did not have the full range on their shelves, and they had a bunch of VR games mixed in with the rest of the PS4 games, making it harder to find.
 
NES mini sold out, but do we know how many were produced? I have only seen sales figures for the famicom edition

This is what I'd like to know. I wonder how many were actually produced. With the scalpers hard on the scene it may be more than some expected, but we will see.
 
I think its very difficult to not call PSVR a success or not meeting Sony's expectations. Let's take a look at the current things we have at our disposal

- GameStop.com is sold out and has been sold out of the standalone for well over a week

http://www.gamestop.com/browse?nav=16k-3-Playstation+VR,28zu0

When I click check availability in store, it gave every location within 100 miles of me that had them. There were many store in my area that don't even appear due to no stock and those listed only show Low Stock. Not one is listed with plenty of stock

Amazon is sold out and of the standalone and has been for well over a week

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DE9DY8S/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Given Sony is clearly selling through the inventory they are able to manufacture, I think things are sitting just fine from their point of view.

Also, there is no availability in many countries.

It's crazy to estimate 2,6 million when I doubt that sony shipped more than 1 million until today.
 

msdstc

Incredibly Naive
I'm mixed on vr for the moment. I had a psvr for a week or 2, but the janky tracking was eating me up. Tbh it just made me want the vive for the room scale and the media, which I was a bit disappointed in the lack of overall vr media support on psvr.

The other thing I realized though is while vr truly is an amazing experience, I still prefer traditional gaming. The headset while comfortable does get noticeable after a while and most games at the moment are built for playing in short bursts it seems. I'll probably revisit down the road if sony can fix the tracking and if the software is there.

I also think the concept of "best launch lineup ever" is a broken one. It's a new way to play, but not a new platform, so a lot of these games are ports. Most of the games are of the shorter variety. The full length ones from what I've seen are driveclub, which is essentially a port, rigs which seems good but I never got around to, thumper which is awesome but vr isn't necessary and it's more indie. Well need more full feature length aaa titles before we can really pass judgement imo.
 

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
My mom was over and I had her do Batman: Arkham VR. It was the first game on any platform, including mobile, that she's ever given a chance for more than a minute or two.
She wanted to quit after 40 minutes, but only because she wanted me to change it to something where she could fly.
 

btrboyev

Member
I don't quite understand this...PSVR had one of the most impressive launch lineups I've seen, and has seen a consistent drip of new content since release.

It's a shame Sony didn't market this thing, because most gamers who try VR consider it a game changer.

It was a game changer for about a week. I was in awe when I first tried PSVR...completely blown away. After a month, it doesn't do much for me. The wow factor dissapeared and the games lineup is limited and the current tech limits the types of games that are possible.

It's just not ready yet.
 

Yurikerr

This post isn't by me, it's by a guy with the same username as me.
Kinect sold 8 million in 60 days when it launched. For $250 more at retail (plus the difference in the economy/inflation between the two launches) I don't think 2.6 million is unrealistic. The narrative has been that Sony had the best shot at pushing VR and that VR in general is much more compelling than the Wii or Kinect ever were. Those people were wrong for now. VR has some more gestating to do if it's ever going to become mainstream.

Are you really trying to compare it to Kinect?

Kinect had a $500 million ad campaign, it was sold in a console bundle that cost a total of $300 at launch.

So, you're comparing the sales of a addon that costs more alone than the other bundled with the console, not exactly fair.
 

btrboyev

Member
Are you really trying to compare it to Kinect?

Kinect had a $500 million ad campaign, it was sold in a console bundle that cost a total of $300 at launch.

So, you're comparing the sales of a addon that costs more alone than the other bundled with the console, not exactly fair.

They are comparable in the sense they both are add-on products that are required for certain types of games. The difference is MA actually marketed it. I haven't seen one commercial for PSVR.
 

Relique

Member
Seems like a solid number. Not really surprised at the lack of marketing since it's already supply constrained as it is.

I wanted to save a bit on tax and waited for Newegg to restock but they never got any units in since launch. Amazon stock has been inconsistent which basically told me this will be selling out by Christmas. Luckily, I managed to score a great deal about 2 weeks ago by trading in some stuff at Gamestop but if you look now they aren't easy to find.

Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, and Target online stores are completely sold out. Best Buy isn't showing a single unit for me in a 250 mile radius which includes the city of Chicago. Same thing for Target in a 150 mile radius. A dozen Gamestops are showing low stock availability which in my experience usually means anywhere from 0-3 units at most.

So what this tells me is that the 2.6 million number was pulled out of nowhere because it was obvious from the get go that they aren't going to flood the market with these. You can't sell units you don't have nor should you overspend marketing for what you can't sell.

Judging by it's own merit PSVR should be fine. The technology is very good with the games I played so far and the prices on software have been reasonable. Once the supply catches up they can put more money into bundles, price cuts, and marketing just in time for Resident Evil to come out. It's way too early to call it an under-performer, talk to me in January 2018 if the numbers are low then.
 
Didn't Superdata make the ludicrous prediction of PSVR selling 2.6 million? That was never going to happen.
PSVR is selling well and it's selling whenever stock get replenished. So I have no idea what they want.

That is what I find silly, they make a huge prediction of over 2 million, and now they are adjusting that, and it is a holiday loser?


Nobody thought it would hit 2 plus million. I think 750,000, if legit, is a very good launch for an expensive product like PSVR.


I absolutely love mine, my whole family does. I dont regret buying it one bit, and just bought 3 more PSVR games two days ago.
 

Yurikerr

This post isn't by me, it's by a guy with the same username as me.
They are comparable in the sense they both are add-on products that are required for certain types of games. The difference is MA actually marketed it. I haven't seen one commercial for PSVR.

But it's kind of stupid to forecast psvr sales based on Kinect past numbers. While both are add-ons they are clearly targeted and marketed in different ways.

The goal of both is different from the outset where kinect was a mass market product and PSVR is more aligned with the hardcore players.

It's like comparing the sales of Wii zapper and a G29 wheel. Both are controllers, but they aren't trying the same thing.
 

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Yes, it has sold almost as much as Vive and Oculus combined.

No one know the sales figure of these headsets.

Heck they revised PSVR from 2.6m to 750k is already a huge sign that they are pulling numbers from thin air.
 
Are you seriously ok with how Nintendo has handled the NES Classic? I mean, really?

No but the amount of vitriol people have been spewing about it is ridiculous. It's not like you can't play the games elsewhere. It's a cheap plug-n-play stocking stuffer that sold better than expected and people are acting like not getting one is the fucking apocalypse. I say this as someone who pisses away hours waiting in line to preorder amiibos.
 
"Pretty sure plenty do all the damn time. Solo video game playing has been referred to as anti-social for decades"

Not by gamers themselves. This description of VR as anti-social is coming strictly from traditional gamers as a supposed downside to VR.
 
Wasn't their some info about PSVR second wave of units coming on December 6th or something?

Right now they don't have stock but if in December they get more stock it would be great for them with Christmas shoppers.
 

bug_42

Member
If VR is failing, it is because you can not find anywhere. Or you find it, and they raise the price by a couple of hundred dollars.
 

ghibli99

Member
I thought retail was much more aggressive than digital, but I did buy a number of digital games too, so it did seem like it's been the best that it's ever been, which is great.

I did my Pro, and I still want a PSVR, but everyone I know who has one says the same thing: great for a week, then it just sits. And avoid Driveclub VR. And wait until the box actually can pass HDR through it. And so on.
 

Peltz

Member
It was a game changer for about a week. I was in awe when I first tried PSVR...completely blown away. After a month, it doesn't do much for me. The wow factor dissapeared and the games lineup is limited and the current tech limits the types of games that are possible.

It's just not ready yet.
I agree.

That week was awe inspiring. But the software experience just isn't there for long term engagement.
 

LowSignal

Member
I'm not surprised VR did poorly, I think Sony should have held off on VR until they had some hard hitters. I bought PSVR day 1, even went to the midnight release at gamestop. After playing Until Dawn: BR,Batman, and the games that came with it I was left underwhelmed and sold it all. Hopefully they push Resident Evil as it could possibly be the killer VR app.
 
Not really surprised at VR being a downer.

People are impressed by it but nobody wants to spend the money. Gear VR is appealing to some for that reason.

It's my personal opinion that VR is a hype fueled dead end that probably won't get much long term traction in games. But that's my opinion which is as likely to be wrong as anything.
 
Still if it is that much Sony has to look at it as a success. Havnt they already sold more then both their competitions.

There's no numbers being released, which should tell you they don't have a lot to brag about.

Why did anybody ever think VR was going to be some big hit? I knew it wasn't going to do amazing. It's a niche thing.

It's really not long term. It just has too many compromises at too high of a cost currently.
 

ryseing

Member
For a $500 add-on, 750k is fantastic. Anyone expecting VR to be more than a niche at this point is deluding themselves, and that includes VC folks.


RE7 is a month and half away :p

Horror isn't a mass market thing. If Farpoint turns out well I suspect that will sell a few headsets.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
Still if it is that much Sony has to look at it as a success. Havnt they already sold more then both their competitions.

We saw how many units Kinect sold, and that ultimately has had no great impact on games going forward. Sales alone aren't what's going to make VR, but it's certainly not a great start.

The fact that they expect Gear VR to sell the most pretty much tells you all you need to know about its current state (read: the good tech is still very very niche.)
 

GodofWine

Member
Why market what is supply constrained? theyll market it when they can lower the price.

It will also have legs, ps4 install base is booming, people will take the leap eventually
 
I have to say, I don't want a PS4 but I want a VR tech, and I'm kinda hesitant to PC VR, probably because I'm dumb, lol.

nintendo pls
 
If VR is failing, it is because you can not find anywhere. Or you find it, and they raise the price by a couple of hundred dollars.
Agreed. But PSVR isn't failing. It's sold out. PSVR just isn't selling as much as was predicted, which is expected if the units aren't there to sell.

It looks like Sony played it safe with production of PSVR when they should have been more aggressive. They've said that they are going to increase production throughout the remainder of the year and into 2017, but it's a lost opportunity not to have units available for sale right now and in time for Christmas.

Looking for a silver lining, the slow buildup of demand through word of mouth along with the scarcity of supply heightening that demand could be a good thing. Sony will sell every PSVR they put out, and with the bump in the number of PS4s in the wild do to Christmas sales, there is some logic to saving a big market push and extra supply for later. I don't know if that is better than going all out for Christmas, but it is a valid strategy.
 
I don't quite understand this...PSVR had one of the most impressive launch lineups I've seen, and has seen a consistent drip of new content since release.

It's a shame Sony didn't market this thing, because most gamers who try VR consider it a game changer.

Yup.

They do need to step up and talk about VR and Pro a lot at PSX this weekend otherwise it's going to look like the same tired Sony tradition of abandoning new hardware with haste.

Every single game released from now will support the Pro, even niche games like Nioh are getting new setting for its Pro mode, sure they should definitely loudly highlight some more big titles getting 4K/4K-Checkerboard/HDR modes on the big stage of PSX, but there's a ton of games coming for it obviously.

As for VR, I agree I think most are expecting some new title announcements and/or new showings of announced ones like Ace Combat 7 is reportedly very likely to show up and that was one of their next popular VR announcements (even if it'll also be playable outside of VR).

The fact that they expect Gear VR to sell the most pretty much tells you all you need to know about its current state (read: the good tech is still very very niche.)

Wasn't Gear VR given away for free with their phones for a while? It's sales don't really mean much.

PSVR seems to be selling quite well if it's matched or oudone both main other headsets combined already.
 
They had actually projected it to sell 2.6 million at first!!? Fucking lol.

No, that looks like SuperData's dumb original estimate.

Is there any actual Sony estimates?

Looking at a google search, as of October it looks like Sony was expecting "hundreds of thousands" according to this and then increased production some more
http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2016...hundreds_of_thousands_of_playstation_vr_sales
http://uploadvr.com/playstation-vr-sales-projections/

Gamespot's the only place I've seen theorizing of anything like 1.6 million.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-vr-sales-could-hit-16-million-units-an/1100-6435717/
 

KORNdoggy

Member
PSVR has supply issues? it's been in stock at Walmart and Target near me since launch.

more like a demand issue.

Still out of stock on amazon here in the UK. Clearly where you live the demand hasn't outweighed supply. But clearly it is happening elsewhere.

Tbh it's selling a hell of a lot better then a lot of peoples guesses were claiming. 50,000? Lol.
 

Cuburt

Member
Sony is a fuckheaded toymaker artificially limiting supply to be less than a third of what PSVR was expected to sell.
 

darscot

Member
Man threads like this should just be locked. They start with stupid, people don't read or understand the stupid and the stupid just expands.
 

modsbox

Member
The idea that PS VR is flopping is silly. 750k for a $500 peripheral that requires a $250-400 device to be able to use is fantastic. Way more successful than all the other VR options out there and the lowest entry price by far to boot.

My theory is that they aren't marketing it heavily because they are in fact supply constrained. I'm sure that there are walmarts and targets out there that have had it in stock for a while, but not in places where a lot of folks have $500 to drop on a toy. The places where it's actually selling through (aka Amazon, walmart.com) have been and continue to be sold out.

Agree that a killer app would be huge though. A full platformer game with the robots from the playroom could be it, or perhaps something like Uncharted VR or GT VR would be big. Regardless the hardware and games are great, and I'm sure the attach rate is insane. As soon as that killer app arrives and they can drop the price I'd expect Sony to market it heavily, but they won't do that until they can actually make enough of them to sell.
 
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