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The Meta Quest platform continued to lose momentum in 2023. Omdia evaluation of Sensor Tower information reveals that the related app was downloaded by a mixed 7.5 million iOS and Android gadget customers in 2023. It is a 25% discount on 2022 the place it achieved a file 10.3 million downloads (see: Over 10 million individuals downloaded the Meta Quest app in 2022, up 27% on 2021).
It additionally marked the second consecutive drop in Christmas Day downloads, which fell to simply over 400,000 – 18% decrease than in 2022 (see Determine 1). The final three months of 2023 overperformed by 8% in comparison with 2022, indicating that the launch of the Quest 3 and vacation gross sales made a big optimistic impression.
As assessed in Omdia’s newest Client VR Headset and Content material Income Forecast, 2023 was a difficult yr for the trade, with headset gross sales declining by 24% and all key units underperforming. Additional downturn is predicted in 2024 and 2025 – see: VR trade braces for setback: Omdia forecasts declining gross sales till 2026.
Whereas not an actual illustration of Quest 2 headset gross sales, Meta Quest app obtain figures function barometer, given the cell app have to be downloaded as a part of the preliminary setup of the headset. Sensor Tower doesn’t rely re-downloads, app updates, or subsequent downloads on new or extra units for an current iOS/Google Play account. Nevertheless, upgrades to the Quest 3, the second-hand market, and cases the place house owners lend headsets drastically complicate the efforts to align app obtain figures exactly with headset gross sales.
Determine 1: Meta Quest cell app downloads over previous 5 years
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Picture through Omdia.
Meta Quest headset gross sales stay closely concentrated within the US
Based on information from Amazon product pages, November 2023 witnessed gross sales of at the very least 191,150 models for each Quest 2 and Quest 3 headsets throughout eight key nations (see Determine 2). 73% of these gross sales have been on the US web site. Sometimes, November marks peak VR gross sales resulting from Black Friday and Cyber Monday; Meta provided the 128GB Quest 2 at a decreased worth of $250 (which has since change into a everlasting adjustment), whereas Quest 3 maintained its authentic worth of $500. This disparity considerably contributed to Quest 2 outselling Quest 3 greater than two to at least one based mostly on the Amazon figures.
Meta’s restricted launch of compelling AR content material using Quest 3’s enhanced passthrough capabilities additionally doubtless hindered its enchantment for current Quest 2 house owners. As most Quest Retailer content material remained appropriate with Quest 2, many shoppers doubtless perceived Quest 3 as an incremental enchancment that did not warrant the improve. Meta’s precedence transferring ahead will likely be to vary this sentiment, however this can take plenty of time and funding.
Determine 2: Quest 2 outsold Quest 3 by an element of two.25 in the course of the Black Friday gross sales month
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Picture through Omdia.
The Meta Quest smartphone app rating information underlines the seasonal nature of headset gross sales and their US-centricity
The Meta Quest smartphone app’s recurring look within the prime 200 free app rankings in the course of the vacation season aligns with the seasonal pattern of headset gross sales, significantly round Christmas when these units are standard items. This sample demonstrates a predominantly US-centric pattern intently adopted by Canada and UK, however with very restricted motion in different main VR markets reminiscent of Germany and France (see Determine 3).
The Meta Quest app secured positions within the prime 10 free app downloads chart on Christmas week in only a handful of nations: Canada, Eire, Norway, the UK, and the US.
Determine 3: iPhone App Retailer rating information underlines Meta Quest headsets’ seasonality and prominence within the US
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Picture through Omdia.
Whereas the recurring look of the Meta Quest smartphone app on the prime of the rankings in the course of the vacation season indicators optimistic curiosity and aligns with peak VR headset gross sales, it is important to view this in a broader context. Regardless of the surge in recognition and peak concurrent customers partaking in VR video games throughout these intervals, the bigger problem persists. Engagement all year long is inconsistent, posing a big hurdle to Meta’s ambition of cultivating a self-sustaining VR ecosystem. The elemental problem stays the shortage and restricted influx of genuinely immersive VR experiences that are wanted to bolster shopper curiosity past seasonal spikes.
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