IDC expects rebound after VR shipments fell an ‘artificial’ 33.7% in Q2 2018

Despite recording a 33.7 percent drop in worldwide shipments of VR headsets during 2018’s second quarter, IDC is forecasting a sunny outlook for future quarters. The explanation: Last year’s numbers were “artificially propped up” when Samsung, Google, and Alcatel bundled cheap VR mounting accessories with smartphones, and though inexpensive standalone headsets are starting to pick up in sales, they haven’t made up for the decline in freebies.

There’s good, okay, and bad news for the quarter, IDC says. On the most positive note, sales of standalone VR headsets grew 417.7 percent during the quarter, thanks mostly to the international launch of Oculus Go/Xiaomi Mi VR, which shipped 212,000 units. Though that’s a sub-$200 headset, average selling prices jumped from $333 to $442. That suggests a greater mix of high-end headsets versus cheap accessories, a development IDC sees as positive for the industry as a whole.