HTC: Ready Player One boosted VR buying interest by 23% in China

Steven Spielberg’s virtual reality-focused film Ready Player One was expected to increase public interest in VR, and early survey results suggest that it may have succeeded. Speaking at the iQiyi Technology & Entertainment World event today, HTC China president Alvin Wang Graylin said that the film had a “significantly positive impact on intent for VR purchase in [the] next 12 months,” citing a recent survey of Chinese customers.

Canvassing 4,288 people in April 2018, the survey found that 60.3 percent of people who saw Ready Player One planned to buy or upgrade VR hardware over the next year, versus only 37.2 percent who hadn’t seen the movie, an over 23 percent increase. While the cause-and-effect relationship is arguably fuzzy — people who were drawn to the VR premise might have been more likely to make VR purchases before seeing the film — the movie’s pro-VR theme likely had at least some positive impact on people who were unfamiliar with or on the fence about VR.