ABI Research has published a new study in which it states that autonomous viewers will be the ones that accelerate the market through attractive content.
Under ABI Research, virtual reality was introduced to the market hungry for content, but it is ready to thrive to a number of new and attractive content options. The company predicts that by 2021 there will be 110 million virtual reality devices. Those headsets that require a phone such as Gear VR or Daydream will have a growth of only 42%, while the autonomous will experience a growth of 405%.
“Mobile virtual reality created a solid market base during these past years, but autonomous that does not depend on another device, will eventually lead the growth,” said Eric Abbruzzese, analyst at ABI Research. “Low cost and high accessibility are, and will continue to be, the driver of VR adoption.” With the arrival of these standalone devices, a wider range of use cases will be explored, expanding the market beyond games. Video, education and tourism are expected to see significant growth, although without being as important as the video game sector.
“Mobile devices, independent and connected, are the three groups that are entering the market, each providing its value propositions, its target audience and intended use cases. The devices that take the best of both worlds, virtual and augmented, will be the ones that open up the business market even more, and allow new forms of use and applications not yet conceived,” concludes Sam Rosen, director of ABI Research.
