Facebook was the leader in VR shows in the first quarter of the year.
While the craze for virtual reality has waned in recent years, the market saw a surge in interest when Facebook-owned Oculus launched its standalone Oculus Quest 2 headset at high quality and low cost in late 2020.
At launch, standalone headsets dominate IDC’s global quarterly augmented and virtual reality headset tracker, with devices like the Quest 2 and HTC Vive Focus accounting for 82.7% of shipments in the quarter. That was a 50.5% increase in the first quarter of 2020.
Jitesh Ubrani, IDC Research Manager, Mobile and Consumer Device Trackers, said, “Oculus has single-handedly driven the growth of the market as the company captured nearly two-thirds of global VR headset shipments during the quarter . While the company currently dominates the consumer segment, it faces competition in the commercial segment and its lack of presence in China presents an opportunity for local brands as well as brands that businesses can serve. “
The company also found that Chinese companies DPVR and Pico did well in the quarter, finishing second and third, growing 108.6% and 44.7%, respectively, year over year.
Overall, IDC is forecasting VR headset shipments to grow by 28.9% year-over-year in 2021, although this reflects supply-side constraints as some vendors struggle with component bottlenecks over the course of the year. The long-term outlook remains strong, as global shipments are projected to rise to 28.6 million in 2025, with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41.4%.
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