HT TECH wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe

Years later, Virtual Reality headsets are yet to take off

Even though the VR industry has seen a positive growth, VR headsets have failed to strike a chord with the consumers.

By: INDO ASIAN NEWS SERVICE
Updated on: Jul 21 2019, 17:10 IST
Why virtual reality headsets failed to woo the masses (Bloomberg)
Why virtual reality headsets failed to woo the masses (Bloomberg)

Having been around for nearly five years now, Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are yet to find adoption among the masses.

You only find them tucked away in a corner at the neighbourhood mall where kids wearing head-mounted devices (HMDs) experience virtual games. Even those who bought VR headsets -- either as an independent unit or bundled with smartphones -- have dumped those at home.

You may be interested in

Mobiles Tablets Laptops
28% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G
  • Green
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
₹107,999₹149,999
Buy now
Google Pixel 8 Pro
  • Obsidian
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹106,998
Check details
Vivo X100 Pro 5G
  • Asteroid Black
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 512 GB Storage
₹89,999
Check details
Apple iPhone 15 Plus
  • Black
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹87,900
Check details
21% OFF
Acer Swift Go SFG14 41 NX KG3SI 002 Laptop
  • Pure Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹58,990₹74,999
Buy now
41% OFF
Acer Aspire 5 A515 57G Laptop
  • Gray
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹52,990₹89,999
Buy now
22% OFF
Acer Aspire 3 A315 24 NX KDESI 004 Laptop
  • Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹33,499₹42,999
Buy now
40% OFF
Asus VivoBook 15 X515JA BQ322WS Laptop
  • Transparent Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹30,990₹51,990
Buy now
35% OFF
Xiaomi Pad 6
  • Mist Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹25,999₹39,999
Buy now
55% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹20,999₹47,000
Buy now
32% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹19,678₹28,999
Buy now
Honor Pad X9
  • Gray
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹14,999
Check details

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), the global Augmented Reality (AR) and VR headset market returned to growth after a full year of decline in the first quarter this year, as global shipments reached 1.3 million -- up 27.2 per cent -- from the same quarter last year.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here.

VR headsets represented 96.6 per cent of the combined AR/VR market during the quarter with strong volumes from top companies such as Sony, Facebook, HTC, Pico and 3Glasses.

There is no doubt that enterprise AR is evolving quickly, especially in the fields of healthcare, education and at firms that aim to enhance customer experiences.

"Many companies are actively looking for hardware solutions they can use to improve existing business processes and drive new ones," says Tom Mainelli, Group Vice President, Consumer and Devices Research, at IDC.

However, VR headsets have failed to strike a chord with the consumers.

"One of the main reasons why VR is not booming into the consumer segment is because of the uncomfortable, clunky headsets -- even early VR adopters have complained of mental fatigue due to prolonged use of VR headsets," Prabhu Ram, Head - Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, told IANS.

"Secondly, there is a clear dearth of quality VR content that one could watch," he added.

Reports suggest that even as a relatively young technology, AR has shown more promise than VR as it involves adding visual elements to the real world -- typically via smartphones. Unlike VR, it does not push users into distinct virtual environments.

According to Delhi-based tech entrepreneur Tanuj Malhotra, who is working on his own VR startup called VRover, the technology is not going to come to life anytime soon.

"It is impossible for VR to take off and compete with AR unless vendors make some serious changes from the consumers' perspective," said Malhotra.

"VR content out there is not readily available to consumers. Also, the VR technology is not able to rule out nausea and other health-related issues while experiencing it," he added.

According to Jack McCauley, one of the co-founders of Oculus, Facebook-acquired VR firm Oculus may not be profitable as the social networking giant is struggling to bring VR to the mainstream consumer market.

"There are a lot of fundamental issues that remain unresolved with VR gaming," McCauley, who stayed through Facebook's $2 billion acquisition of the company in March 2014, told CNBC.

McCauley mentioned how people still get nauseated when they put on a VR headset and how they still prefer to play video games alongside their friends on a 2D display.

"Consumer interest in VR, while still in its infancy, will see a slow and steady traction as specific use-cases, such as gaming, are pushed forth," noted Ram.

IDC expects standalone and tethered headsets to drive the VR market growth.

"Standalone VR headsets will capture 38.2 per cent of the VR market in 2019, up from 26.6 per cent in 2018. Tethered VR headsets will have a share of 46.1 per cent this year, versus 44.1 per cent last year. Finally, screen-less viewers will decline to 15.7 per cent, down from 29.3 per cent last year," the IDC predicted.

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on ,Twitter, Facebook, , and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Published Date: 21 Jul, 17:09 IST

Sale

Mobiles Tablets Laptops
4% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
  • Titanium Black
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
₹129,999₹134,999
Buy now
13% OFF
Xiaomi 14
  • Matte Black
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 512 GB Storage
₹69,999₹79,999
Buy now
10% OFF
Apple iPhone 15 Plus
  • Black
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹72,200₹79,900
Buy now
12% OFF
IQOO 12 5G
  • Legend
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
₹52,999₹59,999
Buy now
35% OFF
Xiaomi Pad 6
  • Mist Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹25,925₹39,999
Buy now
38% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹20,999₹34,000
Buy now
38% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹17,999₹28,999
Buy now
57% OFF
Honor Pad X8
  • Blue Hour
  • 3 GB RAM
  • 32 GB Storage
₹8,999₹20,999
Buy now
36% OFF
Infinix INBook X1 Pro Laptop
  • Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
₹44,990₹69,999
Buy now
29% OFF
Asus VivoBook 15 X515JA EJ522TS Laptop
  • Grey
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹44,689₹62,889
Buy now
34% OFF
Asus ROG Strix G17 G713QM K4215TS Laptop
  • Black
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹180,990₹272,990
Buy now
20% OFF
Dell Inspiron 15 5590 C583503WIN8 Laptop
  • Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹68,500₹85,900
Buy now