Last year, despite the launch of Apple's mixed reality (MR) headset 'Vision Pro', global virtual reality (VR) headset shipments recorded a decline for the third consecutive year.
According to a Counterpoint Research report on the 21st, global virtual reality (VR) headset shipments last year decreased by 12% compared to the year before. Although Apple's Vision Pro began selling in the U.S. at the beginning of last year, an expansion of the headset market was anticipated, the opposite result occurred.
Meta, which pioneered the headset market, maintained the top position with a 77% market share in the global VR headset market last year. In terms of quarterly market share, Meta had 64%, PICO 11%, Apple 9%, and Sony 8% in the third quarter, but after releasing a more affordable Quest 3S headset in the fourth quarter, Meta boosted its market share to 84%.
During the same period, Sony rose to second place with a 9% share, while Apple dropped to 2%. Counterpoint noted, 'Apple's Vision Pro shipments plummeted by 43% compared to the previous quarter after an initial market surge,' adding that 'Apple expanded its Vision Pro sales territories to Korea, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Taiwan during the fourth quarter, and corporate sales also showed an increasing trend.'
Chinese OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) companies PICO and DPVR significantly increased their shipments targeting corporations. PICO's corporate sector shipments surpassed those of the consumer sector last year, and DPVR's focused approach on corporate clients led to a more than 30% growth in shipments compared to the previous year.
Counterpoint projected that growth in the global VR market would be limited over the next two years. Despite Apple emphasizing the potential of spatial computing with the launch of the Vision Pro, challenges remain unresolved, including a lack of attractive content, eye strain from prolonged use, headset weight, battery life, and heat dissipation.
Last year, the global augmented reality (AR) glasses market size also decreased by 8% compared to the previous year. Counterpoint forecasted that the global AR smart glasses market would rebound this year and achieve a growth rate of over 30% by next year, owing to the potential market entry of large tech companies such as Google and Samsung Electronics, as well as the acceleration of trends combining artificial intelligence (AI).