IDC: Global Shipments Of AR, VR Headsets To Grow To Nearly 100 Million Units In 2021

Four years from now, shipments of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headsets across the globe will increase to almost 100 million units, at least according to projections made by IDC. In a recent report released by the market research firm, worldwide shipments of AR and VR headsets will grow from the 10 million units recorded last year to a tenth of a billion units by the year 2021.

To date, much of the growth is driven by the very strong sales of VR headsets, especially those of the screenless viewer kind, a sub-category that basically refers to VR headsets that are powered by smartphone devices. Screenless viewers happen to be the most affordable type of VR technology, and more and more consumers are certainly buying them. During the second part of last year, sales of VR headsets improved significantly, thanks to aggressive efforts from tech giants in promoting their VR products. Prime examples include Sony with its PlayStation VR, HTC with its Vive, and Facebook with its Oculus Rift.

As explained by Jitesh Ubrani, a senior research analyst at IDC’s Mobile Device Trackers team, the next 6 to 18 months will see the VR market become even more crowded as other PC manufacturers try to join in on the party, launching their own tethered headsets, while other VR brands also release their high end standalone VR headset offerings. 

Ubrani also pointed out how the lower hardware requirements on PCs and the affordable costs of headsets are making VR tech even more accessible than ever before. Plus, with the advancement of accessibility of new motion tracking and hand tracking technologies, AR and VR will become even more popular among the masses.

When it comes to dedicated devices, VR continues to be on the forefront, with AR serving as the less familiar tech. This does not necessarily mean that there is less demand for AR. It just means that today’s tech firms have explored VR more than AR, and also worth considering is the fact that AR is a little trickier to achieve right now. 

According to IDC, VR headsets will continue to lead in shipments volume in the next four years, but looking at the bigger picture, the continuous advancements of AR tech will probably be more of a game changer in the near future. The massive popularity of last year’s Pokemon Go is already proof that if used properly, AR can really blow people’s minds.