The recently released PlayStation VR has sold more than 50,000 units in its first week of availability in Japan. The actual count of sold headsets is 51,644 practically wiping out the initial shipment to the country.
As a point of comparison, only 30,154 units of PS4 were sold from October 10 to 16. The PS4 remains a popular device around the world, however. The Nintendo 3DS XL sold 15,905 while only 8,772 PlayStation Vita consoles were disposed in the same period.
Forbes believes Sony underestimated the demand in Japan. Many are now clamoring for more stocks to be shipped to the country to satisfy the high demand. The new gaming device was available for pre-orders last summer and the Japanese diligently lined up for them. After the pre-orders were met, there was an even more limited supply for walk-in customers. One report says that some stores had to raffle off the available units.
International Business Times reported that the sales projection for the new Sony device is 2.6 million. The 50,000 sold in Japan may seem like a reflection of low sales but in reality, the limited release in Japan it is a ploy by Sony. According to Daniel Ahmad, an industry analyst, Sony wants to know the response of the early buyers first hence the limited release in the country. Ahmad believes the supply for the PlayStation VR will be "extremely limited through the end of the year" so the company can continue working on a new software and additional features for the device.
The Playstation was released worldwide on Oct. 13 at a relatively cheap price of $399.99 as compared to HTC Vive and Oculus Rift which sells for $799 and $599, respectively.
China ranks second in total units sold in Asia. The Chinese bought an estimated 10,000 PlayStation VR headsets.
Aside from the PlayStation VR, Sony has already released the Playstation 4 Slim. The Playstation 4 Pro will be available in November.
