What Do Polls Say About VR Use?

We’re all excited and fascinated by Virtual Reality (VR) though we have yet to see anything that has real-world applications or even life-like resemblance. The technology clearly isn’t quite there yet and perhaps Apple’s Vision Pro has proven this. There is still room for improvement before consumers will buy in mass.

A recent Harris Poll found that while fewer than one 1 in 5 Americans (18%) use VR technology, an additional 1 in 3 (33%) haven't even tried it yet but are interested. Combined, the two groups make up a majority of Americans. Only 27% have not used it and are not interested in trying it.

And it is likely the reason this 27% does not want to use it is because they have yet to see the advantages of it or see beyond the gimmick of it. Meta CEO Marc Zuckerberg’s introduction to the Metaverse not too long ago was disappointing, with fake-looking avatars, choppy user experience, and sub-par graphics. Again, the technology is not quite there yet but we are definitely moving in the right direction.

At the same time, while many Americans are disappointed in VR, a YouGov survey conducted earlier this year found that almost half (48%) of Americans believe that gaming can be improved with the use of a VR or spatial computing headset. For some 32% of Americans, VR offers the opportunity to explore new destinations ahead of a trip abroad for tourism. And 30% say they would like to use VR for watching movies.

The same survey also found what Americans require for such technology to be useful. Almost half of consumers (47%) say they want a VR headset with a relatively low price and good battery life. 43% of respondents say they are concerned about screen resolution and 38% say they want a headset that is lightweight.

Unfortunately for Apple, the Vision Pro fits none of these criteria, and it is possible that its failings in all these categories are what led to its premature collapse and market failure.

It is clear that consumers want affordable, quality, useful, and lightweight VR technology that does the job.

One prediction shows that by 2028, the global AR/VR/MR market will explode to over $252 billion.

But the technology is not there yet.

One day it will be and when that day comes, it will be as groundbreaking as the internet. Until then, we’re stuck in the dial-up stage of VR.