The success of virtual reality remains…virtual. Despite the activism of the Meta group, and promising products like the Quest Pro, this market remains embryonic. According to a study carried out by CCS Insights, sales of these accessories would amount to 9.6 million units in 2022, down from the figures for 2021, and roughly at the same level as sales for the last 5 years.
By way of comparison, annual sales of smartphones are more than 100 times higher, with a volume oscillating between 1.2 and 1.3 billion units.
But CCS analysts are optimistic and are betting on an explosion in sales in the coming years with 11 million units in 2023, 19 million in 2024, 40 million in 2025 and perhaps 67 million in 2026.
Despite the quality of META products, the analyst believes that the market might take off thanks to the arrival of Apple, which is rumored to be unveiling a virtual reality headset sometime in 2023.
“A major barrier to the adoption of extended reality is the time required to build smart, light and attractive augmented reality glasses. “It’s understandable that big tech players are cautious: no one wants to risk disappointing buyers by releasing a product that isn’t quite ready.” nuance however Marina Koytcheva, vice president of forecasting at CCS Insight.
On this horizon, the market might also be subdivided between autonomous virtual reality headsets, headsets connected to smartphones, and “mixed” reality headsets, offering virtual reality and augmented reality.
