Samsung’s Gear VR headset sold 782,000 units in the first quarter of 2017 according to SuperData Research. This is not only putting Samsung well ahead of other brands that were selling VR headsets in the same quarter but it also helps make Samsung’s Gear VR headset the most shipped VR headset during the time period. This is compared to its closes rival in terms of the target market of consumers, which is mobile, as the Daydream View only sold 170,000 units in the first quarter of this year. Granted, the Daydream View has been out a lot shorter of a time period so there may be less awareness for the product, but that shouldn’t take away from the impressive accomplishment that Samsung has achieved here with their own VR offering.
In regards to the second most sold VR headset, this achievement belongs to Sony with the PlayStation VR, which sold a fairly decent amount at 375,000 units in total for Q1 of 2017. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive sold 64,000 and 95,000 units in Q1 of 2017 respectively, and although these two VR headset options put out the most impressive experiences as they utilize the most powerful hardware to provide them to their users, they also cost the most money, especially when paired together with the computers that you need to run them, which can also cost quite a bit.
It might not come as a shock that Samsung’s Gear VR headset did so well in the first quarter compared to the competition as it is the most affordable, save for the Daydeam View which costs the same amount. The Gear VR is also compatible with a fair amount of Galaxy Devices. While the Q1 2017 sales results for the Gear VR are promising, they’re merely a fraction of the sales that Samsung is expected to reach for the Gear VR by 2018 as estimates point to the company possibly reaching a total of 10 million units. Time will tell if Samsung’s success continues in the VR department, though they may have some help in reaching even more sales for Q2 as they just recently launched the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, which also launched alongside the new Gear VR headset with the Gear VR Controller, and these could spark more interest with consumers moving forward.