A reference model of the Sony PlayStation VR viewer is on display with a PlayStation 4 System during a press event for CES 2016 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Jan. 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo : Getty Images/Alex Wong)
A recent report by market research firm IDC suggests that the sales figures for virtual reality (VR) hardware will soar by the end of 2016. According to the report, shipments are likely to increase dramatically during the holiday season.
IDC vice-president (devices and displays) Tom Mainelli said that the cumulative shipments of VR tethered HMDs from Sony, Oculus and HTC is expected to be higher than 2 million units in 2016. In addition to this, VR headsets expected to be launched by Samsung and other vendors later this year will be the start of a modest installed base for the content creators, the IDC reported.
IDC is of the view that 9.6 million units of VR hardware, including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR will be sold by the end of the current year bringing in total revenues worth $2.6 billion. People's interest in VR HMD hardware will increase with the release of new gaming content.
According to IDC research director, gaming, Lewis Ward, video games will obviously be the major basis for people to opt for an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or PlayStation VR this year. Although there have been a few launch window hardware shipment hitches that need to be dealt with soon, Ward said he is confident that these problems will be solved before the holiday season begins, iDigital Times reported.
Compared to VR hardware, Augmented Reality (AR) hardware such as Microsoft's HoloLens will take somewhat longer to arrive in the market. According to IDC, development kits from tech firms like Microsoft, Meta, and others hint at a strong future for AR hardware. It is much harder to make such devices compared to VR products.
The IDC report stated that doing this correctly is more vital compared to doing it fast. Consequently, Mainelli urged the industry to carry on with its slow and steady approach to AR hardware development, because Augmented Reality will have a deep impact on the manner in which people interact with technology. Till then, tech firms are likely to experiment with AR software on devices that are currently in use, such as smartphones and tablets, the report concluded.
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