SuperData has published a new report which reveals that more than 6.3 million virtual reality headsets were shipped last year and Samsung took the lead with the Gear VR as it shipped 4.51 million units. The Gear VR was actually the most-shipped virtual reality headset last year as Samsung moved more units than the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR combined.
The low price compared to the other headsets was obviously a big advantage for Samsung. The other headsets cost north of $700 each and require equally expensive PCs while the PlayStation VR requires a PlayStation 4 console. Granted that customers need a premium Samsung smartphone to use the $99 Gear VR with but even then the overall cost is low thus making the cost of entry affordable for people who are trying out VR for the very first time.
The overall shipments figure is also in Samsung’s favor because the company gave away free Gear VR headsets to customers who pre-ordered the Galaxy S7 and continued to dish them out in multiple promotions. It’s dominant position in the VR space isn’t just because of the free shipments, Samsung confirmed last month that it has also sold more than five million Gear VR headsets ever since it was first launched a couple of years ago.
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