The same is true in the rate of those who say that VR still “feels gimmicky” or that they “don’t currently see a use-case for it yet”.īehind high hardware costs, users of VR were most likely to say that there’s currently not enough content on offer in the VR market. Our data shows users of the mid-range and particularly budget headsets are more likely to find issue with user interface features, and question the viability of VR.įor example, the rate of those who say that “motion sickness when using VR” is a main issue decreases directly in line with rising price-points of the headsets. It’s these high-end devices which are having the most success in convincing users of the merits of VR. That said, an impressive 1 in 3 described the device as falling within the “high-end” market, including high-ticket devices such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or PlayStation VR.Ībove all, hardware costs are cited as the most important issue consumers think VR tech is facing right now, and users of the high-end VR devices (54%) were more likely to say this compared to the budget (48%) or mid-range (50%) device users.įor the market to grow, and for VR to prove its value to consumers, price-points need to adjust to consumer budgets to lower the entry barriers for the high-end devices. Whether they’ve used a friend’s device or owned it, the majority (42%) of those who have used a VR headset in the past month described it as being in the mid-range VR market, which includes devices such as the Google Daydream or the Samsung Gear VR headsets. Those who have used a VR headset in the past month were most likely to own the device (43%), although 31% said that they used a VR headset belonging to a friend and around 24% said that they accessed the device at an event or in-store.īut when we rebase this among all internet users in the UK and U.S., access to VR headsets is primarily the result of using a friend’s device, not via personal ownership. For both technologies, engagement is mainly clustered around the 16-34 age group, and to a lesser extent the 35-44 age group, with figures tailing off significantly thereafter. These awareness level figures stand in sharp contrast to the rate of consumers who are actually engaging with AR and VR on a monthly basis in the UK and U.S.įrom this perspective, we can see that awareness levels completely overshadow engagement, although the two metrics do follow similar age and gender-based patterns. By gender, males (71%) display a notably higher level of awareness of AR compared to women (59%). In a recent research study we conducted in the UK and U.S., we found that over 90% of consumers in these markets are aware of VR, with around 65% saying they’re aware of AR.īut whereas VR can boast impressive awareness levels across age and gender breaks, for AR it’s a different story.Īwareness of AR hovers between the 70-75% mark among the 16-44 age group, but drops dramatically among 45-54s (56%) and 55-64s (44%). There’s still not much clarity over whether consumers are aware these tools are available to them, or if they realize they’re engaging with AR or VR when they use them. AR has an awareness issue.ĪR and VR content can come in many forms, and this could be a cause for confusion. Understanding the impact of corporate messaging surrounding AR and VR on consumer awareness, and how expectations are evolving, will give a much more holistic view of the current landscape. Whether they’re uploading photos or viewing videos on their favorite social media platforms, playing gaming apps, or making use of 360-degree photo capturing on their smartphones, consumers have the chance to enhance these experiences thanks to large ongoing cross-industry investments into AR and VR.īut with much of the noise surrounding these technologies stemming from corporate press releases, it’s been difficult to gauge the current state of the AR or VR industries. But are consumers aware they’re using VR when they load a 360° video on Facebook or YouTube, and are Snapchatters aware that AR technology is powering their Lens filters? Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tools are now relatively easy to access.
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