Around seven million standalone VR headsets will be shipped in 2019, according to CCS Insights. The company scopes that it will be the leading type of device to be sold this year, with a further 13 million to be shipped in 2020.

By the time it hits 2023, CCS Insight predicts that 43 million standalone VR headsets will be shipped globally.

Leo Gebbie, senior analyst for VR and AR at CCS Insight, notes, “We believe the time is right for standalone devices such as the Oculus Go and Oculus Quest to take the market by storm. With no need for a secondary device such as a PC, smartphone or games console, standalone VR is making the technology more accessible than ever. We’re absolutely convinced the market is picking up momentum”.

Source: CCS Insight Market Forecast: Virtual and Augmented Reality Devices, Worldwide, 2019-2023 (June 2019 Update)

Survey

Further, the company it examined their attitudes toward VR, reasons for and methods of purchase, and use of content; for non-owners, it reviewed their awareness of VR brands and uses, and their likelihood to buy a VR device in the future. Highlights from the survey findings include:

VR owners prioritize the screen quality of a VR headset over all other factors when deciding which device to buy, and rate this as the improvement they would most like to see in future devices.

Games are the most popular type of VR content, with almost 90% of owners playing games on their headset at least once a week. At the other end of the spectrum, nearly a third of owners report never having used their headset for virtual social networking, despite the investment that Facebook continues to make in VR through its Oculus devices.

VR headset owners are generally very pleased with their devices, with 60% rating themselves highly satisfied with the overall VR experience.

Among technology enthusiasts, awareness of VR is unsurprisingly steep. Nearly half of these respondents have tried a VR headset, and the majority have considered buying, because of their level of interest in new technology.

Price is a significant barrier to purchase for non-owners, and the survey suggests that there is a large addressable market as prices for VR headsets continue to fall.

Analysis

The survey highlights what the industry already know about VR headsets; that it is leaning towards untethered VR which can be used by anyone. What is particularly interesting is the speed; only 7 million to be shipped this year seems a small amount.

Regardless, the momentum seems to pick up with time, and it will be interesting to see why. Would it be further marketing by HTC and Oculus? Does CCS Insight expect more players in the market, such as PlayStation? Time will tell.

Tom Ffiske Editor, Virtual Perceptions Tom Ffiske specialises in writing about VR, AR, and MR across the immersive reality industry. Tom is based in London.