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

When it comes to live sports, consumers show streaming services the money

“Sports content drives eyeballs, advertisers know it, streaming services know it,” said Eric Sorensen, senior analyst with Parks Associates. From the article, "When it comes to live sports, consume...

Ford and Lincoln Unveil New Digital Experience for Enhanced Connectivity

A recent study by Parks Associates in 2022 highlighted that the average U.S. household now owns 16 connected devices, reflecting an intertwined relationship between digital and daily life. From the...

The Smart Money: How Smart Homes Are Reshaping the Insurance Industry

According to Parks Associates research, 42% of U.S. households have at least one smart home device, and the highest adopted device is the video doorbell – now in 20% of U.S. internet households. Cu...

Monitoring Matters: The Real Cost of False Alarms

In some recent studies, including ones by Parks Associates, false alarms are one of the most distressing and problematic events that can occur for a subscriber or security system user. From the art...