Virtual reality technology has been around for quite some time. But, consumers are just now starting to embrace it. The possible applications of virtual reality have been hyped heavily this year: everything from rom gaming and movies, to business and health applications. The frenzy was capped by the release of Facebook’s Oculus Rift this March. Nonetheless, big players in the space have had mixed reviews and opinions around its potential, near-term and in the future.
Some companies, such as Netflix, aren’t sold on virtual reality capabilities just yet, claiming it’s not conducive to binge-watching and has too few users. Other companies, such as Time Inc., believe in the prosperity of the technology. Virtual reality is even set to change the real estate industry – crazy, right?
There are many ways the virtual reality market could evolve in the coming years. Softonic surveyed over 2,000 tech-savvy users to determine how much they plan to spend on the technology, and their immediate plans to engage with it. Key findings from our survey are below.
Adoption rates set to pick up
The VR hype won’t die anytime soon: 40% of survey respondents say they will buy virtual reality hardware over the next 12 to 24 months.
Although almost half of respondents plan to buy, it’s interesting to find a whopping 72% of respondents have never actually used a virtual reality headset before. Talk about a (virtual) leap of faith!
Price versus demand is not aligned
Heads up virtual reality suppliers: price and demand won’t come into alignment anytime soon. Today’s consumers – over one quarter of our survey respondents – want to spend less than $100 on VR products.
This is bad news for the market as most manufacturers are asking for more – the most popular VR gadget among respondents (24%) is Oculus Rift, ringing in well above consumers’ desired spend ($599).
With 61% of respondents saying they aren’t buying due to price, manufacturers need to find ways to lower cost.
On the other hand, these findings align with consumers’ preference for smartphone-driven headsets. Samsung Gear shares the lead with Oculus Rift in terms of potential market share, also with 24% of respondents looking to purchase one.
With only 8% and 6% of respondents not buying due to unimpressive software and hardware (respectively), we can conclude that the vast majority believe virtual reality technology is up-to-par.
Gaming holds the most potential
Virtual reality touts game-changing applications such as business use, including design and manufacturing, and virtual tourism, but gaming is the overwhelming preferred choice amongst consumers. That’s right, consumers say gaming is the primary use for virtual reality technology at a rate of six times more than any other application.
This doesn’t come as a shock, as big-time gaming players have made large efforts to incorporate the technology into new products and offerings in more ways 犀利士
than one. This includes applications designed specifically for virtual reality platforms to stream video games and new PCs designed to power virtual reality gaming devices.
Surprised by any of the results from the Softonic Virtual Reality Adoption Survey? Let us know in the comments!