VR Headsets See Significant Growth

Shipments of virtual reality headsets went up more than 50 percent in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same period last year, according to a new report. Facebook, which has owned Oculus since 2014, was one of the key driving factors.

According to information released by market research firm IDC, shipments of VR headsets grew 52.4 percent in Q1 2021. For the year, IDC is forecasting somewhat lower growth as a result of component shortages impacting all areas of technology. For the year, IDC predicted headset shipments of about 7.15 million, with compound annual growth through 2025 anticipated at 41.4 percent. Headset shipments are expected to hit 28.6 million units in 2025.

"Oculus has single-handedly driven growth in the market as the company managed to capture almost two thirds share of global VR headset shipments during the quarter," said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC's Mobile and Consumer Device Trackers, in a prepared statement. "While the company currently dominates the consumer segment it faces competition in the commercial segment and its lack of presence in China leaves an opportunity for local brands as well as brands that can cater to businesses."

According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker: “Standalone headsets, which feature an all-encompassing design such as the Oculus Quest 2 or the HTC Vive Focus, accounted for the vast majority of shipments, capturing 82.7 percent share during the quarter, up from 50.5 percent in the first quarter of 2020. The growing popularity of gaming, as well as fitness, has helped spread consumer awareness of VR, while companies like Facebook have made the tech more accessible.”

Tom Mainelli, group vice president, Device & Consumer Research at IDC, said VR is playing an increasingly important role in “driving next-generation collaboration, training, and digital events."

For more information, visit IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • AI robot with cybersecurity symbol on its chest

    Microsoft Adds New Agentic AI Tools to Security Copilot

    Microsoft has announced a major expansion of its AI-powered cybersecurity platform, introducing a suite of autonomous agents to help organizations counter rising threats and manage the growing complexity of cloud and AI security.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Launches Claude for Education

    Anthropic has announced a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • central cloud platform connected to various AI icons—including a brain, robot, and network nodes

    Linux Foundation to Host Protocol for AI Agent Interoperability

    The Linux Foundation has announced it will host the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol project, an open standard originally developed by Google to support secure communication and interoperability among AI agents.

  • open laptop in a college classroom with holographic AI icons like a brain and data charts rising from the screen

    4 Ways Universities Are Using Google AI Tools for Learning and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways institutions are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.