Virtual reality headsets: why have their sales plunged this year?


Thibaut Popelier

Gaming Specialist

January 02, 2023 at 11:25 a.m.

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Meta Quest Pro © © Meta

© Meta

The VR headsets/AR are frequently in the news, but mainstream adoption has struggled to take off. The proof with these new unflattering figures…

Fortunately, the trend should pick up again in the years to come.

2022, a very gloomy year for VR

Consumers clearly did not favor virtual and augmented reality devices last year. That’s what we learn CCS Insight, a company that deals with analyzing current and future trends in the wonderful world of new technologies. Indeed, 2022 marks a real halt in the expansion of the VR/AR market.

If we are to believe the data collected, around 9.6 million devices were sold last year. A worrying drop compared to 2021 (11 million). To justify this worrying decline, analysts point to the high inflation that has hit consumers’ budgets. In addition, very popular and affordable models like the Meta Quest 2 have seen their prices increase… which has caused customers to postpone their purchase.

Companies are also singled out for the caution they show in investing in this sector. The global economic situation would encourage large firms to wait for better days.

A clear horizon?

Of course, virtual/augmented reality is not going away. Highly anticipated models, such as the PlayStation VR2, will land this year 2023. Sales should therefore start to rise again. CCS Insight refers to 11.4 million helmets sold. But the real improvement will probably happen next year with 19.1 million units sold. Finally, 2026 could be a historic year for these devices with 66.8 million sales.

VR AR sales © CCS Insight

© CCS Insight

Optimistic estimates that must still be tempered. Indeed, many events, whether economic, geopolitical or health, could reshuffle the cards. However, VR will possibly be driven by the major investments of tech players in the metaverse… Even if the nature of the latter remains “nebulous” at present. Consumer smart glasses should also arrive in 2023 and offer renewed interest in this technology among consumers.

Source : CCS Insight



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