During Facebook’s Q3 2015 earnings call, as reported by Road to VR, company CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that VR, seen as the “next big thing” by many, isn’t going to become an overnight sensation.
With the Oculus Rift set to launch early next year, Zuckerberg has tempered expectations, suggesting that it could take some time for the tech to reach its potential.
“So we’ve said often that we think that virtual reality and augmented reality could be the next big computing platform,” said Zuckerberg.
“Virtual reality has the potential to be the next computing platform that changes all our lives, [but] it’s important to also recognize that this will grow slowly.”
Comparing the headset to the very first smartphones, Zuckerberg explained that he wouldn’t be surprised, or disappointed, if Oculus Rift sales figures only numbered in the hundreds of thousands next year.
“Just to put that in perspective and compare it to the development of previous computing platforms, like phones and computers, I think the first smartphones came out in 2003,” added the Facebook CEO.
“In the first year I think BlackBerry and Palm Treo were the initial smartphones that came out. I think they each sold in the hundreds of thousands of units.
“So, just to kind of give a sense of the time frame that we’re thinking about this and how we expect this to develop, that’s how we’re thinking about that.”