Sony Says GameStop Was Merely Speculating About PlayStation VR Launch Date

Yesterday we heard news that Sony's PlayStation VR might be getting delayed. The news came from an unlikely, but credible source. GameStop's CEO stated that they were working on getting the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive into their stores, and that they "will launch the Sony product this fall," referring to the PlayStation VR headset. That news made waves, since the product was due to launch in the first half of this year.

Since Sony has been virtually mum on the topic of their VR headset for quite some time, it seemed completely possible that their release date had quietly slipped back. However, CNet has been able to reach representatives at both Sony and GameStop to clarify. They had this to say:

Sony: "GameStop was speculating and we have not released any further details on launch timing."
GameStop: "To clarify, Sony has not officially announced a release date for PlayStation VR."

As I noted in my piece yesterday, it is possible that the PlayStation VR could start shipping earlier in the year, and only hit GameStop's store shelves at a later period, in the fall.

I'm still not confident that this is the case. GameStop generally has a pretty tight relationship with console-makers like Sony, and you'd think that they would be among the first places to get the VR headset, instead of relying on direct sales to consumers. Sony isn't exactly known for selling their own hardware, without relying on third-party retailers.

The other thing to note is that Sony declined to comment on whether or not the device was still slated to ship out in the first half of 2016. If it has been delayed, they're not prepared to break the news to the world, just yet.