PlayStation VR2 is having trouble gaining traction following its first year. To make matters worse, Sony is not able to paint a clear picture of the roadmap of games coming to the platform. It almost seems destined to fail but, if Sony were to make one last attempt to save its VR endeavor, what path could they take to get there? PS VR2 is going to need to sell another nine million units or so for the install base to be viable for developers. Plus Sony is going to need to make a real commitment on the software side to prove to consumers they take PS VR2 seriously. Here is how they can get there, and get on the path to save PS VR2 like they did with the PS3.
Price Cut
The $600 Horizon PS VR2 bundle.
The first obvious answer is a price cut on the hardware. When the PS VR2 HMD was announced, the price being higher than the PS5 itself turned casuals off. Today, I often see many online sayings, they will check it out when the price inevitably drops.
While it is likely Sony is not making very much money on the HMD, $450 for the Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle is where they will need to be moving forward. I think they could make that the everyday price and never put it on sale again as a compromise. The price cut should come with a slew of new games to show commitment not failure.
First Party IP could Save PS VR2
Ok Sony, we get it, you do not want to take first-party resources away from your hundred-million-dollar AAA games. However, what about having outside studios port already existing games to PS VR2? Likewise, have outside studios create new entries with existing IPs? Back in the PS3 era, Sony had a 3D version of Killzone and Resistance games. Why not revisit both and have an outside studio remaster and port trilogies of both franchises to VR and make them exclusive?
Conversely, why stop there? Shooters are great in VR and SOCOM has had several spin-off entries across PSP and PS2. Why not release the first-ever first-person SOCOM game in full VR? Something like a short 10-hour campaign. The expectations are so low for VR that you would not even need to include a multiplayer component, that could be a second game running on the same engine.
Gran Turismo 7 in VR is something special, the mechanics would make for a nice base of a Twisted Metal game. You have the foundation already there along with Florida’s Daytona Speedway. The only thing left to do is to swap the BMW for an ice cream truck with a mounted gun. It does not need to have a story, it does not need to have AAA cinematics, just a simple Twisted Metal style VR game.
Keep Paying Third Parties
Captured on a PS5 in VR.
Sony and Capcom have one heck of a VR partnership. Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4 on PS VR2 are two of the best horror games of all time, if not the two best. Trusted Resident Evil leaker says there are as many as five new Resident Evil projects in the works. I would like to hope that any of them being traditional modern Resident Evil games would support PS VR2.
With that anything in a car and anything first person Sony should be investigating the costs to port it to PS VR2. This would include games like Borderlands 4, Judas, Battlefield, Grand Theft Auto, and the next Ace Combat game. I would not stop there, new first-party games Marathon and Concord should be on the table as well.
Boots on the Ground to Save PS VR2
PS VR2 is something you have to try to believe just how great it is. If Sony wants to tie such a high value to their product, they have to market it. The marketing for PS VR2 has been horrific. Plus, Sony’s marketing and PR has been borderline adversarial with the community. Sony needs to take PS VR2 on tour around the globe to let people try it. This is something they have done before, it is nothing new, the pandemic is over, and Sony needs to get back to reaching out directly to its base.
Fan events with new games will be a great way to spread the PS VR2 gospel. Sony has not been to a PAX, E3, or any one of its in-person fan events in nearly 5 years. PS VR2 has reached a point now where most media outlets will not even cover a new release with a review.
Is Saving PS VR2 Even Doable?
While this whole thing feels unlikely, Sony’s task to save PS VR2 is not impossible. The only thing we do not know is, whether or not Sony wants to save PS VR2. It may take the rest of this year to find out if something like that is on the table.
Game development costs seem to increase every day. The tech industry is still in inflation while many corners of the world are experiencing a recession. Sony likely needs to continue to use all of its resources to build its AAA games and to grow its live service offerings. What I find most frustrating is, that Sony has probably spent all of the bailout money PS VR2 would ever need on failed live service games.
