Report: Youths Want Virtual Reality

Report: Youths want virtual reality

By Dan Isacsson January 31, 2016

report youths want vr virtual reality cardboard orange — bizoon / 123RF Stock Photo

Greenlight VR has been responsible for a balanced repertoire of statistics in the field of virtual reality. On January 29, it released a report stating that it found a concerning lack of awareness surrounding the technology. It’s not necessarily that surprising. A majority of the companies involved have marketing that primarily focuses on its product’s core audience, which to a large degree is still dominated by the gaming industry. But in contrast to the lack of awareness the research company simultaneously released a report that suggests a good portion of those enthusiasts might be amoung our youths.

The report is based on responses from over 1,000 U.K. and 2,000 U.S. respondents. The report says that 71 percent of those born after 2000 (Gen Z) will either get a VR headset themselves or ask a parent/guardian to get it for them. Differences also appeared in how well-informed the participants were in the field of VR. Surprisingly, despite how VR took off via American company Oculus VR and its Kickstarter project, Gen Z is more familiar with how the technology is progressing in the U,K. than in the States. The report also found that 69 percent of U.K. youths would prefer to play either just socially or a combined mix of social and solo gameplay. Futher statistics released show that 73 percent of parents that participated have a large concern with effects on health and anti-social behaviour.

In terms of preferences between platforms the two most recognized brands using the tech in this report were Sony (PlayStation VR) and Samsung (Gear VR). Sony’s device is more well-known with 41 percent of respondents aware of the products existence in comparison to Samsung at 35 percent. But Samsung comes out victorious in terms of brand preference; 43 percent of survey participants stated that they have more faith in Samsung, while 36 percent remain faithful to Sony. In addition to this, Greenlight VR also reports a good amount of interest from people ages 50-70, with 30 percent reporting an interest in travel-based experiences.

Exploring various virtual reality experiences and attending conventions to see how the technology is progressing doesn’t always suffice to predict its potential future. That’s why market research is such an integral component of managing a successful business, especially in experimental territory. The report should spur even more developers to invest in the technology due to the high demand among respondents.

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