Sony is already making money on VR according to latest reports.
Bucking the tradition of video game hardware manufacturers taking an initial loss on newly released platforms, Sony is reporting that they are making a profit with every PlayStation VR sold.
Shawn Layden, chairman of Worldwide Studios at Sony Interactive Entertainment and President of SIE America, confirmed as much during an interview with Polygon during which he stated that "We're (Sony) making money on the VR console."
Sony remains elusive as it concerns just how profitable the PS VR really is which isn't surprising when you consider that they are also refraining from releasing PS VR sales figures for as long as possible. However, SIE Europe President Jim Ryan did note in an interview with CNBC that they believe the launch sales figures of PS VR will be in the hundreds of thousands based on initial estimates. The fact that most retailers are confirming they are sold out of their initial shipments and are not expecting to offer the device again until late November or early December does seem to indicate that Sony's initial estimates may hold true.
The profitability of the PS VR is also incredibly notable when you consider that the more expensive Oculus Rift is expected to sell millions of units by the year's end and most analysts believe that every unit is currently being sold at a loss. If Sony really is profiting off of every VR unit sold, that could give them a tremendous leg up on the VR competition in terms of long-term viability.
This marks the second hardware release in a row that Sony is considering to be profitable right from the start, as the company had previously infamously stated that they were not anticipating taking any initial losses with the release of the PS4.