Over 90% will be basic smartphone models; just 1% will be most expensive sets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
The recent spate of launches from manufacturers of virtual reality headsets and companies producing content to watch on them suggests VR is going mainstream but the reality is that just 3% of Britons will get a headset this year.
Around two million Britons will own one by the end of 2016. With prices ranging from under £10 for a Google Cardboard headset to £770 for an HTC Vive, VR headsets will generate £62 million worth of sales in Britain this year, according to a forecast from research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics.
The lower-cost headsets, which are basically ‘shells’ into which people slide their smartphone – such as Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear – will account for the vast majority (92%) of units sold. Those which attach to games consoles, such as the PlayStation VR launching on Friday and costing £350, will account for 7%. Just 1% of sales will go on the likes of Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets that plug into PCs.
Source: Strategy Analytics
