AR/VR Headset Shipments Decline by over 60% - Virtual Reality headsets expected to fade in the coming years
Posted by BlueLightStruct@reddit | hardware | View on Reddit | 94 comments
No_Calligrapher7905@reddit
I don't want to feel trapped. I want to be able to look away from the screen. I don't see it as anything worth paying for. Especially with the great televisions I got.
CrimsoniteX@reddit
It feels like we had just enough technology to make it interesting, but not quite enough to solve all of the inherent problems that come with strapping a screen to your face.
randomIndividual21@reddit
until it's super high resolution, that you can't see individual pixel at all, and super wide FOV like maybe 160, 180 compare to current 100 ish. I don't see VR taking off, and to power that much purely, gpu is atleast couple gen away. Not to mention all that need to be achieved at mainstream price
Robborboy@reddit
Connection type is important as well.
If it isn't capable of wireless PCVR then it won't work for me. Otherwise it ruins the experience on my VR treadmill.
based_and_upvoted@reddit
And for the number of people who wear glasses nowadays, they need to make them better accomodating for that, either that or lenses with adjustable focus
IAD-datatech-oncall@reddit
They have prescription lens inserts for most headsets now. You just take it to your local eye doctor and they'll add lenses in your prescription like it's a normal frame. You can then take it home and pop them into the headset. I just had my insurance cover some inserts for another use-case (mountain biking goggles) and while I was there I asked specifically about modifying the WIDMOvr Samsung Odyssey+ plano lens adapters with custom lenses and they said it shouldn't be a problem. They even confirmed they'll take FSA even though technically it doesn't fall under safety gear like sports glasses/goggles, but definitely check with your local optometrist before ordering.
recurrence@reddit
The problem is this tanks the fov rendering the product terrible.
The whole lens unit needs to be swappable.
carpcrucible@reddit
Nah I don't think that's the issue.
I've had a Samsung Odyssey since it was released and it's fine. Like yeah you notice the limited FOV and the sharp sweet spot is limited but once you're in a game, that's not a major detraction. Would be nice if it had 10x the resolution and covered your entire FOV, of course, but it's not really a major problem.
There's a bit of friction with the setup (corded, sometimes need to re-scan the room, it's kind of large and awkward) but again that's not the problem really.
Mainly it's the lack of content. There's basicaly been nothing since HL Alyx that would make it worth bothering. There area few games like that (Lone Echo maybe another one) and the rest is either repetitive grind like Beat Saber, or experimental jank made by some guy in a basement.
dopethrone@reddit
We need great games like Alyx. I played it a few times on my quest 2 and it's amazing every time. But there's basically nothing else like it - immersive games with real content
Stingray88@reddit
I don’t see it taking off until it’s significantly lighter and smaller.
kamikazecow@reddit
High res headsets like Pimax and Bigscreen already exist. Bigscreen has nailed comfort and Pimax is getting there with FoV. The hardware is almost there but software is still lacking.
JapariParkRanger@reddit
BSB is around where our current PPD target needs to be. I think it can reasonably double in size and weight and still be very compelling, so they've got a bit of mass budget to address more things like fov, lens quality, and the like in future products. BSB2 would absolutely be there, hardware-wise, for PCVR.
Then it would just be software... and unfortunately, most of the VR software innovation is happening in the standalone XR space instead.
Tuhajohn@reddit
I have a vr headset and the small fov is very annoying. Resolution (ppi) is okay, but we need larger fov.
Tystros@reddit
which headset do you have?
Tuhajohn@reddit
Psvr2
Tonkarz@reddit
Cost is the big issue right now. They may not be able to reduce it for some time.
capybooya@reddit
We got quite a good ways though, the newer headsets are lightweight, wireless, have pancake lenses, and (at least the Q3) have 120hz. Those things go a long way for comfort.
LetsTwistAga1n@reddit
We need a neurointerface
ET3D@reddit
The original IDC article is titled "The Outlook for AR/VR Headsets Is Expected to Improve as Mixed Reality and Extended Reality Gains Acceptance".
That article discusses a revision in taxonomy, which now classifies devices such as the Quest 3 and Vision Pro as Mixed Reality instead of AR/VR.
The problem is that the article doesn't list any sales figures of devices, making it rather hard to understand if there's been any overall decline or growth of the total AV/VR+MR/ER market. Still, it feels like the "decline" is simply because newer devices are classified as MR and not VR.
reddit_equals_censor@reddit
now hey just a crazy idea,
BUT how about most people, who want a working vr headset, that is good enough for them already have a vr headset and are already buying games and consuming content in vr with it and don't see any need to upgrade,
until there is a major upgrade like a vastly smaller formfactor, vastly higher resolution, perfect blacks without oled risk, etc....
people with a valve index likely bought a valve index and are sticking with the valve index for the foreseeable future, as the only upgrade for them would be be the bigscreen beyond, which is a bunch more expensive, so they are just sitting on the valve index, until the valve index 2/deckard comes out.
what are your options, when you don't wanna have facebook spy on you? or risk them spying on you? and certainly aren't gonna buy a software prison almost certainly unrepairable and horribly engineered (from a reliability standpoint) apple vision pro.
so how about market saturation for the current vr technologies with its limitations being mostly reached and no new technology from acceptable vendors is getting introduced for quite a while longer...
instead of such nonsense headlines of:
which is based on this utter nonsense:
read this again, "spatial computing devices" are leading to the decline of vr headsets.
what is spatial computing? oh that's right it is apple not wanting to use the loaded VR term, so they made sth up and are calling vr "spatial computing".
so this "research manager" actually wrote:
..../VR headsets are leading to the decline of VR headsets........
complete and utter nonsense.
insultingly dumb marketing nonsense taken as if it was true by apple.
VR is doomed!
because VR headsets are leading to the END OF VR HEADSETS!
wait.....
tukatu0@reddit
Too much words that casuals don't care about. People buy nintendo switch and wiis and 3DSs with 240p for 1 reason only. The games. The most famous vr game i know is f"""" beat saber. Half life alyx within the gaming subreddits. Need marketing
OnurCetinkaya@reddit
What was promised by the industry leaders 7-8 years ago for the year 2022 still hasn't arrived.
Headset released in 9 months ago by the Meta has 4 times less resolution than what they promised for 2022.
[Same for form factor, field of view etc.] (https://youtu.be/tYwKZDpsjgg?si=ScHpR7Uvll6xrIDc&t=1094)
Meta scared of the competition by claiming they were gonna make this super high spec headsets in the future and subsidized the cost by Facebook money. Many of their competitors didn't even try to compete after that. Now the competition is gone, progress slow down a lot.
JapariParkRanger@reddit
Not promises, speculation. But yes, the predictions are far from reality. They exist in Meta's labs, not consumer devices. They pivoted hard away from PCVR and into the mobile space instead.
W8kingNightmare@reddit
I absolutely loved my Quest 2 but that's all that I'm willing to spend on this. But since then I bought a house and there just isn't enough room for VR so the Quest 2 is sitting in a box somewhere not being used
tukatu0@reddit
You bought a front yard but don't have space? Have you tried the using street?
diemitchell@reddit
These types of bs predictions ain't exclusive to the VR space tho
No-Seaweed-4456@reddit
It also doesn’t help that Oculus completely switched gears as a subsidiary.
They now focus on making a wireless, lower cost device as opposed to an expensive one tethered to a powerful PC. It’s made them a lot more market share that way, but VR is also losing a lot of its credibility this way.
MobiusOne_ISAF@reddit
Just as a heads up, because it does look like people are jumping the gun a bit in the comments here.
TSP-FriendlyFire@reddit
So if I understand this correctly, paraphrasing: VR headsets without passthrough cameras will give way to VR headsets with passthrough cameras.
Truly "news at 11" moment.
tukatu0@reddit
The news is 43% cagr for next 3 years
RedofPaw@reddit
It's like the opposite of what you would assume from the headline.
ThatActuallyGuy@reddit
Holy hell I've never seen a more confusing headline. Most people don't differentiate between VR and XR in common vernacular, even as a VR enthusiast myself it never occurred to me they were talking about devices exclusively made for VR.
Thetaarray@reddit
43 percent CAGR is pretty damn large for people who aren’t familiar with that stat.
MobiusOne_ISAF@reddit
Yup. We're having a bit of Reddit's famous "Headline to comment section" pipelining, but that's kind of the norm...
Professional-Rub1211@reddit
Gaming is a lazy hobby for the majority of people - at least in my circles. So VR can only be niche.
Assuming most people want to get up and break a sweat when they have the urge to game is not safe, IMO.
DarthBuzzard@reddit
Gaming is only one part of VR, and you can still sit and down and relax while playing various VR games.
Professional-Rub1211@reddit
Over a decade I've tried to get a hundred gamer friends and family to try out my VR and the vast majority decline or out it down after 5 minutes because they just want to sit down and chill out.
Anecdotal of course, but thats been my consistent experience.
DarthBuzzard@reddit
That's just what happens with early adopter technologies.
I could barely even convince school friends, college friends, and even colleagues to try my game console for the first 15-20 years of console gaming.
WJMazepas@reddit
Honestly, I have a Quest 2, and I'm super happy with it.
I dont get bothered by the low resolution or anything.
I even connected to my PC via wifi, and I thought it had really good response times. The problem was the Steam VR thing kept closing after playing for 20 minutes.
But playing on the quest itself? The games I liked the more were the games that don't have realistic graphics. RE4, Pistol Whip, Beat Saber, and other games ran great on it.
Gotxi@reddit
I also have a Quest 2 and I enjoy it. While I don't play it as often as my regular PC games, I still have room to enjoy VR games from time to time as a different experience.
I get that they won't replace regular games and it is fine to me, but I still see that VR can improve and have more market share over the time, even if it is not the "total revolution" they promised it would be.
Sad_Animal_134@reddit
Headsets need to be more comfortable. We would have been there already for PCVR but Meta put the entire industry in a chokehold and then decided to cut off PCVR to focus solely on mobile (more exclusive profits for Meta).
So basically the technology has taken 2 steps forward and then 2 steps backward over the past 10 years.
Bigscreen beyond is a great example of what is currently possible if a company (like Meta or Valve) were willing to subsidize the cost a little and build a good quality PCVR headset that is reasonably priced for consumers.
Zednot123@reddit
Yep, we now have wireless headsets at reasonable prices that are comparable to the best consumer headsets from nearly a decade ago.
That is about the only positive thing we can say about Meta and VR.
GeneticsGuy@reddit
I still think they are the future. Anything AR is really the future. Right now we still are at a high priced problem with an "almost there" tech vibe.
The Apple stuff was so wildly overpriced for what you got it was a joke. The Quest 3 is pretty good, but it still has its limitations. The market is down right now in general in terms of free capital people have to spend on toys due to the crushing inflation that has plagued the world post-covid. It affects discretionary spending first. VR/AR headsets are cool, but nowhere near a necessity. When they make them basically an absolute necessity in life, completely intertwined with everyday living, where they feel like life is an improvement to have them, then they will go mainstream. Right now wearing a big bulky headset is just not practical for everyday wear. I bet we still are about 10 yrs out from where AR begins to change our lives, but within the next 4-5 years we will start seeing true signs of it.
JapariParkRanger@reddit
The mainstream is moving to XR with the Quest 3, Vision Pro, etc.
Dedicated VR is and shall remain niche, much like flight sticks, wheels, pedals, etc.
Cadet_BNSF@reddit
What is XR?
JapariParkRanger@reddit
Extended Reality, essentially encompassing all forms of computer augmented or mediated reality. VR, AR, MR are all subsets of XR.
Cadet_BNSF@reddit
Ahhhh
anor_wondo@reddit
the bias is so clear here by the people who don't read past the title
abstractmodulemusic@reddit
Does this mean the headsets might get cheaper soon? Asking for a coworker. Lol
Ainulind@reddit
Quest 2 is 200 bucks plus 50 bucks oculus credit right now in the US. That's the cheapest a mainline headset has been, except the Windows MR headsets if you count them.
korodic@reddit
VR is finally getting good. Feels like we’re 1 gen away from the next best thing. It is tough to game while standing for hours on end, but I’d still want one for unique experiences.
Sillypugpugpugpug@reddit
That thing that nearly everyone thought would happen… happened?
VR is in the same category as “3D”, it circles around every now and again with the promise that “it’s not like last time! It’s different this time!” But in the end it’s not different.
Tech might improve, but I suspect that we as a species just reject some ideas in the end. We’re curious about it, but it’s a fad.
JapariParkRanger@reddit
No. VR headsets, dedicated devices that do not focus on XR and currently exist largely as niche gaming displays, are morphing as a category into XR headsets like the Quest 3 and Vision Pro. The drop is largely due to this shift. "VR" is dropping off, because it's moving into a new label/category.
linkup90@reddit
That's what I thought.
None of the big players are going to launch a headset that can't do MR.
JapariParkRanger@reddit
Not done. But they're specialized equipment. The big companies are going to try and turn your phone into a computer for your face. Smaller companies will make the equivalent of a flight sim hotas for a niche, dedicated userbase with their dedicated vr headsets.
linkup90@reddit
You mean like GearVR? Those days are over.
That said an iPhone 17 that streams to a much lighter AVP2 could be a thing especially since we know you can get pretty good quality streaming over wifi6. No cords, probably lighter and better balance, cheaper, maybe controllers to go with better hand tracking...might be worthwhile.
JapariParkRanger@reddit
No. PCVR headsets like the BSB.
penis-tango-man@reddit
I feel like the parallels to 3D TV were so easy to see, but everyone ignored it.
DarthBuzzard@reddit
They aren't easy to see though. That's called pulling the wool over your eyes to justify an anti-VR stance.
penis-tango-man@reddit
The most obvious is that you wear something on your face for both 3D TV and VR. It’s not comfortable and doesn’t offer a compelling enough experience over regular TV (in the case of 3D) or regular screens (in the case of VR gaming, productivity, etc). VR will likely carve out a bigger and more lasting niche than 3D TV, but the assumption that it will become mainstream or regularly used by the majority of individuals like smartphones and flatscreen TVs is far-fetched. It doesn’t have a killer app yet. Horizon worlds is a failure. No one cares. The productivity stuff like virtual meeting spaces doesn’t offer anything substantial over a standard virtual meeting. The virtual desk spaces are dumb too. Who needs multiple virtual screens limited by the resolution of a headset strapped to your face when you can just buy a few real screens? Some of the augmented reality stuff is cool and has its uses, but the majority of people aren’t going to walk around in public with a headset strapped to their face.
I personally think VR is cool. I was impressed by it when I first played space cadet trainer on the HTC VIVE almost 10 years ago, but I still don’t own a VR headset. It seems fun for gaming, but I’ve never been compelled to invest in one.
DarthBuzzard@reddit
Gotta love the overconfident redditors that don't read articles and take the headline as gospel.
There was no decline. It references the fact that VR headsets are now called MR headsets, so there was a 'decline' of VR headsets in name only.
Jacko10101010101@reddit
am i wrong or in the last years the prices stoped going down ?
Educational_Sink_541@reddit
To whoever was asking me yesterday for evidence that the VR market was dying, here it is lol
Substance___P@reddit
There's just nothing good to play on them and it's still bulky. I really want VR to be a thing, but it's just a self fulfilling prophecy. Few users, fewer games, fewer users.
mb194dc@reddit
Could write the same thing with gen 1 headsets 30\~ years ago?
Adventurous-Shop1270@reddit
VR is a meme. There just isn’t enough good content to justify paying for this shit
DarthBuzzard@reddit
The "VR is a meme" people are a meme.
anaemic@reddit
Honestly they aren't even really bothering. Since the first day of oculus the software has been trash, they haven't updated or tried harder with meta, they instead pissed away all their effort on a failed second life chat clone and still haven't done anything to improve the UI/UX.
Then in stores it feels like they're barely even trying, I can walk around stores here and either they don't bother stocking the quest or they have "non functional display units" out. Even I who kinda want to upgrade am not going to drop that much money without even trying it first.
DarthBuzzard@reddit
Sounds like you haven't been looking. Meta acquired half a dozen game studios, and their studios are responsible for the biggest budget and lengthiest VR games out there, some of the best ones too.
Culbrelai@reddit
Just like 3d televisions before it
Stingray88@reddit
Unlike 3D TVs, I can see VR/AR/MR eventually getting serious traction… where as I never saw 3D TVs taking off.
ritz_are_the_shitz@reddit
It's a big expense. The people who want one have one, and until there's a fairly large breakthrough at a reasonable price, I don't think they're going to upgrade. The only people I see getting a new headset are people still upgrading from an old vive to an index or anything to a beyond. If you're going to be in VR for multiple hours at a time, the beyond and how lightweight it is can be a huge upgrade.
JapariParkRanger@reddit
200 bucks is less than what people spend on phones, consoles, keyboards, headphones, etc.
The problem isn't cost.
hobovision@reddit
The problem is absolutely cost. There aren't good headsets for $200 as far as I'm aware. Even the Valve Index is a notch or two below what I would consider good, and it's still $1000. It was decent but expensive, heavy, and hot, and the resolution was not good enough for me due to the screen door effect.
aVRAddict@reddit
Clueless redditors strikes again
Farfolomew@reddit
The problem is absolutely not cost, at least if it solves a critical demand issue that exists. People pay more for the latest and greatest cell phones (and upgrade them far more frequently to boot!) than they do computers because for a lot of those folks, they *are* their main computers and provide the best environment and means to do all their computing needs.
hobovision@reddit
Everything that you are saying is why cost is the problem. People have tons of junk they don't need. Products don't need to address a critical issue that needs solving, they need to provide as much or more apparent value than they cost.
High end phones (for most people) are more like wrist watches than like a home PC. Everyone needs a phone, so it's not a question of if you buy one, it's which one and how often. They're buying the latest iPhone/Galaxy/Pixel because it keeps up with the trends and is a sign of taste/wealth/etc. The cameras and performance and other features are a bonus and what keeps those phones as the leaders. The iPhone isn't the most popular because it's the best, but it has to keep up with the best because if it starts to be notably inferior it will lose its luxury perception. It's not because phones "solve a critical problem", because if that was all it was, everyone would be buying $300 phones every 3-5 years that do >90% of what the latest $800+ phone does.
Imagine a headset like the bigscreen beyond was under $100. It would sell like crazy. At $1500 and a face scan I'm sure it's selling fine but it is a whole different thing when the price is different. Not because everyone needs one, but cause it's so good, light, small, and cheap that why not have one?
A better analogy to VR headset might be true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, like airpods. The first ones were crap and expensive. Airpods were the breakthrough in cost and quality but not everyone had one for a while. Slowly other manufacturers started making better ones and cheaper ones. Now, you can get decent TWS for under $50, and guess what? Everyone has them now.
If VR or XR has that Airpods moment where the cost/quality ratio inverts, the market changes. It's just not looking likely that will happen soon.
JapariParkRanger@reddit
There's no point in a headset when there's nothing to do. How many people bought a Quest and left it in the corner gathering dust?
JapariParkRanger@reddit
The Quest 2 is 200 dollars, with promos for up to 50 bucks credit/ additional off, depending on retailer and stock.
But more importantly, even at Free the majority of people would not have a real use for a headset. Not much has changed since the "Free isn't cheap enough" article. Niche enthusiasts such as myself will use them religiously, but we're the same types that buy HOTASes and Wheels.
Snobby_Grifter@reddit
The restricted lense fov and weird world scaling many vr games have, lead to VR being nothing like reality. The more you play, the more you notice it's flaws. After that it's just 3d strapped to face.
You'd need a VR headset that offers peripheral 360 fov. That whole scuba gear effect ruins immersion.
DarthBuzzard@reddit
You mean 270 degrees, maximum. Humans can't see in 360 degrees.
Snobby_Grifter@reddit
Some of us can.
DarthBuzzard@reddit
If only, but no that's impossible. You can't see behind your head.
Sufficient_Language7@reddit
Dude, that's what the eye in the back of your head is for.
DarthBuzzard@reddit
Then I need to open my third eye asap.
Sufficient_Language7@reddit
The 3rd eye is in your forehead.
Certain-Business-472@reddit
Meta killed the market by immediately going for exclusivity.
Theswweet@reddit
...is that because the PSVR2 sales have dropped off a cliff? Because Meta appears to be doing just fine.
DarthBuzzard@reddit
None of the above. The 'decline' is because VR headsets have now become MR headsets, so VR is supposedly on the decline which of course is a silly distinction.
Theswweet@reddit
Oh yeah that's even dumber than I expected. It's funny how I got a Quest 3 and instantly realized "oh wait, this is actually a relatively healthy market" and then seeing folks doom about the whole thing.
Farfolomew@reddit
I never used Google Glass, but how has that technology not been iterated on and released in a wide-form by now? When it came out over ten years ago, I predicted by the mid-2020s, the next big tech craze would be reading-glass sized devices that would provide augmented reality HUDs and overlays, that would either replace your smart phone entirely or extend it ala Smart Watches.
TWO MEGA USE CASES/DEMANDS FOR THEM?:
Real-time language translation in the form of subtitles like you see in movies
Map and direction overlays
lazazael@reddit
expected by who the fuck? like 1940s TV was mature tech
Sunsparc@reddit
I only use my Quest 2 to dogfight in Elite Dangerous. Any other task in the game makes wearing it tedious. The headset helps out by expanding your field of view if you don't have headlook bound to keys/buttons. Whereas before I would have to kind of guess based on radar where the other ship was while fighting if it wasn't in front of me, I can look around and attempt to locate it. Especially useful in turns where you can look upwards through the canopy.
s1m0n8@reddit
My feeling is that it won't become mainstream until the technology becomes cheap commodity. Right now, even producing compelling video content for the high-end units is an obstacle, with a limited option of high-end cameras available (high resolution, stereoscopic, high framerate)