Since its fall 2016 launch, PlayStation VR has proven to be quite the boon for Sony. The system has, thus far, sold reasonably well, and many of the games continue to perform well critically and commercially. It’s no wonder, then, that in talking next-gen plans, Sony is already confirming PlayStation VR will be along for the ride. But should early adopters of the system feel concern regarding the headset’s future, perhaps it’s time to cast concern aside. One developer behind a recent PSVR hit, Blood & Truth, seems pretty confident in Sony’s commitment to the platform.
During an interview with EDGE Magazine for the August 2019 issue, SIE London Studio’s Head of VR Product Development, Stuart Whyte, recalled a talk he recently had with two Sony Interactive Entertainment bosses. Apparently, this chat involved discussion of PlayStation VR, and Sony’s desire to see the platform’s persistent growth. Whyte told EDGE
A few months ago, I went out for dinner with [Sony Worldwide Studios heads] Shuhei Yoshida and Shawn Layden. And Shawn was talking about, historically, Sony would place bets on things. I’m not going to name those things because I don’t want to be specific.
It’s like, you’ve got £1,000 in your pocket. You walk up to a roulette table, you put the money on the table, you win or you lose. You lose, you’re like, ‘that isn’t going to work’, and walk away. In the past there have definitely been times when we’ve experimented with something that hasn’t worked, so we shut it down. But from the very top of the organization, there is something of, like, ‘There’s something here with VR.’ All hardware has limitations, but there is something here that, if we don’t keep investing, keep playing on that roulette table, somebody else is going to come along and win big.
As of March 2019, the PlayStation VR has surpassed 4.2 million sales worldwide. So, what does this kind of steady momentum and Sony’s commitment to the platform mean for the system’s next phase? That bit remains pretty unclear. While current PSVR headsets will work with the next PlayStation, the company isn’t ready to talk about the hypothetical PlayStation VR 2. In fact, according to Sony’s Global Head of R&D for PlayStation, Dominic Mallinson, launching another version of the headset alongside PlayStation 5 would be a mistake.
[Source: EDGE Magazine via GamingBolt]
