Market research firms show interest in virtual reality for travel simulations, gaming, and more.
Virtual reality (VR) technology has been on the horizon for several years, and a few tech leaders expect to bring consumer VR to market in 2016. Now a new survey shows that consumers seem ready for virtual reality, with marketers aiming at a wide variety of interests and demographics.
The survey, conducted by Touchstone Research along with the virtual reality analysis and research company Greenlight VR, found that in just three years virtual reality has become “a household name.” Another recent study suggest that VR technologies will bring in $30 billion to the sector by 2020, according to Fast Company.
People have a variety of interests for the use of VR, according to the Touchstone/Greenlight survey. Travel and exploration were the top interests, with 37 percent of survey respondents saying they would use VR for those topics. Gaming was second, with 33 percent showing interest, followed by shopping, with just 4 percent saying they would want to watch movies or television on VR devices.
Yet 66 percent said they would try VR for any interactive entertainment, including TV or movies. Of those who identified as current gamers, 80 percent said they would try VR games, with most showing interest in driving games.
Interestingly, just over half of those surveyed expressed concerns about trying VR, including 23 percent who expressed concern about possible health effects, and 11 percent fearing they might “lose touch with the real world.”
Another 5 percent feared addiction, and the same number were concerned about the cost of VR systems. In asking about cost, 60 percent said they would not pay more than $400 for a VR system, with most saying they would pay between $200 and $399. Younger survey participants and men were willing to pay more, with the maximum for the younger group coming in at about $525, and for men at $564.
The survey also showed that minorities have greater interest in and awareness of the technology than white respondents, possibly because younger people who tend to be more aware are also more ethnically diverse.
