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 is a freelance journalist and editor who first wrote for PC Gamer nearly a decade ago. Since then he's had stints as a VR specialist, mouse reviewer, and previewer of promising indie games, and is now regularly writing about Fortnite. What he loves most is longer form, interview-led reporting, whether that's Ken Levine on the one phone call that saved his studio, Tim Schafer on a milkman joke that inspired Psychonauts' best level, or historians on what Anno 1800 gets wrong about colonialism. He's based in London.