Sony has cut its PSVR 2 production by 20%, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, a tech expert known primarily for his analyzes and projections for future Apple products. This contradicts an earlier statement from Sony in January, in which it denied reports that it had cut headphone production numbers due to lackluster pre-order numbers.
Kuo thinks VR headsets won’t be a “star product” for the foreseeable future
In addition to his critical update that Sony has cut production of PSVR 2, Kuo does not share a positive view of AR and VR headsets in the near future in his latest Medium post. Meta Quest Pro has only shipped around 300,000 units over its lifecycle, while Pico, one of China’s largest AR/VR headset companies, saw 2022 shipments 40% lower to forecasts.
Those numbers, Kuo concludes, mean that AR/VR headsets like the PSVR 2 aren’t “the next big thing in consumer electronics for the foreseeable future.” He believes that Apple is one of the last hopes that this position can change, but still thinks that the market could overvalue these earphones in the years to come, in terms of overall contribution to the companies that supply components to them.
At the end of March, International Data Corporation also believed that sales of the PSVR 2 would fail and recommended that Sony reduce the price of the headset as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Sony has created a new patent that will improve posture for gamers, presumably for those who use gaming headsets.