VR Headset Market Poised For Explosive Growth With OLED Gaining Ground

Analysts at TrendForce are bullish about the growth prospects of virtual and mixed reality devices, saying in a recent report that shipments are “expected to increase year-by-year over the next few years.” The firm predicts that shipments of VR and MR devices could potentially hit 37.3 million units by 2030, achieving a 23% compound annual growth rate between 2023 and 2030. This will undoubtedly be welcomed news by Meta, which is hoping that open sourcing its VR OS will usher in new entrants.

TrendForce cites the success of VR and MR devices in the entertainment and gaming spaces for its forecast, which can be used as a springboard for growth moving forward. Moreover, the analyst firms states the introduction of the Apple Vision Pro will also contribute to more opportunities for VR and MR, believing that pricing and lack of content will be solved sooner rather than later.


The report notes that OLEDoS, also known as micro-OLED or OLED on Silicon, will dominate in high-end VR and MR devices after being used in Apple's Vision Pro. TrendForce anticipates it will capture up to 23% of the market by 2030. Meanwhile, LCD will continue to be the go-to choice for midrange and low-end VR and MR devices. However, it appears as if LCD is likely to face competition from other display technologies, leading to a possible 5.6% decline in 2030 compared to 2023.

It's interesting that TrendForce is releasing predictions that are as bullish as this, as it doesn’t seem to match current consumer sentiment, nor with the actions of companies in this market. Apple Vision Pro, which is pointed to as one of the reasons for the predicted growth, has been dismal in all aspects since it was introduced earlier this year. Furthermore, Sony has basically abandoned its second-generation headset, and is highly unlikely to release another (though it is about to release a PC adapter for the PlayStation VR2).

Time will tell if this prediction holds up and if VR and MR devices finally take off the way companies like Meta originally thought, but it certainly looks like an uphill battle.