2 weeks in, Oculus Quest is killing it in content sales
Facebook has been going all-in on the Oculus Quest, it's standalone virtual reality kit that eliminates many of the inconveniences of using VR. Is it a success? Well, while we don't know how many units have been sold exactly, Facebook has offered an intriguing tidbit that suggests a promising start for the Quest.
Speaking at Vox Media's Code conference, Facebook VP of AR/VR Andrew Bosworth shared some numbers: the Oculus Quest made $5 million in content sales (i.e., from apps and games) in the first two weeks since launch day. It's not clear whether this means exactly $5 million in pure profit, but it's at least an indication that users are exploring the content possibilities offered by the portable VR console.
We still lack data on which apps and games are seeing the most success, but there are some clues. Beat Saber is the most-rated Quest app ras of the time of writing with over 1,5000 reviews, making it a good candidate for the Quest’s best-seller, following on from the rhythm game's great success on other VR platforms. But there are other games that have seen a big boost from the Oculus Quest, like Superhot VR for example:
SUPERHOT VR's arrival on @oculus Quest has been our most successful VR launch to date. We are humbled, thank you for being awesome!
— SUPERHOT (@SUPERHOTTHEGAME) May 30, 2019
Please enjoy our full, live action, eerie trailer.https://t.co/EXH9LFJQh5#SUPERHOTVR #OculusQuest pic.twitter.com/iUlk1wX4mW
Fast Travel Games' Apex Construct is also proving to be a success on Quest, quickly establishing itself as an one of the highest rated titles on the platform.
We are simply overwhelmed by the positive reception of @ApexConstructVR on #OculusQuest, currently rated 4,7 out of 5 stars by the players! Thank you so much for your support, it means the world to us. Have a fantastic Quest weekend everybody!🙏🎉🏹 pic.twitter.com/9pQRU64ppc
— Fast Travel Games (@fasttravelgames) May 25, 2019
The Oculus Quest is Facebook's big bid to take VR mainstream, and establish the company as the main VR player in the eyes of the public. The standalone headset, doesn’t require a connection to a PC, smartphone, or any external sensors to track your hand or body movement. Everything is built-in to the device for maximum convenience.
Further down the line it will be interesting to find out more about how many units Facebook has actually managed to sell as well as what kind of apps prove to be the most popular. In the meantime, the sales figure put forward by Facebook at least shows that new users aren't just dipping their toes into the free demos and leaving it on the shelf, but actually using the Quest to explore the quality content out there.
Source: TechCrunch
