2022 has been a tough year for the AR/VR market. IDCAnalysts say the drop was expected as this is a fledgling market and certain global events have a large impact on it (both positively and negatively).
The 2021 pandemic has left many stuck at home with disposable cash. This was an opportunity for VR and AR headset makers. It also helped that the price hike in electronic components and logistics hadn’t really taken off yet, so something like the Meta Quest 2, which was still $300, went up to $400 last year (note: this is for the 128GB model. , 256GB was $500, but was dropped to $430 a few days ago).
meta quest 2
Right now, there’s a pretty big difference between a headset that can do VR and one that can do AR. There are also some “Mixed Reality” headsets that can combine AR and VR. These so-called “XR” headsets, which include the Meta Quest Pro and HTC Vive XR Elite, are priced at $1,000 and $1,100 respectively, significantly higher than headsets focused on one or the other. .
Meta has about 80% of the overall VR/AR market, with ByteDance (yes, the company behind TikTok) a distant second after acquiring Pico with 10%. Other companies in the top five are DPVR, HTC and iQIYI. Sony launched its new PSVR 2 headset last month. The company claims there will be no supply issues, so we’ll see how much more it can capture in the VR market.
The market for pure AR glasses is quite different. Nreal has taken the lead with shipments of nearly 100,000 units last year. Here are the top 5 AR glasses:
- 1. Nreal – 98,000
- 2. Microsoft – 35,000
- 3. Rock – 30,000
- 4. TCL – close to 30,000
- 5. Epson – 13,000
Note that Nreal is number 6 in the overall VR/AR market and is primarily focused on VR at the moment.
“Meta and ByteDance compete in the VR segment, but Nreal has been able to slowly grow its presence by appealing to mobile gamers,” said Jitesh, research manager for Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers at IDC. Ubrani said. “AR and VR are still in their infancy, but Meta has been able to build a moat through a variety of first- and third-party content. This is where we can provide meaningful competition, but in the long term it will put pressure on other players, including ByteDance and Nreal.”
Nreal’s offerings include Air AR glasses, which currently retail for $380 on Amazon. These are fairly lightweight and look a lot like regular sunglasses. The Air has a 3,840 x 1,080 pixel OLED display that creates an image comparable to a 130-inch display at 4m/13ft (46° FOV at 49 pixels per degree).
Nreal Air AR Glasses
Nreal Air offloads processing to external devices. Game on the go with your Nintendo Switch or Valve Steam decks. Or it can be an extra display for your PS5 or Xbox Series X at home.
It also works on Android phones via the Nebula app, and there’s a beta version for Mac that uses the glasses’ 6DoF tracking to create multiple virtual displays around the wearer.
Nreal Air AR glasses can be used for gaming, video streaming, and multiple virtual monitors.
Nreal Founder and CEO Chi Xu said: “Our mission has always been to create user-friendly and intuitive AR technology. We are excited to continue driving innovation in the AR industry as it redefines how people live, work and play.” doing.”
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