The results are in
GWI issued their new Virtual Reality Trend Report, which delves into the biggest developments in the industry. One of the most interesting parts of the report predicts where the big VR adoption trends will occur in relation to device ownership.
Top three VR paths
Product innovation is the name of the game for gaming companies developing VR devices, and the data shows there are currently three distinct paths to VR devices.
First, we have VR products that connect to laptops or PCs like the Occulus Rift and HTC’s Vive. Based on the numbers of people who own a PC or laptop, this might seem like the most popular avenue of development.
But considering the spec needed to use the VR technology, and the high cost of it, VR adoption isn’t moving very quickly here.
Console contenders
Second, we have devices that connect to console gaming systems. Game console ownership ranked the lowest in devices owned, with less than half of respondents reporting they have a console. Though Playstation is working on a plenty of VR products, console ownership is too spread out and diverse to make this a path to VR revolution.
Viva la revolution
The last category of VR accessories are the ones that connect to smartphones, and it’s here the report says the industry is about to explode. North American and European respondents had the lowest numbers of smartphone ownership (both below 90%), and in turn the least interest in virtual reality headsets.
The areas that have the highest interest in VR, according to the report, are the regions with the largest percentages of smartphone adoption.
Our prediction of the next big thing…
Google has been working on Daydream, which promises to bring a high quality VR experience into the phones and homes of the masses, and this report basically says (most of) the world is eagerly awaiting just such a move.
