In the run-up to the PlayStation VR’s launch, I posted an article in which I discussed why I believed the PlayStation VR would struggle and wind up disappointing those who had purchased it. “Sony’s previous failures with its peripherals and gaming hardware outside of its home consoles ensures that I remain very skeptical of their ability to carry the headset to continued good fortune,” I wrote. “The PSVR will follow in the footsteps of Sony’s previous attempts at expanding its roster of hardware, and owners of the headset will find themselves with little to play.”
In terms of predictions I wasn’t exactly breaking new ground, but even though I was skeptical of Sony’s ability to actually put its weight behind a piece of gaming hardware outside of its home consoles, I’m still surprised by how quickly the PSVR fell into the same downward spiral as the company’s other peripherals. I purchased the PSVR at launch and was immediately impressed by it, with Sony doing a great job of working with the technical limitations of the PS4 in order to provide an experience comparable to — though still less powerful than — high-end VR headsets. I invited friends over on multiple occasions to give it a shot, and each of them left completely sold on the prospect of virtual reality.
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The potential for word of mouth sales for the PSVR was high. Like the Wii before it, when people strapped themselves into the headset and gave it a try themselves they became much more inclined to fork out the cash for it, though its high cost ensured that Sony really needed a killer app to sell it to the mass market. With its launch line-up mainly consisting of fun “experiences” such as Batman: Arkham VR and the mini-game collection PlayStation VR Worlds, it really lacked a fully-fledged game that would help it shift units. Five months down the line and it looks like this system seller will never come.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew is one of few major upcoming releases for the PSVR.
Googling for upcoming PlayStation VR games yields very few results. There’s Star Trek Bridge Crew, which has received positive previews, and Farpoint, which has yet to receive an official release date, but other than that the headset’s future is bleak to say the least. Resident Evil 7 launched with VR capabilities, but there has still yet to be a truly great PSVR game developed specifically for the hardware, and Sony doesn’t appear to have any plans to change that. While the headset’s 2017 release calendar looked sparse leading up to its release, like many I expected that Sony would make more announcements after it had exited its launch window. These announcements never came.
From this vantage point, it seems increasingly likely that Sony had no long-term strategy for the PSVR. Prior to its launch it had announced only a smattering of games to be released for the headset in 2017, and nearly three months into the year the company has yet to offer any significant update on its software lineup. The PS4 Pro reveal event almost completely overlooked the headset, and the full list of PSVR releases past and future collected by the r/PSVR subreddit is slim to say the least.
Resident Evil 7 was a creepy VR experience, but the headset doesn’t have a killer exclusive.
It’s shocking that only 4 months removed from the headset’s launch it’s already being given the Vita treatment, with Sony remaining quiet about what (if anything) the company is doing to bolster its library of games, failing to court new buyers while simultaneously ensuring that a growing number of current PSVR owners are regretting their purchase. Sony seems dead set on repeating the failure of the PS Move, EyeToy and its other peripherals by throwing the headset out into the ether, achieving an underwhelming number of buyers as a result of its poor marketing and then deciding to give up on the idea altogether. Unfortunately, this leaves those of us who opted to pick up the headset at launch feeling shortchanged as a result.
This will likely prove to be the last time I purchase a Sony peripheral. After acknowledging the company’s lengthy track record of failing to deliver in this department I understood that the PSVR was going to be a risky purchase, and unless the company changes its strategy to the headset dramatically over the course of this year, my faith in Sony to put effort into supporting anything other than the PlayStation consoles will have once again been unjustified. Considering the quality of the PSVR headset itself it’s disappointing that Sony appears to have dropped it from its list of priorities, and any hope I have for the company putting any effort into it will go to whichever poor schmuck decides to buy it from me on eBay.
Update: This article was updated to correct a sentence which stated the PSVR had been on sale for 5 months..
