Despite supply issues, Sony’s PlayStation VR headset is expected to have sold around 800,000 units by the time 2016 closes out – well ahead of its main rivals, the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
That’s according to market research and analysis firm Canalys, whose projections make for a slightly more optimistic outlook than recent forecasts by SuperData.
In the company’s December report into virtual reality headsets, Canalys estimate that the HTC Vive will sell half a million units by the end of 2016, with the Oculus Rift sitting slightly behind at 400,000. According to the company, HTC’s $100 Black Friday discount on their headset’s $799 retail price will have contributed to a strong back-end performance.
The PSVR would’ve sold more units, the firm claims, if Sony had not encountered significant stock shortages caused by problems manufacturing OLED displays and therefore scaled back on their marketing efforts.
Canalys forecast that 2 million VR headsets – excluding those without integration displays – will have sold 2 million units worldwide by the end of the year; by 2020, they expect to see this jump to 20 million.