The success of virtual reality remains… virtual. Despite the meta group’s activism and promising products like the Quest Pro, this market is still in its infancy. According to a study by CCS Insights, sales of this accessory in 2022 would be 9.6 million units, down from 2021 figures and around the same level as the last 5 years.
For comparison, annual sales of smartphones are more than 100 times higher, with volumes ranging from 1.2 to 1.3 billion units.
But CCS analysts are optimistic, predicting a sales explosion in the coming years with 11 million units in 2023, 19 million in 2024, 40 million in 2025 and maybe 67 million in 2026.
Despite the quality of META’s products, the analyst believes the market could pick up momentum thanks to the arrival of Apple, which is rumored to unveil a virtual reality headset sometime in 2023.
“A major obstacle to the adoption of extended reality is the time it takes to build smart, lightweight, and attractive augmented reality glasses. “It’s understandable that the big tech players are cautious: no one wants to risk disappointing buyers by launching a product that’s not quite ready yet,” nuanced Marina Koytcheva, vice president of forecasting at CCS Insight .
With this in mind, the market could also be segmented into autonomous virtual reality headsets, smartphone-connected headsets, and “mixed” reality headsets that offer virtual reality and augmented reality.