What Display Daily thinks: According to Omdia, yes, the near-eye display market is going to bounce back in a big way.
The thing about analysts and market predictions is that they are like broken watches in the multiverse; somewhere, in some universe, a prediction is turning out right. In this particular dimension of time and space, I am not so sure.
To heck with it: absolutely not a hope in frozen hell that the market is going to grow at any significant rate, in my lifetime at least.
There may be a point in time when near-eye displays will become ubiquitous. That point is not on the horizon, or even close. It would be great to think that at some point, we don’t need prescription lenses but could make up for it with some sort XR glasses or contact lenses (Mojo Vision might get triggered by that one, but it may have been way too ahead of its time).
It would make total sense to deal with vision problems using near-eye displays. About the only real mass-market application that seems practical. The idea that near-eye displays will somehow be mobile HUDs for the masses may make sense, but if it had been compelling enough as a solution, the masses would have bought into it without all that spend by Apple and Meta. So, is Omdia saying that Apple and Meta are going to be able to spend more and change the dynamics of the market? Are they really thinking that Asus, Microsoft or Lenovo can pick up the slack and open up the market?
Sony has a killer app and a reason to make VR headsets: gaming. Gamers are a different breed and fall into a consumer category that just doesn’t seem to care much about anything but instant gratification. Still not a mainstream market.
Near-Eye Displays and Long-Term Positives
New research from Omdia reveals that the XR market, encompassing AR, VR, and MR, is currently facing a downturn, leading to significant layoffs and scaled-back ventures from several smartphone brands. Despite this, Omdia believes leading companies are committed to revitalizing the market. Omdia backs this up by highlighting how Meta and Pico plan to launch the Quest 3S and Pico 4S at reduced prices in the second half of 2024 to stimulate sales. On the software front, Sony’s PlayStation VR2 will support PC VR games, expanding its market beyond PS5 users, while Meta Platforms will release its XR operating systems to third-party OEMs and enhance its platform and application software. Although near-eye display shipments are expected to remain flat in 2024, Omdia believes the long-term forecast is positive.
The Apple Vision Pro, despite its high price potentially limiting sales, has increased the share of OLED on silicon (OLEDoS) displays. Omdia predicts the XR industry will remain stagnant for the next one to two years, with near-eye display shipments projected to grow significantly from 2027, reaching 92.9 million units by 2030, according to Omdia.
