If you bought a Meta Quest 2 (or an Oculus Quest 2 when it was called that) last year, you're not alone.
Meta's best VR headsets have been extremely popular over the past two years, topping the stats in the Steam User Hardware Survey (opens in a new tab) and (according to the latest IDC report (opens in a new tab) tab)) given that Meta almost total dominance of the virtual reality market.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) regularly tracks and publishes market data for various industries, including virtual reality. Their most recent information indicates that Meta now controls 90% of the global VR market thanks to the approximately 14,8 million people who have purchased Quest 2 since its launch in late 2020.
Quest 2 sales not only helped Meta, but the entire VR market jumped. Global shipments increased 97% in 2021 compared to 2020, and in the first quarter of this year (January to March), helmet shipments increased 241%.
But while it's great that you have more people than ever to play the best Quest 2 games, like the new epic shooter Wands Alliances, can Meta's dominance last?
Analysis: Can the Quest 2 be caught?
The numbers clearly show that Meta has a huge advantage over the competition in the VR space. While other headsets exist, such as the Valve Index, they just don't seem popular enough to stand up to this behemoth.
Unfortunately, future helmets may not be much better than previous ones.
Many are excited about the eventual release of PSVR 2, which doesn't yet have a release date, but that device already has one distinct downside: platform exclusivity. To use it, you will need a PS5.
(*two*)
PSVR 2 probably isn't popular enough to beat Meta's Quest 2 (Image credit: Sony)
While around 20 million PS5s have been sold, to surpass the popularity of the Quest 2, Sony would need more than 75% of owners to buy its headset. That's a very high adoption rate, and the expensive hardware probably won't be that popular - we don't know the cost of PSVR 2 yet, but the original was $499 / £399 (about AU$650) at launch.
For example, a 2019 report suggested that gamers had bought 4,2 million PSVR headsets, but that's just 4% of the 94 million PS4s reportedly sold at the time (via Ars Technica (opens in a new tab)). Since the PS5 costs more than the PS4, especially if a reseller has tricked you into paying more than $499 / £449 / AU$749.95 RRP, gamers may be less eager to shell out even more for an add-on. us.
Apple could also compete, but its long-talked-about Apple AR/VR headset will likely suffer from being too expensive to be a Quest 2 rival. Instead, it will likely compete for dominance in the VR space. more focused. Meta Project Cambria helmet.
Apple's headphones are rumored to cost at least $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$1,500, but potentially more. Unless it has amazing games and apps that can rival the exclusives in Quest, Resident Evil 4 VR, and the upcoming GTA San Andreas VR (among many, many others), gamers will have an easy choice. Plus, with the cost of living as high as it is right now, budding VR enthusiasts will likely have an even easier time picking up the Quest 2, which costs just $299 / £299 / AU$479.
We can't call him on PSVR 2 or the Apple headset until they've been released and had a chance to fight Meta's Quest 2, but we're ranking the defending champion as the favorite in both fights. Maybe Sony or Apple have a trick up their sleeve and one of the devices exceeds expectations, but at this point the only headset that could beat the Quest 2 is the Meta Quest 3.
