Sony sells dozens of VR patents to Meta – Is PSVR dead?
Sony signals the end of PlayStation VR with Meta patent sale
Sony’s PlayStation VR2 headset didn’t sell well. While the headset delivered a strong user experience, it didn’t receive strong software support. The lack of headset-selling VR games drove low sales, which in turn reduced software support. Now, the end of PlayStation VR seems inevitable, with Sony selling its VR/XR patents to Meta.
According to Zdnet, Sony has sold 43 of its US VR/XR patents to Meta. These patents range from XR glasses to head-mounted displays and related software. In total, Sony has reportedly transferred 419 patents to Meta: 180 US patents and 239 from Europe, Asia, and other regions.
The sale of Sony’s patents indicates that the company has no plans to continue developing PlayStation VR. This could mean no plans for PlayStation VR3 for PlayStation 6, and no plans to continue PlayStation VR2 game development. Right now, the only major Sony PSVR 2 projects are Horizon: Call of the Mountain and Gran Turismo 7’s VR mode. Sony’s lack of other first-party VR games or game modes already shows it has all but abandoned PSVR 2 already.
VR headsets have been available for over a decade, and even now they lack strong software support. Yes, plenty of good games are available to play on VR headsets, but not many system sellers. VR remains a niche part of the gaming market, with many seeing it as a novelty rather than a serious gaming platform.
PlayStation VR2 did not sell well. After its PS5 launch, Sony even released a PSVR2 PC adapter to reach a wider audience. Sony clearly didn’t sell as many VR headsets as expected. Why else would Sony start pushing its headset towards PC gamers?
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