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

Smart security gadgets could outsell professional systems 2 to 1

Lots of folks consider getting a professionally-monitored home security system to protect their house -- but consider this: A new study from Parks Associates found that twice as many consumers intend...

Hulu adds live TV and new UI support for Samsung smart TVs

In the meantime, the service can rest assured of its popularity in the U.S. New numbers from Parks Associates put Hulu as the third most popular U.S. SVOD, behind Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Altho...

Parks: Over one-half of OTT households subscribe to multiple streaming services

Video subscribers’ appetite for OTT video continues to climb, with more households purchasing more than one service. New research from Parks Associates revealed that over 50% of U.S. OTT subscripti...

Will the box office ever come back?

The pandemic's stay-at-home habits and the rise of streaming have conspired to create a strong appetite for watching new movie releases at home instead of in theaters. Parks Associates research indica...