• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

2

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948

1

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

2

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
TechVirtual Reality

Sony Explains How ‘Star Wars Battlefront’ Will Sell PlayStation VR

By
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 25, 2016, 2:31 PM ET
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Exclusive games such as Electronic Arts’ Star Wars Battlefront will play an important role in enticing PlayStation 4 owners to invest in virtual reality, according to John Koller, vice president of marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment.

“We are working with EA, DICE, Lucasfilm, and Disney to try and make that experience something so special and so intrinsic to what’s in many people’s DNA, which is how can I be in that world of Star Wars,” says Koller. “Battlefront is going to be one of those games that will really show gamers what it means to be in the world of VR. It’s very special. And just by the nature of it being designed as a VR experience, it’s going to be very different than the PlayStation 4 game.”

Sony Interactive Entertainment (formerly Sony Computer Entertainment) has already seen its $500 PlayStation VR Bundle—comprised of a headset, camera, two controllers, cables, and PlayStation VR Worlds collection game disc—sell out with such as Amazon, GameStop, and Wal-Mart. The new virtual reality platform doesn’t even ship until October. (GameStop has the launch date listed as October 31.)

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter believes Sony will sell as many as 5 million PlayStation VR bundles worldwide this year, and he estimates they will have 2 million available for launch.

“Typical pre-order supply is 20% of launch quantity, so 400,000 is reasonable for pre-order volume,” Pachter says. “It’s possible that they took fewer orders early in order to gauge manufacturing plans, so maybe only half that figure early. We’ll see if there are more units available for pre-order this summer.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Star Wars Battlefront has already sold over 12 million copies and had the most successful launch ever for a Star Wars game. Granted, some of those sales came from discounted copies of the title last holiday season, but the concept of Star Wars in virtual reality could be the “killer app” Sony needs to sell PlayStation VR. I was able to play a short Lucasfilm virtual reality experience, Star Wars Trials on Tatooine, at the Letterman Digital Arts Center during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) this month, and I didn’t want to take off my headset.

It’s also worth noting that Star Wars games generated over $1 billion last December alone in tandem with the release of the latest film in the Star Wars saga, The Force Awakens. The long-awaited movie generated over $2.06 billion at the global box office and is available on home entertainment April 5. Disney and Lucasfilm plan to have new Star Wars movies opening every year now, which will only help prolong demand.

Koller believes exclusive PlayStation VR games will be important for Sony, presenting a different approach than Valve and Facebook are taking with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift games. But those PC virtual reality platforms aren’t directly competing with Sony in the console space. Sony is dominating the console space with Microsoft and Nintendo far behind.

The electronics giant already counts approximately 36 million consumers among its PlayStation 4 install base.

For more about virtual reality, watch:

“The role of exclusive VR games is a little different than what we see in the general console space,” Koller explains. “For example, I don’t believe that there needs to be one particular killer app. There can be a range of killer apps. VR is so personal. It really depends on what experience that person wants and what they think is really great. That’s different than our (console) platform launches, where you generally can say ‘that’s the game’ (that will help drive hardware sales).”

With 50 PlayStation VR games in the pipeline to ship this fall—many of which were playable at GDC this month—Koller posits there is a range of games that could present great experiences for someone coming into virtual reality for the first time.

“Star Wars is a great example of something that we will really own during that launch period,” Koller says. “But over time there will be games that launch, where we’ve been helping with the development process, that will be most special on PlayStation VR, whether it’s exclusive or not. It’s going to be best played on PlayStation VR.”

About the Author
By John Gaudiosi
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

The war between competing AI models could end up more like Apple vs. Android than VHS vs. Betamax
AITech
The war between competing AI models could end up more like Apple vs. Android than VHS vs. Betamax
By Jason MaJuly 27, 2026
1 hour ago
Workers help a traveler at a Trip.com tabling session booth.
Big TechChina
Trip.com struck with $765 million penalty from China over monopoly allegations
By The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
2 hours ago
Canadian intern at NATO’s military headquarters arrested on espionage charges
North AmericaNATO
Canadian intern at NATO’s military headquarters arrested on espionage charges
By Sam McNeil and The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
3 hours ago
econ
AsiaChina
A Chinese chip maker’s shares surged 466% in their first day of trading as AI boom worm turns
By Chan Ho-Him and The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
4 hours ago
canada
EconomyTariffs
Canada’s awkward tariff summer: Gordie Howe Bridge opens for traffic a week after Michigan and White House officials got uninvited
By The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
5 hours ago
kimi
AIChina
Meet the American techies who don’t care where ‘good enough’ AI models come from, even China
By Chan Ho-Him, Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
Economy
College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 26, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Success
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
Commentary
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
By Austin SaratJuly 26, 2026
1 day ago
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
Retail
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
By Sarah GlodekJuly 27, 2026
10 hours ago
A Hims cofounder fired his marketing agency for an AI-powered team. Now his 24/7 online vet service is growing 20% a month
Success
A Hims cofounder fired his marketing agency for an AI-powered team. Now his 24/7 online vet service is growing 20% a month
By Sydney LakeJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.