SuperData has deemed virtual reality the “biggest loser” of the holiday gaming sales season, according to a new report on GamesIndustry.biz this week.
VR companies sold “notably fewer” headsets than expected, enough that SuperData retooled its predictions for the year; the firm is now estimating that PlayStation VR will sell only 750k (down from an expected 2.6M) and Google Daydream will cap out at 261k (down from an expected 450k) this year. Competing platforms, including the HTC Vive, Samsung Gear, and Oculus Rift, are expected to hold steady.
Director of Research and Insights at SuperData Stephanie Llamas told GIbiz that the PSVR in particular suffered from “supply inconsistencies” and a lack of marketing and deals over the holiday as well as a lack of a “killer app” to drive sales.
“[Sony has] also pointed out that VR looks even better on a Pro than a standard or slim PS 4, so the message to most gamers is: Get the Pro now, then the PSVR later,” she says. “As a result, we won’t see them break 1M shipments until well into the new year.”
Overall, it makes for a slow start for the platforms developers are investing so heavily in. That includes EVE Online’s CCP Games, which is expected to invest $30 million into virtual reality games by the end of 2016. CEO Hilmar Petursson noted in September that the company believes VR will pick up in 2018 and 2019.
