The democratization of virtual reality began with the launch of the Oculus Rift virtual glasses. Since then, other devices such as HTC Vive, PlayStation VR or Google Daydream View have entered the scene. The fight is on, and avid users of each of these platforms are already devouring the respective software. However, it’s too early to tell how each of the contenders is approaching the race. However, a new report on Virtual Reality has shed light on the enigmatic situation of an increasingly hot competition.
SuperData Research is a New York-based consulting entity that has published a series of detailed reports on the Virtual Reality market in recent months. Their latest study focuses on the sales forecast of the main VR headsets. The organization revealed that throughout 2016, Oculus Rift is expected to sell 355,088 units; HTC Vive would sell 420,108 units; Google Daydream would sell 450,083 units; lastly, PS VR would sell 2,602,307 units. Also, the report reveals that Samsung Gear VR, created in collaboration with Oculus, would sell 2,316,632 units.
Virtual Reality is already a reality. With the release of the main devices (Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and HTC Vive), the biggest question is the sales capacity of each one of them. Who will manage to impose itself on its rivals? What is the target of Virtual Reality? What market strategy will each platform follow? The latest report from SuperData Research provides answers to all these questions and many more. Investors are pouring billions into these companies as they look forward to profiting from the Virtual Reality industry. Investments have reached €2.6 billion this year and total €8.4 billion since 2012. The industry has yet to prove, however, its ability to cope with such a volume of manufacturers without collapsing, as happened in the video game market in 1983: when the market becomes saturated with low-quality content, the acceptance and loyalty of users of this content is put at risk, making it difficult to renew their interest in Virtual Reality. The following questions are crucial: Which platform will prevail over its rivals in the Virtual Reality market? And what will it take to succeed in this market? With hardware sales limited by supply chain issues, the first question is which of these devices will be available to the general public. Sony, in addition to leveraging its relationship with small distributors to bring a high number of PlayStation VR devices to market (Oculus and HTC Vive were only available on their respective websites), has also released a limited number of viewers to gauge user interest in advance, and thus decide to what extent it should ramp up production shipments of Q4 devices. Therefore, PS VR will be the winner in terms of top device sales throughout 2016, taking 60% of total shipments of PCs and consoles combined this year.
Now that these devices are available to the public, the main questions revolve around what their content will be and who will be the target audience for these products. Six million Americans say they intend to buy a PlayStation VR this year; five million are opting for the Oculus Rift; and two million are opting for the HTC Vive. However, if the pace of production continues as it has been, it will not be able to meet the worldwide demand for PC Headset. 28% of Americans have heard of PlayStation VR; 22% have heard of Oculus Rift; 21% have heard of Samsung Gear; and just 5% have heard of HTC Vive. And while computer and cell phone manufacturers are touting stock-outs, most Americans still don’t fully understand what this type of technology is all about.
- 52% are not interested in acquiring a device or do not know what Virtual Reality is.
- Only 16% said they would purchase a device at some point.
- 26% say that the devices are too expensive.
- 49% have not heard of any of these companies.
A new Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality is the hottest topic in the technology world. What is its potential? What are its main advantages? We are diving into this immense new platform to help customers explore this dynamic and emerging world.
Public awareness
Knowledge of the current market situation and the potential capacity of each of the devices will allow us to know the type of content demanded and needed by customers around the world.
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