Sales of VR headsets surpassed 1m units for the first time in the third quarter of 2017, as headset price cuts increase demand, with Sony responsible for almost half of all sales.

According to research from analyst company Canalys, Sony shipped more than 490,000 PlayStation VR headsets in Q3. Oculus shipped 210,000 of its Rift units to take the second spot, while HTC shipped 160,000 Vive VR headsets for third. Combined, Sony, Oculus and HTC made up 86 per cent of the total VR headset market in Q3 2017.

“VR adoption in the consumer segment is highly dependent on price, and Oculus’ strategy of lowering prices has definitely helped drive adoption,” said Vincent Thielke, research analyst at Canalys.

Much of Sony’s success has come in Japan, as you’d expect. The home of the entertainment and electronics giant has embraced gaming VR, and has various ‘VR experience zones’ stationed around the country.

“Sony is well placed to take advantage of this increasing interest in VR,” said Jason Low, analyst at Canalys. “Sony has dominated the Japanese VR headset market since the release of the PS VR, taking more than an 80 per cent share, and will continue to lead as it increases supply of the PS VR headset with bundles featuring new titles from popular franchises, including Doom, Skyrim and Gran Turismo.”