Analyst predicts 70m VR headset sales by the end of 2017

The jury remains out on the real market potential of virtual reality but analyst Superdata thinks it’s going to be a BIG hit.

VG247 reports that the company has predicted that a whopping 70m VR headsets will have been purchased by the end of 2017. This represents around $8.8bn in VR hardware revenue and $6.1bn in software sales.

It believes a massive 31 per cent of US console gamers will pick up a PlayStation VR and 18 per cent of PC gamers will but an Oculus Rift.

Initially, affordable smartphone devices will drive the bulk of sales as consumers first explore virtual reality before committing to the more expensive platforms,” SuperData’s director of research Stephanie Llamas said.

After this first wave, however, it will be especially console gamers that will spur growth of high-end VR devices.”

The consumer VR phenomenon kicked off last week with the official US launch of the $99 Samsung Gear VR. The first half of next year will see a flurry of activity in the market with Valve’s HTC Vive, Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Sony’s PlayStation VR all due for release.