The Year of Virtual Reality – Gigamax Breaks It Down

The Year of Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality has long eluded the AAA gaming scene. Some VR technology has reached the consumer. However, technology like the ‘3D Head’ or Nintendo’s ‘Virtual Boy’ were just not practical for the gamer at the time. A truly powerful gaming Virtual Reality headset has only recently began to reach the mass market. The Oculus Rift, Gear VR, HTC Vive and the Playstation VR are just some of the major VR headsets that have revolutionized the video game experience. No longer are we gamers stuck looking at a 2D world through a pane of glass. There’s so much more!

nintendo virtual boy, virtual reality gaming, old school virtual reality, gigamax games, gigamax virtual reality
Nintendo ‘Virtual Reality’
3d head old virtual reality headset, unsuccessful virtual reality headset gaming gigamax, gigamax games
‘3D Printing’

The idea of a great Virtual Reality setup is exciting, but how well did these technologies sell in 2016? This is an extremely important question to ask for a couple reasons. First, if this technology sells well out of the gate, it’ll entice technology manufacturers to continue and improve on the hardware. Secondly the more units sold, the more game developers will begin to work on exciting and lengthy games specifically designed to be played in VR. For any owners of the Playstation VR, they know the struggle of looking for a new VR game that will offer a complete gaming experience. Many games feel like a tech demo rather than an actual game.

Exact sales numbers are hard to come by, which isn’t usually the best sign. From reports, we can compile a rough estimate on the total units sold for the most popular models.

Breakdown

Sony announced that PSVR outsold every console on the market in Japan in less than a week, selling over 51,000 units from October 13 through October 16. An analyst firm, IHS Markit marked down 1.4 million units sold this year. A HTC Vive rep has claimed the company sold over 140,000 units. One million people have used Samsung’s Gear VR according to multiple statements by the company. Manufacturers of VR gaming headsets have been undoubtedly elusive when it comes to exact sales numbers. We can assume, millions of consumers have access to a gaming VR headset, a decent foundation to build from.

Let’s circle back to Playstation VR real fast. This is truly a Virtual reality headset for the mass consumer. When it comes to the PSVR, anyone with a Playstation had the option to make the purchase and begin gaming. Even with the Oculus, before the new reduced PC Spec update, an individual needed a robust gaming PC to use it. Even now, PC’s a few years behind the curve won’t be able to deliver a solid VR experience. Samsung’s headset had a substantial reach as well, but didn’t have comparable power to Oculus or PlayStation’s gear. Playstation VR may be most successful consumer level Virtual Reality gaming headset on the market today.

Overview

So what this all means is that 2016 built the foundation of a successful future for Virtual Reality. Technology and video game developers have taken note, but seem to be waiting anxiously to flood the market with hardware and software. A representative from Oculus made a remark saying that they are far from reaching saturation, meaning every person that wants one, doesn’t have one yet. 2017 has a lot in store for Virtual Reality. Let’s all hope they continue releasing substantial AAA games for the hardware so our expensive headsets don’t go to waste and don’t fade away, becoming nothing more than a novelty.

 

Recent Post


EwinRacing Gaming Chairs


Use code Gigamax at checkout to get 20% off EwinRacing gaming chairs



Archive

  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016