High demand for virtual reality will see over 3.3 million headsets in 2.5 million homes by 2020, according to Telsyte’s Australian VR & AR Market Study 2017.
115,000 headsets will be sold in the second half of 2016 according to the study. Telsyte expects the release of Sony’s PlayStation VR will create a boom in VR headset sales coming in to the Christmas season.
“Entertainment will be the main driver of VR adoption in Australia, however, organisations of all types are excited by the prospects of developing VR applications,” Telsyte’s Managing Director Foad Fadaghi said.
46 per cent of unit sales in H2 2016 are expected to be console-based systems like the PlayStation VR, 46 per cent mobile VR and only 8 per cent PC-based VR systems.
20 per cent of an estimated 1 million+ Australian PlayStation 4 users indicated a desire to purchase the console’s new VR system, which is set to account for 65 per cent of VR hardware revenue in H2 2016.
The study also found video gaming is the key motivator for VR adoption in Australia, with over three quarters of people interested in purchasing a VR unit indicating they “want to purchase a VR device to have an enhanced gaming experience.”
Mobile VR will likewise see strong sales, but technological limitations such as a lack of full 3D head tracking will limit its capabilities, particularly in regards to gaming. Mobile VR will instead act more as a “gateway”, according to Telsyte, but still has important entertainment, eCommerce and educational applications.
Concerns over the impact of VR remain an issue for some Australians, with a third indicating they were worried about health effects, including potential impacts on eye sight and a lack of knowledge and research on the impact of VR on health overall.
