Many consumer markets look forward to big sales figures during the holiday season. Technology is no different, but does this apply to VR technology as well?
VR technology is a huge topic right now but is it still too expensive to benefit from holiday sales? Are VR companies offering any big sales to make their technology a bigger part of your holiday?
What’s the Precedent?
Last year, Fortune Magazine predicted that the 2017 holiday season would be huge for VR technology. Earlier this year, Sony announced that it did experience record VR sales during last year’s holiday season.
What Drove Sales?
The Fortune article admitted that the VR technology has many of us so excited but also discussed cheaper options. These include Google cardboard as well as headsets with limited uses and bundles from large companies that offer decreased prices and bonuses like free games.
Options like these have dramatically increased in the last year as VR companies including Oculus, have moved toward more self-contained options. These smaller units are often more limited than tethered headsets, but with a smaller price tag, they may make for more affordable stocking stuffers.
What About Accessories?
Of course, VR technology doesn’t stop with headsets. Many VR companies also have accessories that offer additional utility or more options for things like controllers.
Sony’s PlayStation VR may come with the widest variety of VR accessories. From variant controllers and cameras to travel cases, these toys and tools are another example of affordable gifts. That is in interesting contrast to PlayStation’s VR system which is one of the more expensive on the market.
PlayStation is also one example of a company that knows how to manage bundles. Different bundles feature different games and different VR tools to make packages versatile and more affordable. That’s especially the case for someone who has some of the needed VR technology already. PlayStation’s VR bundles also do a good job of matching VR games with the accessories that are needed to play them.
What About Games?
VR games are another affordable option to help the VR user in your life celebrate the holidays.
Once again, PlayStation might make giving the gift of games the easiest, in that their games can be purchased in stores.
The other major VR companies, Oculus and HTC, have online marketplaces. Vive has its own marketplace, while Oculus uses Steam. This means that their games are often cheaper than PlayStation’s, but also that they are harder to give as gifts.
Other Giving Options
People who don’t know what games to give, or who want to give games to people who don’t play on PlayStation VR, there’s another option. Both Vive and Steam offer gift cards. Steam gift cards are easiest to find in stores.
None of the major VR retailers have so far launched holiday sales as of this writing. While holiday sales keep getting pushed back earlier and earlier, it’s still pretty early. Chances are companies will start to announce holiday sales as we approach Black Friday and Cyber Monday later in the month.
Will VR Be a Part of Your Holiday?
VR technology is a technology that many of us are excited about, making it the ideal holiday gift. While the cost of headsets may still put them out of gift-giving range, accessories and games are far more affordable. At least one Major VR company has announced that holidays have previously boosted sales, and it’s likely that they will again.
