XR headset vendor shipment share worldwide 2020-2023, by quarter

Meta was the leading extended reality (XR) headset vendor in terms of shipments in 2023, occupying 72 percent of the market in the fourth quarter of the year. Meta's device range includes the Quest 3 and Quest Pro, with the latter released in 2023. Sony ranked second among vendors, accounting for around 15 percent of shipments.

New headsets will push the XR market to the next level

A lot of recent attention has focused on devices that support mixed reality, raising the profile of augmented reality (AR) headsets and glasses. As such, the number of AR hardware users is expected to grow by nearly 100 percent in 2024. Tech giants like Apple are now taking an even greater interest in AR, with Apple’s Tim Cook shifting his focus toward augmented applications, emphasizing the significant impact it will have in the near future.

The next generation of headsets looks to deliver a more powerful, immersive experience

Apple’s long-awaited product debut in the immersive technology space arrived in early February 2024 in the form of Apple Vision Pro. Designed primarily for mixed reality, in which real and virtual worlds interact with one another, Vision Pro signals Apple’s entrance to what it calls the era of spatial computing.