2022 was a tough year for the AR/VR market as global shipments fell sharply to 8.8 million units for the full year, down 20.9% from 2021, according to data from IDC extension. Analysts say the decline was expected as it is a fledgling market and some global events have huge effects on it (both positive and negative).
In 2021, the pandemic has locked many people at home with throwaway money, an opportunity for VR and AR headset makers. It also helped that the price hike for electronics and logistics hadn’t yet hit in full force, so Meta Quest 2 was still $300 – that price jumped to $400 last year (note: this is for the 128GB model, the 256GB Uno was $500 but its price was dropped to $430 a few days ago).
The Meta Quest 2
Right now there’s a pretty strong divide between headsets that can do VR and headsets that can do AR. There are also some “Mixed Reality” headsets, which are capable of combining AR and VR. These so-called “XR” earbuds include the Meta Quest Pro and HTC Vive XR Elite, which cost $1,000 and $1,100, respectively, a bit more than earbuds that focus on one or the other.
Meta holds around 80% of the overall VR/AR market, ByteDance (yes, the company behind TikTok) is a distant second with 10% after acquiring Pico. The other companies in the Top 5 are DPVR, HTC and iQIYI. Sony launched its new PSVR 2 headset last month and the company says there won’t be any supply issues, so we’ll see how much of the VR market it can capture.
The pure AR eyewear market is quite different: Nreal dominates there with nearly 100,000 shipments last year. Here are the Top 5 AR glasses:
- 1. Nreal – 98,000
- 2.Microsoft – 35,000
- 3. Rokid – 30,000
- 4. TCL – close to 30,000
- 5. Epson – 13,000
Note that Nreal was ranked sixth in the overall VR/AR market, which is mostly focused on VR right now.
“As Meta and ByteDance collide in the VR segment, Nreal has been able to slowly grow its presence by appealing to mobile gamers,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research lead, Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers at IDC. “While still in its infancy for AR and VR, Meta has been able to build a moat across its various first-party and third-party content. This is where other players like Sony and potentially Apple can provide significant competition, although in the long run it will put pressure on others, including ByteDance and Nreal.
Nreal’s offerings include the Air AR glasses, which currently go for $380 on Amazon. These are quite light and look a lot like regular sunglasses. The Air has a 3,840 x 1,080 px OLED display and creates an image equivalent to a 130″ display at 4m/13ft (46° FOV with 49 pixels per degree).
Nreal Air AR glasses
The Nreal Airs offload processing to an external device – you can use them to play on the go with a Nintendo Switch or Valve Steam Deck. Alternatively, they can be an additional display for PS5 or Xbox Series X at home.
They also work with Android phones through the Nebula app, and there’s a beta for Mac that uses 6DoF tracking of the glasses to create multiple virtual displays around the wearer.
Nreal Air AR glasses can be used for gaming, video streaming and as multiple virtual monitors
“At Nreal, we are proud to have pioneered innovation and growth in the AR industry by creating AR glasses that represent the next generation of computing interfaces,” said Chi Xu, founder and CEO of Nreal. “Our mission has always been to create AR technology that is user-friendly and intuitive, and we are excited to continue driving innovation in the AR industry as we redefine the way people live, work and play.”
Start a new Thread