(ThyBlackMan.com) Sony PlayStation VR didn’t do well in Japan in terms of sales. The company is already giving a lot of commercial push to the PS VR headset, but it seems that Sony won’t be able to make it. It doesn’t mean that the entire virtual reality industry is feeling sick, but the expected results are nowhere near. Insiders have reportedly said that Sony is apparently planning to change its marketing strategy for the headset.
A Wall Street Journal report claims that Sony will approach businesses to sell PlayStation VR. However, Sony never said that the product is specifically made for end users, the way PS VR is projected till date simply gives an idea that it is meant for gamers.
Now when the company is reportedly aiming to reach businesses, theme parks, theatres and travel companies appear to be the ideal 
choice for a sales pitch. However, the company hasn’t specifically revealed any details, travel, gaming and entertainment are the only services where the developers have leveraged the power of virtual reality to a greater extent. VR is popular in other industries also, but such places don’t seem to be a good fit for Sony PS VR headset.
For Sony, PlayStation VR is something more than just a virtual reality headset. The company’s CEO Kaz Hirai has already labelled the headset a force that “lifts all the Sony boats.” Hirai also said that the company is actively involved in multiple aspects where virtual reality experience plays a key role.
When it comes to sales, it seems that Japan has not taken virtual reality gaming in the way Sony expected. However the country’s market is smaller than the American market and Japan is still facing supply shortage. But if you look at the global sales of Sony PS VR, it is 915,000 as of February 19, 2017.
PlayStation 4 has crossed 53 million sales worldwide. Of course, it is unfair to compare these figures, but even Sony can’t deny the fact that it also doesn’t expect PS VR sales to cross even the one-fourth of the latter. Even after having such a huge PS4 userbase, Sony will have to struggle hard to convince its users for PS VR headset. Convincing the non-PS4 users is undoubtedly a bigger challenge.
Of course, Sony’s virtual reality headset is currently doing better than all of its competitors, the virtual reality still looks like a bubble. The investors have relied too much on the bright aspects of the technology, assuming it to be the next big thing. And now everyone is trying to save the boats in this bad situation.
The slow adoption rate of the PlayStation VR is obviously stressful for Sony, and how the company manages to lift its boats will now depend on its production unit and the content providers.
Sony’s official statement confirms that the company has increased the number of publishers and developers to more than 360. Meaning that it has started working with more indie and well established game developers, publishers to create more content for the platform. According to Sony, 220 titles are in development for the PS VR. How good that content would be is still a mystery, but Sony will have to make sure it remains well prepared on all the fronts.
Adding content is not enough if the masses are still struggling to get the console. The unavailability is still a problem and if Sony fails to fulfill the requirements soon, it will certainly affect the product’s adoption in the long run.
We are still far from the PlayStation VR exclusive games. However there are quite a few games, but given the userbase, the availability of AAA titles is scarce. Sony wants to push people to buy PS VR and to do so, the company will need to fill the gaps. Retailers have already spoken out about the unavailability of the headset and the quality of games. It’s now Sony’s turn to address the challenges quickly to maintain the consistency.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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