PlayStation VR sales in the U.K. are poised to eclipse the combined performance of the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, according to GfK’s Paul Simpson.
Speaking to MCV, Simpson revealed that Sony’s virtual reality gaming headset is on course to surpass both of its rivals, having gotten off to a solid start following its launch in mid-October 2016.
PSVR sales are off to a great start
“Early UK sales of PlayStation VR indicate it is already approaching the combined installed base of HTC Vive and Oculus Rift," he said. "Initial PlayStation VR game sales are also positive with eight or nine boxed releases featuring in the Official UK Top 40 games chart (week ending Saturday 15th October 2016).”
How has PSVR managed to soundly pummel its rivals in sales though? After all, the device has only been available for a month and a half. Simpson offers some food for thought:
“VR devices Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, both of which are focused towards gamers, suffer when compared to PlayStation VR,” Simpson said. "The VR units of the former are more expensive and require a relatively high performance PC. PlayStation VR also benefits from a large installed base of PS4 owners – more than 3.5m in the UK."
It’s no surprise that PSVR is performing so well in the U.K., as stock has been increasingly hard to come by. In fact, Amazon U.K. won’t have any new PSVR units in until after Christmas, so if you’re lucky enough to find a retailer that does have fresh stock available, you had better snap it up pretty sharpish.
PSVR was originally announced under the work title of Project Morpheus back at GDC 2014, and currently retails for £349.99. Sony has previously said that it hopes to have around 50 games out before the end of the year, and there’s already plenty to choose from, including Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Batman Arkham VR, and Robinson: The Journey.
Furthermore, a number of high-profile titles due in 2017 will make use of PSVR, including Capcom’s hotly anticipated Resident Evil 7: biohazard, Bandai Namco’s fighting game Tekken 7, Sony’s own PS4-exclusive racer, Gran Turismo Sport.