Oculus, the VR business bought for $2 billion by Facebook Inc. last year, said this week it would start shipping a consumer version of its Rift headset in early 2016, raising hopes that investment in VR software will finally take off.

“I have been waiting for virtual reality since I was a little boy 30 years ago,” said Ben Schachter, an analyst at Macquarie Securities in New York.

“Our view is that things are radically different this time.”

About 2.7 million VR headsets, including versions aimed at app and content developers, could be sold in 2015, according to technology consultancy KZero.

With the launch of more consumer-friendly versions, total VR sales are expected to jump to 39 million in 2018, helping software companies alone rake in $4.6 billion – up from a projected $129 million this year.

“We believe that many very deep-pocketed companies will be in this space soon,” Schachter said.

Source: www.phillyvoice.com