Remember how VR was supposed to change everything, especially once the major players in the gaming industry got behind it?
Well, that didn't actually happen, but Sony says that it's still betting big on VR the second time around. At a recent briefing (h/t VGC), Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan said that the company is throwing stacks of cash at developers to get some quality VR content for the PS VR 2 launch.
Or, as he put it: "Right now, there is a considerable amount of money being spent on partnerships with independent and other third-party developers to secure a considerable pipelihine of attractive VR content at the launch of PlayStation VR 2."
Big dreams —
Back in January, Sony reaffirmed its commitment to VR by revealing the technical specs for the PS5 VR headset. It also announced Horizon: Call of the Mountain, a VR-exclusive game developed by Guerilla Games and Firesprite.
While PS VR did move the needle a bit for VR, selling more than 5 million units worldwide, it's fair to say that the headsets are still removed from the gaming mainstream. (Some data suggests that the Meta Quest 2 drove growth of headsets to 11.2 million units in 2021, however.)
The PS VR 2 would presumably do a lot to boost those sales, but let's not forget that the PS5 lacks the expansive install base of the PS4, at least for now. Currently, it's not clear when the PS VR 2 will come out, but smart money points to a 2023 launch.
Less than impressed —
Perhaps I’m just an old fogey, but I remain skeptical that VR will ever become a mainstream phenomenon. That’s not to say that these headsets won’t sell millions worldwide — they definitely will — but I think VR will always remain a more niche hobby, like playing D&D or painting figurines.
Meanwhile, I think Sony needs to tend to its garden elsewhere, as its new PS Plus launch left a lot of users upset.
