The first big consumer virtual reality headsets have hit the market and while Oculus might be struggling to meet shipping dates, expert analysts still have high expectations for virtual reality hardware sales in 2016. According to research firm IDC, VR hardware will “skyrocket” in 2016 and generate well over $2 billion.

These sales will be led by offerings from Oculus, Sony, HTC and Samsung. According to IDC’s research, around 9.6 million headsets should sell by the end of this year, generating $2.6 billion- a huge number considering how new VR is to consumers at large.

With that sort of growth in 2016, it is likely that game developers would take notice and want to cater to the install base, particularly if it keeps growing at such a rate.

“Video games will clearly be the lead rationale for people to pick up an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or PlayStation VR this year,” said Lewis Ward, research director of gaming at IDC. “While there have been some launch window hardware shipment hiccups that must be addressed near-term, I’m confident that they will be ironed out before the holiday season. The addition of exciting new titles will lead to a new wave of VR HMD hardware interest among those buying for themselves or family members and friends.”

Over the next few years leading up to 2020, IDC predicts that VR hardware sales will hit the 64 million mark, spread out amongst all of the competitors in the market.

KitGuru Says: These figures are all estimates but it does seem that VR is poised to really take off over the next couple of years. While a lot of games and experiences right now have a ‘tech demo’ vibe to them, things will improve on that front as the install base grows. Are any of you planning to buy in to VR this year? Will you be skipping this generation and waiting for later headsets?

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