Acer bets future on commercial VR sector

Acer has made a name for itself by undercutting its competition in PCs. It has been especially successful in the Chromebook market, in which consumers look for a lot of value while spending relatively little money. While this approach has proven good for building the brand, it is not very profitable. Now, Acer is betting its future on VR, according to Bloomberg.

CEO Jason Chen believes Acer is well-positioned to become popular for high-end VR headsets. The company, however, is not targeting the consumer market. In fact, Acer wants to build headsets that sell for much more than what Oculus Rift and Taiwan rival HTC offer currently. Bloomberg reported that Acer is looking at prices in the "four-digit range." The maker will do this by targeting businesses such as IMAX theaters and theme parks.

Acer is already working with video game company Starbreeze on a headset called StarVR. The device is set to debut in a Los Angeles IMAX experience center this year. Chen told Bloomberg the company is discussing future partnerships with other groups but did not elaborate.

As bets go, banking on the commercial sector tends to pay off. The drone industry is undergoing a similar shift, with the drone hobbyist market dominated largely by Shenzhen-based DJI. IDC projects that a fifth of all VR headsets sold in 2020 will be purchased by businesses.

VR headsets are not yet as common as drones. The Oculus Rift has been the most anticipated VR headset for a few years and it only went on sale this year. HTC followed up quickly by announcing the Vive headset. Both of these devices are meant for consumers, selling for $599 and $799 respectively. Meanwhile, Google is betting the future of VR on mobile. It has inspired many copycat products of its Google Cardboard headset and baked VR functionality into the next version of Android with Daydream.

When big companies are done duking it out in the consumer sector for brand recognition in VR headsets, though, they will likely turn their sights onto the commercial sector. From there, competition will heat up. Acer is hoping that starting now will give it a sustainable first-mover advantage.