Want to know how many people own and use VR headsets? This article chats you through everything you need to know, including the amount of VR sales per year.
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The current estimated figure for how many people own VR in the US right now is 58.9 million which accounts for 17.7% of the population.
The figures for how many people own VR have increased rapidly over the last five years, with internet speeds constantly increasing, the prices of VR being more attainable as the demand grows, and also the buzz around VR growing year after year.
Back in 2014, there were said to be less than 5 million people who owned VR and by the end of 2018, that number had increased to over 170 million people. Of these 170 million people, nearly 115 million of them were early adopters and KT&T whereas only 16 million were innovators and gamers.
The massive growth was seen in 2016 when new hardware and engaging VR content was brought to the market which triggered mass interest from consumers and resulted in some impressive growth statistics.
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.
By the end of 2021, there are expected to be more than 6.1 million units of headsets sold across the world, with projections for unit sales to be exceeding the 34 million mark by 2024 – that’s only a 28% increase within 3 years.
Statistics show that 70% of consumers who own VR headset devices such as Oculus Rift, Playstation VR, or HTC Vive have bought games for their device, which clarifies how much gaming dominates the VR industry and there is now an expectation from consumers for VR companies to deliver.
Only 28% of consumers who own a VR headset say that they use their devices daily, this is a very poor statistic when you compare it to the stats for the daily use of smartphones, tablets, laptops, and also regular gaming devices like Xbox or Playstation.
VR headsets are more time-consuming to set up and also require a lot more effort to use or play if you need to stand on your feet in comparison to lying down on the couch with a controller.
Gaming is currently and is forecasted to remain as the sector with the maximum VR investment which is unsurprising since the global VR gaming market size was valued at $11.56 billion back in 2019, which is set to have an annual growth rate of just over 30% up until 2027.
Statistics are predicting that by the end of 2022, the demand for VR devices will have grown 16 times higher than it was back in 2018.
