Despite 2016 seeing virtual reality break into the mainstream market, headset manufacturers such as Sony, Oculus and HTC still have a lot of work to do in order to educate the masses, according to a new study.
In the Consumer Strategies and Use Cases for Virtual and Augmented Reality white paper, released by market research firm Parks Associates, research found that 63 percent of all Americans were unfamiliar or knew nothing whatsoever about virtual reality.
Meanwhile, only 6 percent of males and 2.5 of females said they intended on purchasing a headset soon.
That being said, the study found that 50 percent of consumers who try a VR headset enjoy it and make plans to purchase one – showing that pre-purchase demonstrations are of paramount importance.
Based on brand recognition, the Oculus Rift was most well-known by consumers, with Samsung’s Gear VR in second place, and Sony’s PlayStation VR in third. The HTC Vive, meanwhile, was in fifth place behind Google Cardboard.
Parks Associates also found that 3.5 percent of U.S. broadband households – roughly 3.4 million households – own a virtual reality headset.
