Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

How Many Consumers Actually Have VR Headsets?

Parks Associates released new consumer research this week showing that 2 percent of U.S. broadband households, or 2.3 million households, own a virtual reality headset. The survey of 10,000 U.S. broadband households reportedly reveals that 5 percent of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a VR headset in 2016, an increase from only 1 percent who made a purchase the year prior.

“The big change in VR for 2016 has been the availability or pending availability of VR headsets from companies such as Facebook (Oculus Rift), Google (Google Cardboard) and HTC (Vive). Sony PlayStation VR is expected to be released in October. We expect gamers to be the initial market for VR,” Barbara Kraus, Parks Associates director of research, says. “VR is an immersive experience, and more is better for gamers – more immersion, better sound, better graphics, and more players. The mass market is more likely to adopt mobile VR, which will be less expensive and uses a tool – the smartphone – that the majority of U.S. consumers own.”

From the article "How Many Consumers Actually Have VR Headsets?" by Laura Hamilton.

Previously In The News

In Spain, Winter Is Coming with the Launch of HBO España

But what makes Spain unique in Western Europe is that about half of households have broadband but not pay TV, one of the highest internet-only household rates in Europe, according to research firm Par...

What Google's Project Fi Means For Mobile Operators

Research published by analyst firm Parks Associates last month revealed that two thirds of U.S. consumers who are likely to switch carriers in the next year felt access to Wi-Fi as part of their mobil...

Starbucks has the most-used mobile payment app

Retailers and banks have their own mobile payment options. At least one research report from Parks Associates said that shoppers prefer mobile payment apps from retailers, and eMarketer noted that the...

The Secret to the Apple TV's Comeback Could Be 4K

If Apple does come out with a new Apple TV, it will be the first update to the product line in two years. Apple's rivals have been hard at work updating their streaming boxes in that time, so it's no...