Sony looking for new markets for PSVR - Report
Company's location-based entertainment unit to find other uses for VR tech after slower-than-expected consumer adoption
PlayStation VR may have the largest installed base of the high-end virtual reality headsets on the market, but Sony apparently isn't satisfied with its performance to date. The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that due to the consumer market's "slower-than-expected" warming to PSVR, Sony is looking to bring the headset to the location-based entertainment market in Japan.
Sony last month set up a location-based entertainment unit to lead the PSVR push into new contexts. However, rather than running its own facilities to feature the technology, Sony hopes to partner with arcades, theme parks, and the like. The hope is that using the PSVR as a location-based entertainment feature will increase consumer awareness of the technology and give them a chance to try it out before spending money on the home version.
Sony is by no means the first company to see the potential of VR for location-based entertainment. The likes of HTC, Starbreeze, IMAX, and Fox have all jumped aboard the location-based VR bandwagon, and developers like Raw Data creator Survios have adapted their games for VR arcade use.