VR primed for US take-off as 2.3MN homes own headset


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Joseph O'Halloran

| 17 May 2016




It was the talk of MWC 2016, and now virtual reality (VR) is on the verge of hitting the accelerator in the US, at least according to research from Parks Associates.



parks vr 17 May 2016 The study of 10,000 US broadband households, showed that 2% of such homes, 2.3 million, already own a virtual reality headset. It also revealed that 5% of US broadband households plan to buy a VR headset in 2016, an increase from only 1% who made a purchase the year prior.

“The big change in VR for 2016 has been the availability or pending availability of VR headsets from companies such as Facebook (Oculus Rift), Google (Google Cardboard) and HTC (Vive). Sony PlayStation VR is expected to be released in October. We expect gamers to be the initial market for VR,” explained Barbara Kraus, director of research, Parks Associates and an author of the VR report. “VR is an immersive experience, and more is better for gamers - more immersion, better sound, better graphics, and more players. The mass market is more likely to adopt mobile VR, which will be less expensive and uses a tool - the smartphone - that the majority of US consumers own.”

Parks believes that as more households adopt VR devices, and become part of the consumer-based Internet of things (IoT), they will emerge as a new way to experience content streams coming into the home and a new interface for other connected devices throughout the home.

In a call to action, Parks Associates recommends that CE companies that are developing VR headsets provide simple methods to add (and remove) multiple content streams while giving the user the tools to personalise their experience with this device. Parks believes that for consumers, the division between device and content is already blurred, and innovations in virtual and augmented reality could finally erase the distinction.

"The CE industry is moving from one defined by hardware to a business of virtualised products, OTT content, and new advertising models, which could be integrated into a VR interface for users to control and interact with their homes," Kraus added.