Interviews, insight & analysis on digital media & marketing

When Irish eyes are…VR gaming?!

New data has revealed that Ireland is country most interested in VR, in particular, Sony’s PlayStation VR2 (PSVR 2) which is due to be released on February 22nd and is expected to be the most technologically advanced VR gaming headset of all time.

The study, carried out by casino review site Bonusetu, analysed Google Trends data of search terms related to the highly anticipated VR headset. These terms were then combined to give each country a total score to determine which countries have been most interested in VR gaming in the past 90 days. 

RankNation ‘PlayStation VR’ ‘PSVR 2’ ‘Virtual Reality Headset’Score
1Ireland100966888.00
2UK821007284.67
3Norway645910074.33
4Hungary76485760.33
4New Zealand70605160.33
5Canada 64684860.00
6Finland64396857.00
7Sweden64396756.67
8Australia58605056.00
9Denmark47367954.00
10United States52515452.33
11Germany 47435147.00
12Czechia76143541.67
13Netherlands47353238.00
13Austria40334138.00
14Belgium 41303736.00
15Poland41144934.67
15France33323734.00

Ireland comes in first place overall with the highest search score of 88. Ireland was the clear winner when combining the number of searches for the various terms.  Ireland had the highest number of searches for ‘PlayStation VR’ and the second highest for ‘PSVR 2’. 

The UK comes second, very close behind Ireland with 84.67 points. The UK had the highest number of searches for ‘PSVR2’ worldwide and the second highest amount for ‘PlayStation VR’.

The great anticipation for this new Play Station VR headset comes with the promises of significant updates from the previous model, giving an immersive and futuristic experience. The headset will feature eye tracking, which will bring an impressive aspect to VR gaming as the device will detect where you are looking. The device will only enhance the detail of things you are actually looking at, this is known as foveated rendering and will present players with realistic blurring of the peripheral surroundings. Another significant improvement has been made to the haptic feedback, which can help players who suffer with motion sickness. 

Norway takes third place with a score of 74. Norway had the highest number of searches for ‘Virtual reality headset’, which could suggest that the country has a general interest for the technology and isn’t specifically looking to opt for the PSVR2.

Joint fourth place is shared by  Hungary and New Zealand, both scoring 60.33 points. Both countries had a high number of searches for ‘PlayStation VR’.

In fifth place with a score of 60 is Canada. Canada had higher searches for ‘PSVR 2’ than Hungary, New Zealand and Norway, but fell short with searches for ‘Virtual reality headset’. 

A spokesperson from Bonusetu commented on the findings: “As the UK sits close to the top spot for the country most interested in VR gaming, it will be interesting to see if this will be reflected in sales of the headset . There will be something for everyone when the headset finally gets released with a diverse lineup of games that will showcase the capabilities of the new device. Survival horror game, Resident Evil Village will add a terrifying addition to the VR gaming lineup, while Tentacular will offer a more gentle gaming experience for those who wish to solve puzzles.”