Global VR headset shipments fall 34% in Q2
Worldwide shipments of virtual reality (VR) headsets remained weak in Q2, falling 33.7 percent year over year, according to the latest figures from IDC. The market researcher sees this as a "temporary setback as the VR market finds its legs", and expects the arrival of new products, such as the Oculus Go and HTC Vive Pro, and new brands, to support a positive outlook in the quarters ahead.
The market was initially led by screenless viewers that linked to smartphones. However, shipments of these fell to 409,000 in Q2 from 1 million a year earlier, driving the decline in the overall market.
Major brands like Oculus and Sony were unable to maintain the momentum of a year ago when prices for tethered headsets were falling. The two brands managed to ship 102,000 and 93,000 headsets respectively in Q2 2018, while HTC, leader in the tethered headset category, shipped close to 111,000 headsets (excluding the standalone Vive Focus), thanks to the growing popularity of the Viveport subscription service as well as the launch of the Pro headset.
Standalone VR headsets grew 417.7 percent during the quarter, largely due to the global availability of the Oculus Go/Xiaomi Mi VR, which managed to ship 212,000 headsets.
IDC sees more potential for growth in the commercial segment, which accounted for around 20 percent of shipments in Q2, up from 14 percent a year ago. Along with the increase in share, average selling prices increased from USD 333 to USD 442 during the same period.
Issues holding back growth in the VR market include a lack of places for consumers to try out the devices, IDC said. The commercial market can do more here, with corporate training sessions, as can the retail sector, with agreements such as HTC's recent partnership with Dave & Busters or Oculus' work with schools.
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