ADVERTISEMENT

Samsung holds a narrow lead over Sony in the virtual reality race

Virtual reality hasn't taken off yet, but Samsung, Sony, and Facebook are leading the pack.

Virtual reality headsets have yet to live up to the initial hype. Facebook bought Oculus VR in 2014 for $2 billion, leading Mark Zuckerberg to proclaim, "we believe this kind of immersive, augmented reality will become a part of daily life for billions of people." This has not been the case. The devices are expensive, and consumers haven't found the experience interesting enough to warrant the multiple hundred dollar price tags.

ADVERTISEMENT

Augmented reality is now receiving much of the same excitement that VR once did – Apple and Google both released AR development kits for mobile this year – but according to IDC, virtual reality accounts for 98% of shipments in the AR/VR market. As we can see in this chart from Statista, Samsung, Sony, and Facebook lead the market. Combined, the three accounted for 60% of global VR and AR headset shipments in the second quarter of 2017.

FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Recommended articles

Dangote refinery outranks Europe's 10 largest refining facilities

Dangote refinery outranks Europe's 10 largest refining facilities

Africa may just have the lowest level of cyber threats compared to other regions

Africa may just have the lowest level of cyber threats compared to other regions

A look into Kenya’s Shs1.1 billion climate funding from the UK

A look into Kenya’s Shs1.1 billion climate funding from the UK

FCMB: A corporate journey of resilience, evolution, and growth

FCMB: A corporate journey of resilience, evolution, and growth

Congo is spending 22% of its scarce revenue on security - Minister

Congo is spending 22% of its scarce revenue on security - Minister

Another African country is set to get a Russian embassy

Another African country is set to get a Russian embassy

Medic West Africa 2024: A resounding success in fostering collaboration and innovation for a brighter healthcare future

Medic West Africa 2024: A resounding success in fostering collaboration and innovation for a brighter healthcare future

10 African countries with the most troubling external debt in 2024

10 African countries with the most troubling external debt in 2024

10 African countries with the least soft power influence over the world

10 African countries with the least soft power influence over the world

ADVERTISEMENT