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Report: VR Adoption Rates Significantly Jump in 2017

VR headset adoption rates this year have been sluggish. According to a Steam survey, HTC Vive users increased 0.3 percent this July and growth was flat in August. Oculus Rift users grew 0.3 percent in July and 0.1 percent in August.

Today, roughly 0.2 percent of Steam players own the Vive while 0.10 percent have the Oculus Rift. But that could dramatically change in 2017, according to a new report from Nielsen.

Nielsen surveyed 8,000 consumers and found nearly one-fourth wanted to either use or purchase a VR headset next year. And two out of ten people voiced newfound interest in VR after learning a bit more about the technology, but still said they didn’t plan to buy one.

Another 36 percent of respondents were “fans” of VR while 27 percent said they were knowledgeable about the tech.

“Like many new technologies, it seems that VR has more fans than experts,” the Nielsen report says.

Niel VR Adoption Forecast

There are more bright VR forecasts to look to. According to IDC, the market will be worth $162 billion by 2020. Grand View Research also reports augmented reality alone will be a $100 billion industry in 2024.

But the current lack of VR software threatens the market’s growth. A study by law firm Perkins Coie found 37 percent of consumers were hesitant to adopt VR and AR technologies because of “inadequate content offerings.”

“The focus on content shortcomings could signal that respondents believe other hurdles, including technological limitations and cost, can be overcome,” the report says, “but the availability of high-quality and robust content is a larger obstacle.”

Cost is also a big problem. The Oculus Rift retails for $600 while the HTC Vive sells for $800 — and they require expensive $1,000 PCs or $1,500 laptops to run. VR headset makers have a hard time convincing consumers to buy hardware that has a shortage of quality apps.

About the Scout

Dieter Holger

Dieter is a technology journalist reporting for VRScout out of London. Send tips to dieter@vrscout.com and follow him on Twitter @dieterholger.

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