Oculus is keeping everyone in the dark when it comes to sales of both the Oculus Rift and Gear VR. However, Samsung, co-creator of the latter device, has shed some light on how it’s performing in Europe.
In the process of announcing a brand new content package for Gear VR in Europe, Samsung has confirmed that a total of 300,000 units have been sold in the region this year. The press release specifically states ‘sold’, though it’s still not clear if this will include the free units that were bundled in for those that pre-ordered the company’s latest smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. Samsung did cite the popularity of those phones as a driving factor in the sales, though.
Sadly, there was no news to share on the sales in other regions such as Northern America and Asia. When you add those potential units and also factor in any kits that were sold in 2015 (Gear VR made its official launch last November), plus the sales of the two ‘Innovator Edition’ devices that went on sale in late 2014 and early 2015, then that number will no doubt be much higher. Last week, Oculus announced one million people used Gear VR in April 2016; perhaps the actual sales figures for the kit aren’t that far off that total after all?
As for what Samsung actually wanted to announce, the company revealed a new limited bundle for new Galaxy S7 and S7 edge owners. For a limited time, the official Samsung online store and selected partners will be offering a package that includes Gear VR hits like Anshar Wars 2, Darknet, Drift, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Ocean Rift and Starchart for free. Some of these titles – especially Darknet and Keep Talking – are among the best titles on Gear right now, so it’s well worth considering.
Elsewhere, Samsung also spoke of research from CCS Insight that suggested that VR would grow 168% year-on-year in Western Europe in 2016, perhaps explaining why the company is suddenly becoming so bullish about sharing figures. It certainly bodes well for the future of the kit as other, more high-end devices like the Rift start to settle in. Gear VR still has a long roadmap ahead of it, but it’s good to see the mobile device off to a positive start. We’re also excited to see what competition the company might have ahead of it.
