An already ominous future for Sony’s VR hardware just got even darker. As noted by RoadtoVR, Sony has officially removed the PlayStation VR2 from its online store. At the same time, the stock of its sequel headset appears to be dwindling among third-party retailers as well. While there is some stock in Europe and Canada, Sony officially no longer sells its VR hardware in either the U.S. or Japan.
If there’s one word to describe the situation for Sony and its VR ambitions (or lack thereof), it’s “grim.” And to make matters more grim, this isn’t the first sign of imminent doom we’ve seen.
Last month, as reported by ZDNet Korea (read via machine translation), Sony offloaded 43 patents to Meta between June and September, all of which were related to VR, AR, and XR. Some relate to information processing on a wearable device, others to head-mounted displays or cameras, and more. ZDNet Korea also reports that there are a grand total of 419 patents set to be transferred, and 180 of them are based in the U.S.
It doesn’t take an esoteric knowledge of business to infer that Sony appears to be completely giving up on its VR headset, nor does it come as a particular surprise that it’s doing so. Sony’s PlayStation VR2 struggled out of the gate partly because the headset debuted at $550, which was $150 more than the original and well above competitors like the Meta Quest 3S, which started at $299. Sony has since decreased production of the PlayStation VR2 and reduced its price permanently. Also not a positive sign for things to come.
So, to recap: Sony sold off all of its patents and has now removed the PlayStation VR2 from its official store, all during a time when companies looking to move products are typically ramping up production, or at least getting stock into the hands of more retailers, not less.
Sony hasn’t given an official statement one way or another, but at this point, it probably doesn’t have to—the writing is on the proverbial wall. Clearly, the VR market is in a state of flux, and the PlayStation VR might be a casualty of that shift—but on the bright side, we now have a new field of VR glasses to ogle from Meta and Xreal.