Q2 AR/VR headset shipments down 28% y-o-y

Q2 shipments of AR/VR headsets fell 28.1% y-o-y year to 1.1 million units, says IDC, with full year shipments forecast to fall 1.5%.

Next year, IDC reckons sales will rise 41.4% thanks to new tech and more affordable devices.

The first quarter of 2024 was marred by a weak economy, rising ASPs, and excess inventory in the case of  Sony.

During Q2, many of these issues were alleviated though prices remained high. Meta led the pack with 60.5% share during the quarter, followed by Sony, Apple, ByteDance, and XREAL.

“In recent quarters, mixed reality (MR) headsets took a leap forward in fidelity, first with the launch of the Quest 3 and later the Vision Pro,” says IDC’s Jitesh Ubrani, “the lack of affordable options has meant that few consumers have experienced this new technology, but that will change as Meta is expected to launch a more affordable version which will help the market return to growth in the coming year.”

Extended reality (ER) headsets are also forecast to grow thanks to the inclusion of AI and consumer-friendly designs.

IDC expects the industry will grow from 6.7 million units in 2024 to 22.9 million in 2028 with a CAGR of 36.3%.

MR devices are expected to represent over 70% of the volume in 2028.

ER devices, with a simple heads-up display or content mirroring, will capture over a quarter of the market.