It’s estimated that nearly 60 million people will use VR each month in 2021, this figure is expected to grow with the evolution of 5G technology making it possible to enjoy across a variety of VR platforms. This estimation is combined with users of VR headsets and VR users with non-headset and accounts for nearly 16% of the total US population.
These figures are up from the 52.1 million people in the US who used VR at least once per month back in 2020.
Many think people presume that VR companies are creating and advancing these products based upon the needs and wishes of the younger generation including millennials and gen-z consumers. However, there is a huge demand for VR technology within the older generation including baby boomers for recreational use in the home but also integrating into large companies.
Many large tech companies like Sony and Microsoft have invested heavily into developing and advancing their VR innovations so statistics regarding the number of VR users will only continue to grow.
Apple has also been rumored to be releasing its first VR headset in 2022, which we imagine will only boost the VR market even further as there are so many consumers who are loyal to the Apple brand.
There are still people who are only just beginning to understand and be familiar with the technologies of VR. Back in 2015, only 45% of American families were aware or familiar with technology, which has significantly increased to 75% in recent years.
Many researchers put this down to the constantly evolving nature of the VR industry which has made devices and headsets more attainable for the everyday American. However, movies like Ready Player One brought the reality of VR to the doorstep of families. The desire to watch super events like the Winter Olympics and even the Super Bowl in VR became a major draw-in.
According to Capgemini, 43% of manufacturing companies say that VR will become mainstream technology used within their businesses within the next 3 years. It’s not just manufacturing companies as well, statistics from YouVisit state that 75% of Forbes World’s Most Valuable Brands have invested in VR experience for both consumers and employees.