Eddie-Griffin
Banned
https://www.imore.com/gaming/virtua...vr-headset-to-create-surge-in-industry-demand
So a new report from manufacturers who supply components as well as other sources from Digitimes china, suggests that there's an expectation for a surge of interest in VR headsets expected once Apple AND other manufacturers unveil their headsets later this year. I am assuming that TCL and Samsung are likely referenced (indirectly) in that report since they are surely using Chinese suppliers for their headsets and for manufacturing, and have announced they have been working on their own VR headsets. I also expect Quest 3 to also be involved in this list in some form.
With that said, the report seems to only directly name drop Apple, putting emphasis on that fact it will be releasing a VR headset later this year. This does give a hint that people are expecting a surge of VR demand primarily based on the Apple VR headset even if it's not the only one as the article title may mislead you into believing.
This lines up with the Morning Consult report, where data showed that Samsung and Apple were near the top of the list for what companies people were most interested to purchase VR headsets from, despite both having as of yet, not shown any headset, not even prototypes, so that's pretty telling. I can definitely see a surge of demand and interest when both showcase their units, with (hopefully) decent demos that will impress fence sitters.
Now that Tencent has recently pulled out the market due to profitability challenges, Pico is laying people off and cutting back after their failed attempt to compete with Quest, and DPLR has yet to announce the pro headset they said they would reveal after their entry-level flopped, that leaves only TCL, Apple, Samsung, Quest 3, and some smaller guys for releases the rest of the year.
Apple, Samsung, and TCL specifically, are taking new approaches to VR that may shake-up the market.
Indeed these are all aiming to be different while addressing problems the general consumer have with VR in general, so may increase demand in VR creating a "surge" as the article says just with these expectations, even if all 3 end up being temporary fads, just the fact they will be different from the traditional VR will probably create a "surge" as they say.
I don't expect the Quest 3 to do much wildly different other than be an improvement over Quest 2 with some nice features, like Sony with PSVR2 from PSVR1.
The only wild card here is Bigscreen, which is working on their small (very small) 5K VR headset that's closer to a slim set of goggles. Not sure what their marketing plan is and how competitive they will try to be, that's one of the smaller names that may end up being a surprise, who knows.
With that said, in regards to Apple, I'm curious to see the prices of Samsung and TCL's headset. Bigscreen is $999 for their base model. Apple is rumored to be around $3000, if Samsung and TCL end up as good and feature list as people expect, and they end up costing a lot, then they may end up raising the cost to entry to VR, especially if they generate more excitement than the Quest 3.
I do feel that's a potential problem in the future. Raising the barrier to entry might make margins better but that's going to devastate the potential of the market in terms of units in peoples homes. Unless of course, Apple and Samsung subsidize their VR headsets at retailers and carriers, and other expensive VR headsets follow suit with a upgrade plan.
I put the {may} there in the title because it's not a guarantee, and the article said [to] as if it was.
So a new report from manufacturers who supply components as well as other sources from Digitimes china, suggests that there's an expectation for a surge of interest in VR headsets expected once Apple AND other manufacturers unveil their headsets later this year. I am assuming that TCL and Samsung are likely referenced (indirectly) in that report since they are surely using Chinese suppliers for their headsets and for manufacturing, and have announced they have been working on their own VR headsets. I also expect Quest 3 to also be involved in this list in some form.
With that said, the report seems to only directly name drop Apple, putting emphasis on that fact it will be releasing a VR headset later this year. This does give a hint that people are expecting a surge of VR demand primarily based on the Apple VR headset even if it's not the only one as the article title may mislead you into believing.
This lines up with the Morning Consult report, where data showed that Samsung and Apple were near the top of the list for what companies people were most interested to purchase VR headsets from, despite both having as of yet, not shown any headset, not even prototypes, so that's pretty telling. I can definitely see a surge of demand and interest when both showcase their units, with (hopefully) decent demos that will impress fence sitters.
Now that Tencent has recently pulled out the market due to profitability challenges, Pico is laying people off and cutting back after their failed attempt to compete with Quest, and DPLR has yet to announce the pro headset they said they would reveal after their entry-level flopped, that leaves only TCL, Apple, Samsung, Quest 3, and some smaller guys for releases the rest of the year.
Apple, Samsung, and TCL specifically, are taking new approaches to VR that may shake-up the market.
- Apple will make you the controller, probably will still support controllers but will push motion, has rings to put on your finger for precisions, gaze controls (not FR), and stylus motion controls along with several other strange innovations with an external battery pack, and advanced facial controls, and more we don't know about yet.
- Samsung is partnering with Google and Qualcomm for a powerful, "thinking out the box" experience, which we won't get to see until they decide to show it.
- TCL is creating it's own software ecosystem to facilitate ambition and creativity, they will add unique features to their headset, powerful but at a "relatively" affordable price, and want to push their ecosystem and tools to DIRECLTY address the software issues in the VR market, hoping it will allow them to access to improved software that will be more interesting to consumers. Whether this will work or not we will see.
Indeed these are all aiming to be different while addressing problems the general consumer have with VR in general, so may increase demand in VR creating a "surge" as the article says just with these expectations, even if all 3 end up being temporary fads, just the fact they will be different from the traditional VR will probably create a "surge" as they say.
I don't expect the Quest 3 to do much wildly different other than be an improvement over Quest 2 with some nice features, like Sony with PSVR2 from PSVR1.
The only wild card here is Bigscreen, which is working on their small (very small) 5K VR headset that's closer to a slim set of goggles. Not sure what their marketing plan is and how competitive they will try to be, that's one of the smaller names that may end up being a surprise, who knows.
With that said, in regards to Apple, I'm curious to see the prices of Samsung and TCL's headset. Bigscreen is $999 for their base model. Apple is rumored to be around $3000, if Samsung and TCL end up as good and feature list as people expect, and they end up costing a lot, then they may end up raising the cost to entry to VR, especially if they generate more excitement than the Quest 3.
I do feel that's a potential problem in the future. Raising the barrier to entry might make margins better but that's going to devastate the potential of the market in terms of units in peoples homes. Unless of course, Apple and Samsung subsidize their VR headsets at retailers and carriers, and other expensive VR headsets follow suit with a upgrade plan.
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