The Valve Index sold 149,000 units in the year of 2019. This is a number that was not anticipated by many, especially with the headset not being launched until June of this past year. As for competing with other headsets, it ranks in the top 3. It is the number one selling PC VR headset, even with the price point being at $1,000.
(This data is courtesy of superdataresearch.com)
As for the Q4 earnings, the Valve Index outdid itself. We know this is a large reaction from the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, a VR exclusive that is being optimized for the Valve Index. Valve, the developing studio behind the game, is also giving the game for free to anyone that owned a Valve Index before the end of the calendar year. The entire Q4 unit sales for the Index were 103K.
The headset could’ve broken the 110K mark had it not been for production being behind the consumers needs. It was sold out for a large portion of December, the time many people were looking to buy. Even when the headset was sold out though, there was no option to buy or pre-order the headset when it became available. So the number could’ve been higher, but it wasn’t. The headset is still sold out worldwide, but is anticipating the restock very soon.
Other Headsets Q4
The Valve Index sold an astonishing amount of headsets in Q4, but like we said, it wasn’t the leader. Below, we will break down the top 5 headsets sold across the world during the Q4.
PlayStation VR – 338K
The PlayStation VR headset is still thriving. This headset will be compatible with the PS5 hardware, so why wouldn’t you buy it now? The company says that the PSVR 2 won’t be ready for quite some time, so buying now is the best option. The holiday seasons were kind to Sony.
Oculus Quest – 317K
Not far behind PSVR, the Oculus Quest brought it a fantastic number of sales. There are grumblings around the VR community that the Quest sold nearly 1 million unit this year. Although we doubt Facebook would ever release the actual number of units sold, this seems like a realistic number for the best standalone headset on the market.
Valve Index – 103K
Like we mentioned earlier, the headset saw a spike in sales when Valve announced Half-Life: Alyx. Had it not been for the headset being sold out in record time, the headset could’ve seen a much larger 4th quarter. You can expect Q1 and Q2 of 2020 to report large numbers for the best consumer headset in the world.
Oculus Go – 84K
This was likely the best quarter for the Go, as the holiday season is the best time to buy someone a VR headset for the first time. The Go is a media-focused headset. We are certain Oculus was never hoping for the Rift S to be out-sold by the Oculus Go, but that is exactly what happened at the end of the year.
Oculus Rift S – 71K
Oculus shot themselves in the foot when they released the Oculus Link before 2020. The Link software turns your average Quest into a PC VR-ready headset. Playing between the two when powered by a VR-ready PC is nearly identical. The Rift S is already dying off, and the headset hasn’t been on the market for even a year yet. This is the beginning of the end of the Oculus PC headset.
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