The low price point ($80) of the smartphone-enabled Daydream View headset will see it overtake the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift by the end of the year, but it’s the PlayStation VR that should hold the No. 1 VR hardware spot by the end of the year, according to a new analysis from SuperData Research.
The research firm estimates that 2.6 million PS VRs will be sold by the end of the year, beating the 2.3 million install base of No. 2 Samsung Gear VR. However, despite only being released in November, Google’s Daydream View will likely have the No. 3 spot, with an estimated 450,000 units sold. HTC Vive will sit at No. 4 with 420,000 units, with the Oculus Rift at No. 5 with 360,000, according to the forecast.
“With the announcement of Google's Daydream and the lifting of the press embargo on the PS VR, the effort to woo consumers with virtual reality gaming is reaching full steam,” said Stephanie Llamas, director of research and insights for SuperData. “The variety in offerings and price points testify both of the major firms making an appeal to the consumer market and to third-party developers.
“Critical during this initial adoption phase will be the ability to establish a rich ecosystem of content providers that in turn will bear the fruit of VR and deliver on its promise.”
The low numbers for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift show those two looking at just the high-end VR market and playing for the future of PC gaming and other high-end entertainment VR experiences, she added.
