Providing market intelligence for more than 35 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

How to Get Better Indoor TV Antenna Reception

One solution has been to switch from pay TV to streaming alternatives, but in recent years those services have been getting more expensive themselves. That’s a big reason about 20 percent of U.S. hous...

Parks Associates: Most MDU decision makers plan to upgrade, replace electronic access control systems

Parks Associates' new white paper addresses the state of access control adoption, including key challenges and opportunities. Parks Associates' new white paper, Multifamily Access: Riding the New T...

The Smart Money: Technology for Independent Living

Family caregivers and older adults face numerous challenges in managing health and daily activities. Technology offers promising solutions to ease their burdens and Parks Associates’ ongoing research...

Building the Future with Smart HVAC and Plumbing Technologies

According to Parks Associates' Smart Home Dashboard research, 45% of U.S. internet households have at least one smart home device, reflecting a growing demand for intelligent, connected systems. Fr...