IDC: AR/VR headset shipments will drop 1.5% in 2024

According to the latest data from IDC, global shipments of augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets continued to decline in the second quarter of 2024, with sales falling 28.1% year-on-year to 1.1 million units. This decline is expected to continue, with full-year shipments expected to fall 1.5% in 2024. The market will soar 41.4% in 2025 due to new technologies and more affordable devices.

In the first quarter of 2024, the economy was weak, average selling prices (ASP) rose strongly, and major players had excess inventory. In the second quarter, many of these issues were alleviated, although prices remained high. Meta led the market with a 60.5% market share in the quarter, followed by Sony, Apple, ByteDance, and XREAL.

“Mixed reality (MR) headsets have made leaps in fidelity in recent quarters, first with the launch of the Quest 3 and later with the Vision Pro,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager at IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. “But a lack of affordable price points has meant that few consumers have been able to experience the new technology, but that will change as Meta expects to launch a more affordable version, which should help the market return to growth next year.”

Augmented reality devices are expected to drive growth, but shipments will remain low as the technology has proven difficult to mass produce while overcoming barriers such as price, fidelity, battery life, thermals, and optics. Existing augmented reality champions, such as the HoloLens, are also expected to give way to mixed reality devices in the future, as the new headsets can meet some use cases and are more affordable.

Overall, IDC expects the industry to grow from 6.7 million units in 2024 to 22.9 million units in 2028, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.3%. Benefiting from the convergence of AR and VR, MR devices are expected to account for more than 70% of the market in 2028. At the same time, ER devices with simple heads-up displays or content mirroring will account for more than 1/4 of the market.