What was once nothing more than a pipe dream for science fiction enthusiasts is now a commercially released product due to the dawn of virtual reality devices that are readily available on the shelves of your local Best Buy. Now that VR has taken the first steps out of infancy towards becoming a matured new vertical for the consumer electronics industry it is beginning to face a new set of challenges as it strives for greater success in this highly competitive marketplace.
A new survey, created through a joint effort by Upload and Perkins Coie, sought to find out how the fledgeling VR scene felt about its own chances of achieving significant success. More than 650 respondents, ranging from entrepreneurs and technology industry executives to investors and consultants, were polled. Once their responses were tabulated the results were somewhat surprising.
The majority of respondents did not claim that the high prices of hardware or the still niche-nature of the VR market as being their chief concern for the consumer adoption of VR. Instead, according to the survey, the majority of those polled, “Cited the lack of compelling content, problems with user experience and cost as the main impediments to AR and VR adoption in the coming years.”
To be more specific, 38 percent of respondents cited “user experience” as the biggest obstacle facing VR adoption today, while only 32 percent cited cost. Similarly, 37 percent of those polled chose inadequate content offerings as the biggest challenge facing the VR industry and only 23 percent picking consumer reluctance and 20 percent choosing technical limitations.
Finally, when asked about the future, the vast majority of respondents agreed with the statements, “In the next two years, VR and smartphone manufacturers will place a focus on developing mobile VR solutions,” and “the AR market will surpass the VR market in revenue.”
It looks as if the old video game industry maxim “software sells hardware” is proving true in the minds of VR/AR professionals as well. Check out the full survey for all of the details and analysis.
Disclaimer: Perkins Coie is a sponsor and partner of Upload.
