Valve’s latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey came out early this month and it shows Meta Quest 2 is the most popular VR headset used by Steam players, commanding 46% of the market share.

In second place is Valve’s own Valve Index VR headset which has 14.36% of the market share. Oculus Rift S has a 13.10% market share on Steam, HTC Vive 7.31%, Windows Mixed Reality 4.99%, Oculus Rift 4.18%, Oculus Quest 3.95%, HTC Vive Pro 1.72%, and HTC Vive Pro 1.60%. Notable in the stats is how far the HTC headsets, which at some point dominated the Steam Survey have fallen down the rankings.

Valve’s Steam Hardware Survey is based on anonymized data on the hardware and software that participants use when playing games via Steam. The survey shows a steady rise in the number of gamers who opt for Windows 11.  In January, more people than ever were began using Meta Quest to play PC VR games.

The number of Steam users with a Virtual Reality headset has now risen to 2.14%. According to Road to VR, this is roughly equivalent to 3.4 million users. Of these, 46% are opting for the Meta Quest 2 headset. This is a 6.4% rise over the share that you used Meta Quest on Steam in December 2021.

The original Oculus Quest for 3.95% of the headsets connected to Steam so together, the two Quest headsets command roughly 50% of all the VR headsets that are used on Steam. If you factor in Oculus Rift (4.18%) and Oculus Rift S (13.10%), the Meta headsets together account for more than two-thirds of all the VR headsets used on Steam. With Meta Quest 2’s strong growth, that share is bound to increase dramatically in the next few months. The Valve Index sits at second place accounting for 14.36% while the HTC headsets together account for just over 10% of VR headsets connected to Steam.

These stats look good for Meta which has bet big on the metaverse. Global shipments for AR and VR headsets have risen by 348% since 2020 with Meta holding three-fourths of the market share. The company undoubtedly struck gold with its second standalone VR headset, the Meta Quest 2, which has so far provided the company with unassailable market dominance. Competition is likely to stiffen as rivals look to eat into Meta’s market share by offering good value and high-spec virtual reality headsets similar to, or which surpass Meta’s offering.

Beyond its relatively good specs and standalone design, one of Quest’s best selling points has been its accessible pricing. It costs just $299.

The Rift S is similarly-priced but requires a VR-ready PC that may you set back several hundreds of dollars. The powerful Valve Index headset is priced even higher, at $999. For buyers having to choose between a relatively ok $299 headset and a VR headset plus rig that costs over $1,000, it is really a no-brainer what the headset they’d opt for. The Quest 2 also had the advantage of a large and fast-growing library of exclusive VR titles.

The HTC Vive Flow is also moving in the same direction with its innovative PC-free design. Apple’s much-rumored AR-VR headset is also said to be standalone.

However, from the looks of it, it seems like the days of PC VR headsets are fast coming to an end.

https://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Steam-Hardware-Survey-600x336.jpghttps://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Steam-Hardware-Survey-150x90.jpgSam OchanjiBusinessValveValve’s latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey came out early this month and it shows Meta Quest 2 is the most popular VR headset used by Steam players, commanding 46% of the market share. In second place is Valve’s own Valve Index VR headset which has 14.36% of the market...VR, Oculus Rift, and Metaverse News - Cryptocurrency, Adult, Sex, Porn, XXX