San Francisco: Led by Facebook, the global shipments of virtual reality (VR) headsets grew 52.4 per cent (year over year) in the first quarter of 2021, according to a new IDC report.
Standalone headsets, which feature an all-encompassing design such as the Oculus Quest 2 or the HTC Vive Focus, accounted for the vast majority of shipments, capturing 82.7 per cent share during the quarter, up from 50.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2020. The growing popularity of gaming, as well as fitness, has helped spread consumer awareness of VR while companies like Facebook have made the tech more accessible, the IDC said. “Oculus has single-handedly driven growth in the market as the company managed to capture almost two thirds share of global VR headset shipments in the quarter,” said Jitesh U, research manager for IDC’s Mobile and Consumer Device Trackers.
