VR HMD's will generate $895 million in 2016
The research company says it views 2016 as an integral year for virtual reality when it comes to lower-end devices like the Gear VR, Google Cardboard and LG’s 360 VR.
The Oculus Rift launched on March 28 at $914, the Vive released at a price point of $1,149 last week and Sony’s PlayStation VR is set to drop before the end of 2016. On the low-end, Google Cardboard headsets cost an average of $16 and Samsung’s Gear VR, which launched last November, is priced at $139.
Because of their high price tags, high-end VR headsets will reportedly only ship 1.7 million units in 2016, according to the study. It’s worth noting, the study predicts low-cost VR headsets will work as a “gateway drug” to encourage users to invest in high quality virtual reality experiences.
“Consumers will soon be exposed to an incredible diversity of virtual reality options ranging from ultra-low cost to super premium. While we expect smartphone-based viewers to take the lion’s share of VR headset volumes in 2016 at 87 percent of shipments, PC and Game Console powered headsets will absolutely dominate value share commanding 77 percent of revenues,” said Cliff Raskind, director of Strategy Analytics’ wearable device ecosystems service, in a statement to MobileSyrup. “Additionally, we believe VR has the potential to fuel a new tech spec race in hardware areas such as display resolution, GPUs, storage and 360-degree cameras.”
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VR HMD’s will generate $895 million in 2016 It was originally published on adult4vr.com