Is Playstation VR 2 about to make a comeback?
Some VR games are more successful on PSVR 2 than on Quest, even though the potential audience is much smaller. This could be a coincidence, or a sign of a larger market shift.
In December, the VR fighting game Swordsman VR sold more copies on Playstation VR 2 than on Meta Quest. This was announced by Sinn Studio CEO Almir Brljak on X.
This fact is remarkable because Meta Quest is estimated to have ten times as many users as Playstation VR 2, if not more.
Brljak believes that the demographic of Quest users is undergoing a profound change. The trend is toward an increasingly younger audience that does not or cannot buy games and instead plays free-to-play titles like Gorilla Tag.
This will shock the XR space:
AdAdSwordsman sold more copies on PlayStation VR than on the Meta Quest store in December.
- Almir Brljak (@almir_brljak) January 10, 2025
Some VR studios are currently struggling with premium titles in the Horizon Store. With the merger of the Quest Store and App Lab, Meta's prioritization of Horizon Worlds, and a flood of new VR games, it is becoming increasingly difficult for studios to gain visibility and generate sales in the Horizon Store.
Playstation VR 2 could become more attractive to developers again
Playstation VR 2 could become a new source of revenue for these studios, as there are more hardcore users (at least on a percentage basis) who are willing to spend money on high-quality premium titles. The device has also likely to have attracted many new users with its holiday discount. If more VR studios decide to support Playstation VR 2, the system could make a comeback.
Brljak admits that Swordsman VR on Meta Quest has more competition from Blade & Sorcery and the like than it does on Playstation VR 2, but according to the information he has come across, "our results are not far off from others".
In fact, major VR titles like Metro Awakening and Skydance's Behemoth currently have more user ratings on the Playstation Store than on the Horizon Store, even though PSVR 2's total user base is much smaller.
The VR game Max Mustard also got off to a better launch on Playstation VR 2 than it did on Meta Quest, reported the studio behind it, Toast Interactive, in October.
It will take more reports and data points of this kind to convince developers to invest more in PSVR 2, but this development is interesting nonetheless.
Interested in VR and AR? Then follow us on Facebook or X or share your experience in the comments. For feedback, topic suggestions, or other ideas, please email us at hello@mixed-news.com.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
