The future for virtual reality seems secured, thanks to the rampant demand for the PlayStation 4-powered VR headset from Sony Corp (ADR)(NYSE:SNE). Speaking with the New York Times, the company revealed that it had sold 915,000 headsets as at Feb. 19. The figure, which comes slightly after four months of the company’s October 13th debut, is in addition to the 5 million Samsung Gear VR headsets.
Figures provide the first real window into emerging market for VR headsets
There has been enormous skepticism about virtual reality. Apparently, even Sony’s global chief executive Andrew House didn’t believe that VA would be embraced by the mass market. At some point, he advised the company to make fewer units of the device.
However, the figures have given him a change of mind. Besides, the technology is quickly becoming part and parcel of entertainment. The PSVR was priced at around $400 and sales may have been more fluid had the company not exercised caution in production, which occasioned shortages. Nonetheless, it is a technology that is hitting the market in strides as developers learn to craft more than tech demos.
Mr. House has also confirmed that the supply of PlayStation VR headsets is likely to escalate in April. The company is also optimistic about setting a base up in Latin America.
Sony’s competitors
Sony had initially set an internal target of one million in sales by mid-April. However, it had to face competition from Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) Oculus and HTC. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Oculus Rift sold 243,000 headsets while HTC Corp(TPE:2498)sold 420,000 pieces.
Nonetheless, House says the company’s future goal is to sell a high single-digit percentage of the entire PS4 userbase. The arrival of the virtual reality headsets last year was with a lot of hype.
The headsets were such a thrill throughout the industry. Notably, there has been an eager wait by many to exit from the pages of science fiction and with the new twist of events in regards to PlayStation VR, the same is about to be achieved.
In the meantime, Sony’s stock closed at $30.93 a fall of $0.31 or 0.99%.
