Showing that higher-end virtual reality products are starting to achieve a level of scale, Sony Interactive Entertainment said the install base for the PlayStation VR has surpassed 2 million units worldwide (as of December 3).

The PS VR surpassed the 1 million mark in June.

Sony launched the PS VR, a platform that needs to be connected to a PS 4 console, at retail in in the U.S. and Canadain October 2016. In August, the company cut the price of two VR product bundles by $50.

RELATED: PlayStation VR Becomes a Retail Reality

Sony said it has released 150 titles for PS VR, selling more than 12.2 million copies globally at retail stores and through digital downloads via the PlayStation Store as of Dec. 3, 2017.

The company also announced that sales of the PS 4 console had surpassed 70.6 million units worldwide, and had sold 617.8 million copies of PS4 games.

Though sales of higher-end VR headsets have been somewhat sluggish, shipments of those products eclipsed 1 million in Q3 for the first time, according to Canalys.

The research firm said PS VR led with 490,000 units shipped in that period, followed by two products that need to be connected to high-octane PCs -- the Oculus Rift (210,000), and the HTC Vive (160,000).

Facebook-owned Oculus and Google, make of the Daydream VR platform, are also working toward a new class of stand-alone VR headsets that are expected to goose consumer demand in the headset category.

RELATED: Oculus Preps Debut of Wireless, Stand-Alone VR Headset

Looking to put a jolt into sales, the makers of higher-end virtual reality platforms have all implemented deep price cuts ahead of the holiday buying season.

While these across-the-board price cuts indicate that consumer interest in VR products has slowed, one analyst called them a typical move to entice people to jump in during this early-adopter phase of the VR market.

But it’s clear that three key VR players — Sony, HTC and Facebook-owned Oculus — are cutting prices to move the sales needle.

Among those moves, Sony said it has reduced the price of two VR product bundles by $50 — a combo with the Play-Station VR headset and camera now sells for $399, while an “all-in” bundle that includes the headset, camera, two motion controllers and a gaming title, PlayStation VR Worlds, is going for $449.

Meanwhile, HTC has chopped the sales price on its VR platform, the Vive, by $200 to $599. That was coupled with a report from Bloomberg that HTC is exploring strategic options that could lead to the sale of its VR business, and that the Taiwan-based company has already held discussions with Google.

Under a temporary summer promotion, Oculus in July cut the price of its Rift VR headset/hand-tracking Touch controller bundle in half to $399, followed by a permanent reduction on the product combo to $499.

All of those players are fighting for share in a small but growing market. With mobile VR headsets factored in, the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR headset kept its lead through Q1 2017, according to SuperData. The Gear VR was followed by the PlayStation VR (Sony has shipped more than 1 million units so far), Google Daydream mobile VR headsets, the HTC Vive, and the Oculus Rift.

Related: Another 'Promising' Week for Virtual Reality

Mike Bloxham, senior vice president of global entertainment and media at Magid, said the recent wave of price adjustments indicates that the companies are gearing up for the holiday buying season while also looking for ways to accelerate sales amid a period of sluggishness.

He also said that the price cuts should also drive enthusiasm for early adopters, stressing that their behavior doesn’t represent that of the mass market.

Citing recent Magid research, Bloxham said price remains the biggest impediment for consumers considering taking the plunge on VR by a wide margin (64%), compared to a perceived lack of content (34%).

Bloxham remains bullish about VR. “I think it does have huge potential,” he said, noting that product shipments are not the clearest barometer on the level of usage occurring the market.

“VR has the potential to shake things up and create a whole bunch of opportunities,” he added. The expectation, he said, is that VR will not only take hold in media and entertainment, but also in areas such as engineering, health care and education.

Magid and the VR/AR Consortium, a group that includes Turner, Warner Bros. and The VR Society, recently released a study based on a survey of about 2,000 U.S. consumers, showing that about one-third of all U.S. adults have used a VR device.

The study also indicates that the U.S. market of VR owners and “intenders” stands at 44 million.

Seeing is apparently believing, as 50% of those who have tried a VR headset reported “loving” the experience on a PC or console device, while 90% reported “liking” it on a high-end PC or console headset.

Apparently looking to pick up some sales momentum heading into the holidays, Sony has cut the price of two VR product bundles by $50.

Sony announced Monday that a bundle with the PlayStation VR headset and camera costing $399 will arrive at retailers on September 1. Joining the mix is a $449 “all-in” bundle that includes the headset, camera, two motion controllers and PlayStation VR Worlds.

Prices for both bundles represent a $50 discount, Variety pointed out.

RELATED: HTC Might Sell its VR Business

In February, Sony told The New York Times that it had sold 915,000 PS VR units, putting in on pace to beat an internal goal of selling 1 million headsets six months after sales began. It crossed that 1 million mark during the summer.

RELATED: Sony Has Sold 915,000 PlayStation VR Units: Report

Sony announced new pricing as it gets ready to release a batch of new games for its VR platform, including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, Doom VFR, and Bravo Team, and following a software update to the PS4 that enables enhancements for PS VR such as 5.1ch and 7.1ch virtual surround sound in Cinematic Mode.

Other VR companies have made similar price cuts. HTC last week reduced the price on the Vive headset from $799 to $599, following a cut on the Oculus Rift. 

Showing some sizable demand for its new console-connected virtual reality system, Andrew House, global chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment, told The New York Timesthat the CE giant had sold about 915,000 PlayStation VR units as of Feb. 19.

That’s a solid start for a product that went on sale in the U.S. last October for $399, and hooks up to the PlayStation 4 as well as the newer, higher-octane PS4 Pro. It also puts Sony on pace to beat an internal goal of selling 1 million PS VR headsets six months in, the paper noted.

RELATED: PlayStation VR Lands on October 13

That early progress also presents some promise to higher-end VR platforms, which are well behind adoption of simpler and less expensive viewers that work in tandem with compatible smartphones.

That initial success also gives the PS VR a leg up on PC-connected VR platforms such as the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. The paper noted that SuperData Research believes that there were 243,000 Oculus Rift headsets and 420,000 Vive headsets sold by the end of 2016.

SuperData announced last week that it expects VR hardware revenues to reach $3.6 billion in 2017, and rise to $37.7 billion by 2020.

RELATED: Global VR Hardware Revenues to Reach $3.6B in 2017: Forecast

House told the pub that he had some doubts that VR would get a lot of consumer traction in the early going, and expects supplies of the product to improve by April.

“It’s the classic case in any organization — the guys who are on the front end in sales are getting very excited, very hyped up,” House told the Times. “You have to temper that with other voices inside the company, myself among them, saying let’s just be a little bit careful.”

He’s not alone in that thinking. 

“I just think it’s going to be a ten-year thing,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said with respect to VR on the company’s earnings call this month. “We’re still early in our ten-year plan for virtual reality, but we’ve made some progress.”

Aiming to bring virtual reality and immersive gaming to the masses, Sony has launched the PlayStation VR, a platform that connects to PlayStation 4 consoles, in the U.S. and Canada.

PS VR, which will support a library of about 50 games by year-end, carries a suggested retail price of US$399 and C$549. Out of the chute, PS VR will support a lineup of about 30 games, including Rez Infinite, Batman: Arkham VR, EVE: Valkyrie, Job Simulator, Battlezone, PlayStation VR Worlds, and RIGS Mechanized Combat League.

Also on deck is a range of VR “experiences” and media apps, including Hulu, which launched a VR app in March; Invasion!, the animated title from Comcast Ventures-backed VR animation specialist Baobab Studios; as well as LittlStar, Within, Kismet, and Vrideo.

RELATED: Hulu Launches VR App 

PS VR is also complemented by peripherals, including the Move Motion Controller and an upcoming PS VR Aim Controller device.

The PS VR will compete with the higher-end of the headset spectrum, including two PC-connected platforms: the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. IHS Technology is forecasting that that Sony will sell 1.4 million PS VR headsets this year.

RELATED: Installed Base of VR Headsets to Reach 81M By 2020: Forecast

Sony’s new VR platform will also feature a "Social Screen"  that lets users who are not wearing the headset to see on TV what the PS VR player is seeing in the headset, or to play alongside the VR player in supporting games.

"We believe PS VR has the power to make VR gaming a reality for the mainstream, and the impact that PS VR will have on the future of both games and entertainment will be transformative,” Shawn Layden, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment America and chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, said in a statement.

Sony noted that PS VR is compatible with the 40 million-plus PS4 systems already in the market. PS VR is also entering the scene as Sony introduces two new PlayStation 4 models, including a 4K- and HDR-capable console called the PlayStation 4 Pro, and a slimmer, more energy-efficient version of the current console.

We’ve known the price. Now we know the date.

The PlayStation VR will debut in the U.S. on October 13 and support more than 50 games between that launch date and the end of 2016, Shawn Layden, president of  Sony Interactive Entertainment America and chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, announced Monday night at the company’s E3 keynote.

“2016 is a seminal moment in virtual reality,” he said. “The time has finally come for everyone to enjoy VR in their own homes.”

The PlayStation VR, which connects to the PlayStation 4, retails for $399. Sony, which has a higher-end, 4K-capable PS4 in the works codenamed “Neo” that should bring more pixels and horsepower to its VR-enabled gaming lineup, has previously announced a $500 bundle for the PlayStation VR that includes a camera and two motion controllers.

Sony will have a big base to market its VR platform to, as the CE giant has already sold more than 40 million PS4s worldwide.  Sony will be competing in the sector against two high-end VR platforms -- the Oculus Rift ($599) and the HTC Vive ($799), which must be tethered to high-performance PCs.

During the keynote, Sony showed off several VR titles, including Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR Mission, Batman Arkham VR, and Final Fantasy XV. 

Update: Sony said Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR Mission will be exclusive to PS VR this holiday season and will be free for owners of Star WarsBattlefront. Sony also estimated that PlayStation VR titles will range from $9.99 to $59.99, and that PlayStation Move controllers will be available as a two-pack bundle for $99.99. 

Global revenues for virtual reality headset products are poised to reach $895 million this year, according to a fresh forecast from Strategy Analytics.

New, premium products from Oculus (Rift), HTC (Vive) and Sony (PlayStation VR) will drive 77% of the value, despite accounting for just 13% of the volume, while lower priced smartphone based devices, such as the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR, will dominate the 12.8 million VR units shipped during the year, the firm said, calling 2016 a “pivotal” year for the emerging platform.  

Strategy Analytics believes that high-end VR headsets that must be tethered to PCs and came consoles (the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and coming PlayStation VR), will be lucky to exceed 1.7 million devices shipped globally this year because of “prohibitively high pricing.”

“At the same time, smartphone toting consumers are being bombarded by low cost and often bundled-in VR viewers like never before,” Strategy Analytics said, adding that they effectively are a “gateway drug” to upsell consumers on higher-end platforms. Of that group, Samsung has been bundling the Gear VR (regularly $99) with its new S7 smartphones.

As volumes go, smartphone-based VR headsets will represent 87% of the category volume in 2016, versus game console-based systems (9%), and PC-based products (4%). Game console-based VR platforms will represent 46% of the revenue share in 2016, versus 31% for PC-based VR, and 23% for smartphone-based systems, the research firm said.

"Consumers will soon be exposed to an incredible diversity of virtual reality options ranging from ultra-low cost to super premium,”  Cliff Raskind, director of Strategy Analytics' Wearable Device Ecosystems service, said in a statement. “While we expect smartphone-based viewers to take the lion's share of VR headset volumes in 2016 at 87% of shipments, PC and Game Console powered headsets will absolutely dominate value share commanding 77% of revenues." 

Get complete coverage of VR trends and technologies.

Sony’s PlayStation VR headset for the PS4 console will start at $399 and hit the market in October 2016, the company announced Tuesday in tandem with this week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The PlayStation VR will debut across multiple regions, including Japan and other parts of Asia, North America, and Europe.

Though it has to be paired with a PS4, Sony’s pricing on the PlayStation VR undercuts the introductory pricing for two high-end VR platforms -- the Oculus Rift ($599) and the HTC Vive ($799), which must be tethered to high-performance PCs. Google is reportedly working some new VR products, including a more advanced version of Cardboard that will be made of plastic, but still requiring pairing with a smartphone, as well as a higher-end self-contained VR headset. 

PS VR, which uses an OLED display, will support a resolution of 1920×RGB×1080 (960×RGB×1080 per eye), a field of view of approximately 100 degrees, and 3D audio processing.

Sony said  more than 230 developers and publishers are working on software titles for PS VR, and that software titles in development for the platform currently number more than 160. Examples include Eagle Flight (Ubisoft), EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games), Headmaster (Frame Interactive), Rez Infinite (Enhance Games), Wayward Sky (Uber Entertainment).

Additionally, The Playroom VR (from Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios) will be offered as a free download via the PlayStation Store to all PS VR owners simultaneously with the launch of the system. 

Sony said PS VR will also feature a “Cinematic”  mode that lets users watch a variety of content via a “large virtual screen” while wearing the headset.  Supported content for Cinematic mode includes standard PS4 games and videos as well as some PS4 features, including Share Play and Live from PlayStation. The system will also support 360-degree photos and videos that are captured by devices, including the omnidirectional cameras on the PS VR. 

RELATED:'Virtual Reality -- Ready for a Closeup' Webinar, Feb. 24, with Andrew Trickett (Merge VR) and Tony Mugavero (Littlstar), moderated by Next TV editor Jeff Baumgartner

Sony hasn’t announced a 2016 launch date for the PlayStation VR, the virtual reality headset that will pair up with the PS4 console, but GameStop CEO Paul Raines said he’s preparing for a fall debut.

“It’s a big launch. We’re getting ready for it,” Raines said in a TV interview with Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo. “We will launch the Sony product this fall.”

He said GameStop is also in retail distribution talks with Oculus, the Facebook-owned VR specialist, as well as with HTC, maker of the Vive VR platform.

Oculus started taking preorders for the Oculus Rift last month ahead of shipments that will begin this spring, and yesterday started to take preorders for Oculus Rift-PC bundles that start at $1,499. Preorders for the HTC Vive are expected to open on February 29.

Google, maker of the entry-level  Cardboard VR viewer,  is reportedly developing a new VR headset that will rival the Samsung Gear VR and require the user to pair the device with a smartphone, and is said to be working on a more advanced self-contained VR headset.

Raines said it’s hard to measure the VR market right now, but is bullish about it because current forecasts “all start with a ‘B’.” He referenced a Goldman Sachs forecast that sees the VR market eclipsing that of TV by 2025.

You can view the Raines interview below:

HTC will start to take pre-orders for Vive, its high-end virtual reality headset/platform, on February 29 and reach commercial availability in April, according to the Telegraph.

HTC top exec Cher Wang told the pub that the Taiwan-based CE giant will refocus on VR and less so on smartphones. “Yes, smartphones are important, but to create a natural extension to other connected devices like wearables and virtual reality is more important," she said.

HTC has not released pricing on Vive, a headset developed in partnership with game developer Valve (Portal, Half-Life) and built on the Steam VR platform.

Oculus opened preorders on the Rift last week for a package that starts at $599 and includes the headset, Oculus remote, requisite cables, an Xbox One Controller, and two games; shipments are expected to start in April, about the same time Vive will be hitting the market. 

On the high-end VR front for self-contained platforms (Samsung’s $99 Gear VR headset must be paired with a compatible smartphone), the PC-powered Oculus Rift and Vive will tangle with Sony’s PlayStation VR system for the PS4. However, a review of Sony’s system (via a demo at last week's CES in Las Vegas) calls it a “mid-ranged alternative” to Vive and the Oculus Rift.