Facebook’s Oculus Quest VR Headset Shipments Delayed As Industry Grapples With Coronavirus Complications, by Matt Perez

Topline: From virtual reality headsets to major industry events, the coronavirus continues to influence decisions in the gaming industry.

  • Avoiding large crowds, Sony announced on Twitter today that it would miss the PAX East conference in Boston late in February with concerns over its workforce’s health.
  • Sony’s subsidiary Naughty Dog was set to demo its May release The Last of Us 2—the sequel to the 2013 original which sold 20 million copies—but the studio shared that new info will end up arriving closer to launch now.
  • On the hardware side, sellers like Nintendo have been impacted by China manufacturing delays, and Facebook is no different as its Oculus Quest VR headset will remain in short supply for the foreseeable future.
  • The option to purchase a headset online is no longer available, following a statement from Facebook saying Oculus Quest inventory was being impacted by the virus.
  • Headset shortages could cause concern for game developer Valve—and the VR industry as a whole—as it preps for VR’s biggest gaming release ever with Half-Life Alyx on March 23.
  • Valve’s premium VR headset Index has been sold out since late last year due to demand for Half-Life Alyx, but sales could theoretically be further impacted if consumers can’t get a hold of more budget-friendly options like the Oculus Quest.

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