Virtual Reality Market To Grow When Hardware & Content Cost Less
What to expect at Mobile World Congress
Pablo Valerio, International Business & IT Consultant
2/2/2017 00:00 AM EST
What will the tipping point be for mass adoption of virtual and augmented reality? This year's Mobile World Congress has some clues.
The potential growth of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) won’t be realized until there is more content available. People are not jumping to buy VR headsets and, despite the efforts of some vendors promoting them and bundling them with other devices, the sales of headsets and other VR devices has been slow.
While VR headsets hold tremendous potential, only 12 million were sold in 2016, mostly inexpensive units to use with smartphones. This year, new devices arriving from several manufacturers, and faster, cheaper, video processors, could boost VR to the masses.
The real size of the VR market is difficult to estimate. According to a July article in Fortune: “Analysts are divided over how quickly virtual reality will catch on. At the high end, 20 million units could be sold this year [2016], including all types of VR headsets and accompanying controllers and accessories, according to market research firm Tractica. Neil Schneider, executive director of the Immersive Technology Alliance, came up with a much smaller estimate of 300,000 units in the first 12 months on sale.” Also according to Schneider, smartphone based VR headsets, such as the Samsung Gear, could sell well as an attractive bundle. Analysts, however, are reducing their estimates. Market tracker Digi-Capital has cut their forecast from $150 million to $120 million for 2020.
E-mail This Article | Printer-Friendly Page |
Related News
- The Electronic System Level (ESL) Tools Market: Virtual System Prototyping/Simulation Tools Predicted to Grow Fastest
- Intrinsic ID Launches First Hardware Root-of-Trust Solution to Meet Functional Safety Standards for Automotive Market
- BrainChip Showcases Foundation for next generation AI solutions at AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit
- OPENEDGES Highlights Advanced Memory Subsystem IPs at the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2023
- OpenHW Group Announces Tape Out of RISC-V-based CORE-V MCU Development Kit for IoT Built with Open-Source Hardware & Software
Breaking News
- Thalia's AMALIA 24.2 introduces pioneering estimated parasitics feature to reduce PEX iterations by at least 30%
- TSMC plans 1.6nm process for 2026
- Qualitas Semiconductor Partners with TUV Rheinland Korea to Enhance ISO 26262 Functional Safety Management System
- M31 has successfully launched MIPI C/D PHY Combo IP on the advanced TSMC 5nm process
- Ceva multi-protocol wireless IP could simplify IoT MCU and SoC development
Most Popular
- Controversial former Arm China CEO founds RISC-V chip startup
- Siemens collaborates with TSMC on design tool certifications for the foundry's newest processes and other enablement milestones
- Credo at TSMC 2024 North America Technology Symposium
- Synopsys Accelerates Next-Level Chip Innovation on TSMC Advanced Processes
- Kalray Joins Arm Total Design, Extending Collaboration with Arm on Accelerated AI Processing