Sony announced that it will be pushing the PlayStation VR for commercial purposes as part of an effort to improve the slower-than-expected sales of its headset.
The Japanese tech giant’s videogame arm plans on placing its VR headsets at entertainment facilities across Japan.
Using its “location-based entertainment” task unit, Sony plans on partnering with third-party corporations willing that will use the PlayStation VR for related gaming entertainment.
According to a report by the WSJ, the company doesn’t plan to run its own facilities, but focus on finding partners across various industries.
People familiar with the matter told the WSJ that potential partners for Sony’s commercial VR business include videogame arcades, theme parks, and special events.
The virtual reality industry has already tapped into business-to-business-to-consumer sales, but the technology remains unfamiliar to many consumers. By partnering up with other business, Sony’s VR headset will have increased exposure to consumers and provide consumers with a more comprehensive idea of what the technology offers.
In February, Sony announced that it had sold 915,000 units of the PlayStation VR in the first four months of its launch. This was higher than what Sony had expected, however, as noted by the WSJ report, “analysts said the number might not be enough to trigger the early momentum that game-machine makers need to drive interest on the part of software developers.”
Last year, Polygon reported on the importance of arcades adopting VR technology in helping make the technology mainstream.
HTC, maker of the high-end VR Vive headset, recently announced plans to make it easier for small businesses to open and operate VR arcades – highlighting the importance of these arcades could play in promoting VR technology.