SuperData: Oculus Quest will mainstream VR in 2019, but AR will lead by 2021

Though 2016 was once described as the “year of VR” because that’s when consumer headsets became available, 2019 will be the year virtual reality actually goes mainstream — at least, that’s the prediction of Nielsen-owned SuperData Research, which today released its XR Market Update for 2018’s third quarter 2018. But by 2021, the firm expects augmented reality software to generate more revenue than VR software for the first time, an optimistic outlook for the ever-nascent AR market.According to SuperData, 2019 is going to be a “make-or-break” year for the VR industry, but VR is continuing to gain momentum as 2018 comes to an end. Increased sales of VR software are projected to bring the VR market’s total haul to $3.3 billion for the year, up from $2.8 billion in 2017, with much stronger hardware and software sales contributing to a $6.9 billion forecast for 2019.The unexpected reason: Oculus Quest. “Previous iterations of our report have tracked the market as it has gained momentum,” explained SuperData’s XR head Stephanie Llamas, “and we believe the launch of Oculus Quest will be a major force in pushing it over the tipping point into the mainstream.”