by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, March 26, 2017



While most people don’t have virtual reality headsets, those who do seem quite happy with them.

From VR headsets that work with any smartphone to those that connect to PCs, devices bought during the past holiday season are exceeding the expectations of most of the people who have them, based on a new study.

The study comprised a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults who once or more each week watched TV or played games on any device, conducted by Magid Associates.

No matter the type of VR device, they are pleasing most (61%) consumers more than they anticipated. Here’s how many consumers got better performance than they expected:

64% -- VR headset that connects to a PC

63% -- Playstation VR headset

60% -- VR headset that works with any smartphone

54% -- VR headset designed for a specific smartphone

Of course, there’s no way of knowing how high or low consumer expectations were to begin with. No matter, satisfaction levels of those who bought a headset are off the charts.

For example, 85% of those who bought a headset that works with any smartphone were satisfied, as were 90% of those who got one designed for a specific phone. Overall, 89% of purchasers said they were satisfied with their purchase.

While video games continue to top the list of sources of VR content, there are many other categories consumers are experiencing. Here is the type of VR content being watched by consumers who purchased a virtual reality headset over the holidays:

63% - -Video games

40% -- Short-form video

39% -- Movies

31% -- Music

31% -- Virtual travel

29% -- Television shows

26% -- Sports

19% -- Vehicle simulation

17% -- Art

14% -- Extreme sports

14% -- Food and cooking

13% -- Cars

13% -- Virtual training

12% -- Fashion

12% -- Educational

11% -- Adult entertainment

8% -- Esports

7% -- Online shopping

Two of the most significant aspects, ease of use and value provided, also were positive.

Almost all (90%) users of any type of VR headset found them to be easy to use and none found them to be very difficult.

More than 80% of users of each category of headset also found them to be a good value.

Those two metrics may be good news for word-of-mouth promotion and an incentive for any marketers of virtual reality to spread the word more widely.