Oculus Rift overtakes HTC Vive as most used VR headset on Steam

Oculus Rift is, for the first time, the most popular VR headset among Steam users, according to the latest Steam hardware survey. The HTC Vive has slipped into second place, with just over 45% of VR users choosing it as their primary bit of kit, while the Rift accounts for just over 47% of the Steam market.

It's worth pointing out that the survey is voluntary, so not every VR headset user would've responded. But the fact that the two headsets have swapped places does suggest that opinion might've shifted among PC gamers.

HTC has had a rocky few months: it was reported last year that it might be looking to get out of the VR business altogether, and last month it confirmed that it was merging its VR and smartphone divisions, resulting in layoffs in the US (h/t Digital Trends). However, it'll look to bounce back with the release of the Vive Pro later this year, which boasts increased resolution, built-in headphones and a separate wireless adapter.

When Tuan sat down to pick the best VR headset late last year, the Rift came out on top thanks to its lower price, bundled touch controllers and better perceived resolution than the Vive.

Thanks, Gamasutra.

Samuel Horti

Samuel Horti is a long-time freelance writer for PC Gamer based in the UK, who loves RPGs and making long lists of games he'll never have time to play. 

Latest in VR Hardware
Varjo Aero
Nvidia confirms 'open issue' with Varjo Aero VR headsets and RTX 50-series graphics cards after affected users ask for help
A "sensor-actuator–coupled gustatory interface chemically connecting virtual and real environments for remote tasting," or essentially a virtual reality tongue in an artificial mouth
Would you like to taste fish soup in VR? Me neither, but this electronic tongue does it anyway
Varjo Aero
Varjo Aero VR headsets seem to be not working on RTX 5090s, and its community is opting for strange solutions while waiting for an Nvidia driver release to fix it
A still from a YouTube video showing The Swedish Maker cutting a piece of wood with power tools while wearing a Meta Quest 3 VR headset.
YouTuber The Swedish Maker wears a Meta Quest 3 VR headset for his entire woodworking project and miraculously emerges with all fingers intact
The HTC Vive XR Elite front three quarter angle
Google is bulk buying HTC Vive engineers to help Android XR become a platform that can rival Meta's VR/AR dominance
Meta Horizon OS on a box.
The upcoming Asus VR project is rumoured to have eye and face tracking, yet the thing I'm most excited about is its OS
Latest in News
Assassin's Creed Shadows immersive mode - Naoe holding a tanto in her hand as two guards fall to the ground behind her.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first hotfix addresses stability issues and a photo mode crash
A close-up of a scared young girl's face as she stumbles through the woods, a crown of twigs and flowers upon her head.
CD Projekt says it's not using generative AI on The Witcher 4 because it's 'quite tricky when it comes to legal IP ownership'
A plastic duck dressed like a circus weightlifter
The 5th highest-rated game on Steam in 2022 is back with a multiplayer sequel
A still from a video announcement of Game Informer's return, featuring the magazine's Halo 2 issue.
Game Informer is back from the dead: 'The whole team has returned'
An April Fool's Day Palworld game concept about dating Pals
From Palworld movies to Palworld TV shows: 'Everyone under the sun pitched us every idea you can imagine,' says Pocketpair's communications director
Ciri in The Witcher 4
The Witcher 4 won't be out until sometime in 2027 at the soonest, CD Projekt says