Which virtual reality headset will win the holidays?

The spread of virtual reality

It was March 25, 2014 when I first felt virtual reality re-enter mainstream media. That day, Facebook announced its acquisition agreement of Oculus VR, Inc for approximately 2 billion dollars. From this point on, it wasn’t just my fellow technology friends who began discussing the future of virtual reality, but also my parents, cousins, and friends. Fast forward to the summer of 2016, and virtual reality is being funded by top businesses (Google, Samsung, HTC, Sony, FB) while content is being created for VR within the world of music, games, advertising, education, and more.

In the past two years,  there has been a rapid spread of awareness among gamers, and to measure its impact, our research company Red Fox Insights analyzed the United States and United Kingdom markets to understand their perception of VR.

Clear takeaways from gamers sharing which VR/AR headset interests them the most:

Pairing publicity to consumer interest

2016 has been a landmark year for consumer VR and the research we see above reflects products best represented at the year’s largest game conferences. Gamescom, which took place recently in Germany, was built around VR. Tim Endres,Project Manager for Gamescom, says: “Our main theme this year is Heroes in New Dimensions, which means virtual reality with hardware like PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and many others on the show floor”

Adhering to this theme, the event offered 17 playable PSVR titles across 50 floor stations, while HTC Vive's “mixed reality” made VR a spectator sport. L.A.'s E3 2016 also showed strong support for VR. President and CEO of the ESA, Michael Gallagher, revealed that in 2014, only 7 companies previewed virtual reality products at E3. Last year, 27 companies displayed advancements in VR products and gameplay. This year, there were 57 VR products at E3!

Which virtual reality headset will win the holidays?

In addition to viewing consumer interest in VR/AR headsets, it is important to look at the preferences of gamers who intend to buy.

This is a shift in preference and awareness of VR that may continue. Perhaps cost comes into play, with those adopting 2nd and 3rd generation models of any technology tending to be more price sensitive. The PlayStation VR is currently priced at $400, the Oculus Rift at $600, and the HTC Vive at $800 - in addition to the necessary hardware - the minimum cost of entry.

Another factor may the large PS4 user base, with Polygon reporting that 39.5m PS4 devices have been sold worldwide that can be used with the PlayStation VR.

Final Perspective

PlayStation VR is showing great momentum heading into the holiday season. Major marketing campaigns can alter gamers perception, but Sony's price point and wide userbase may give them a distinct advantage. Research for this report was collected voluntarily from 276 UK gamers and 260 US gamers across the Red Fox Network, using our unique collection and analysis technology.