Do you know what makes some of the best VR headsets worthwhile? That’s right: games. Like it or not, we’re still not in a place where you can use an XR headset for too much beyond gaming, developing and maybe work, for the utterly brave.
As such, that means that a lot of these headsets also sport a PC VR mode, so that you can play the best PC VR games on them. And you know who sells a lot of those? Right again: Steam!
Since Valve has a knack for doing cool things on top of making stuff like Steam and the Valve Index, the company also likes to ask its users questions about their hardware, such as: what is the headset that you are currently using for VR gaming?
And less than a month after the Quest 3 launched, the headset has already managed to rank on the resulting charts.
The current VR headset ranking, as per Steam's results from October, 2023.
Well, now, sure: the headset isn’t on the top of the list, in fact it isn’t even above the half point, but honestly: what did you expect? The Quest 3 started shipping on October 10 and not even a month has passed since then.
And that, to me, paints a bright picture for the Quest 3, as these numbers are likely to go a lot higher, especially after all of the praise that Meta’s latest headset has earned. I mean, it took the Quest Pro a full year after it released just to show up in the ranking, so this must mean that the people are liking the Quest 3 a lot more!
The metrics also reveal another interesting bit of information: only 1.23% of all Steam users own a VR headset. As per Statista's records, Steam’s user base peaked at 33 million for 2023, so that would mean that about 409, 200 users worldwide own a headset, which isn’t half bad.
That is, if this is the way Steam measured it, as it isn't really clear from the chart itself weather we're talking about a percent of the lifetime users or from the monthly active users.
Anyway, there is another important part to take into consideration: not all VR users use Steam. In fact, a growing number of VR headsets are coming with pretty solid standalone modes. So while this is being used by some to spell out doom and gloom for the XR industry, it’s likely just PC VR gaming — and Steam’s platform in general — that is taking a hit.
So, can I finally say “Steam VR app for Meta Quest please” again?
And especially with that last bit of context in mind, I believe that the stats related to the Quest 3 certainly serve to highlight the healthy launch of the headset. Will these numbers grow significantly in the coming months? Tune back with us in a while and we’ll make sure to let you know!
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Stan, also known as Stako, is a smartphone enthusiast who loves exploring the limits of Android customization. His journey with mobile tech began with the Nokia 5110 and evolved with devices like the BlackBerry 9350 Curve and Samsung Galaxy A4. Despite his love for Android, he holds equal respect for Apple, considering the iPhone 4s as a significant milestone in mobile tech. Stan started his writing career early, contributing to MetalWorld, and harbors a passion for creative writing. Beyond smartphones, he's interested in photography, design, composition, and gaming, often preferring solo projects to hone his objective thinking. He's also an avid student of open-source technology and consoles, with a special fondness for the Pebble Watch, Arduboy, and Playdate.
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