The number of VR headsets on Steam has crossed an estimated 3 million units total according to a new report -- and the Meta Quest 2 and Valve Index lead the pack.
Virtual reality is still a niche medium, but it's steadily growing -- things are looking pretty good between the upcoming release of the PSVR 2 and exciting new content like a Cities: Skylines VR version and the possibility of more VR games from Take-Two Interactive. Data from the latest Steam Hardware survey has just come out, and a new report indicates that there may be 3 million VR headsets on Steam -- or perhaps even more than that.
The Most Popular VR Headsets on Steam, by the Numbers
Valve doesn't typically provide exact user numbers for Steam, so the number of VR headsets on Steam can only be estimated. Typically, the Steam Hardware Survey will only show breakdowns of video card usage, VR headsets, and the like based on percentages of the platform's total population.
However, Road to VR has put together a new report (via Reddit) that estimates the actual number of VR headsets. The actual number in question is "monthly-connected headsets" -- that is, the number of VR headsets that are actually connected to PCs running Steam in a given month. It's likely that there are a slightly greater number of headsets out there in the world (namely, from the people who don't leave them connected all the time), but this is probably the best data we have.
Road to VR's report estimates that a total of 3.4 million VR headsets were connected to Steam throughout the month of January 2022, a clear upward trend from previous years. What's particularly interesting, though, is the market share of the top VR headsets on Steam.
The Top 10 VR Headsets on Steam
The January 2022 Steam Hardware Survey breaks down Steam's most popular VR headsets by percentage. We covered this same report last year, so that allows us to easily make a comparison and show how things have shifted in the last 12 months.
Check out how the top 10 rankings has shifted over the last year:
Steam's Top 10 VR Headsets, January 2021 |
Steam's Top 10 VR Headsets, January 2022 |
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As you can see, the landscape has changed somewhat in the last year. The Meta Quest 2 has rocketed to the top of the rankings, likely due to its cheaper price point compared to some of these other headsets. The Valve Index holds a distant second place and maintains roughly the same proportion of the market that it had a year ago. HTC has taken a bit of a beating in the rankings, although the Vive Cosmos has a larger share of the market than it did last year.
So, what we can learn from this report? Unsurprisingly, a cheaper VR headset has proven to be extremely popular. That said, there's still a healthy market for higher-end devices as evidenced by the Valve Index and HTC's Vive product lines holding firm positions in the top 10.
Growth in VR headsets on Steam looks slow and steady, but I'd wager that the price of these devices is a major gatekeeping factor. We're sure to see wider adoption as time goes on, but the rate at which these devices get picked up by consumers will likely be influenced by how much it hurts your wallet.
What do you think of the estimated growth of VR headsets on Steam? What's your favorite VR headset? Let us know in the comments below!
