• by Chase Martin , October 20, 2016

The recent launch of Sony’s PlayStation VR headset has led to varying projections of units sold by the end of the year, but consumer interest might actually be higher.

While short-term sales of PlayStation VR have been projected to reach up to 3 million units sold in 2016, many more PlayStation 4 owners have expressed interest in virtual reality headsets.

Most (58%) consumers globally who own a PlayStation 4 said they are interested in using a virtual reality headset, according to a new survey by GlobalWebIndex (GWI).

More than 40 million PlayStation 4 units have been sold worldwide, with more than half of those sales occurring in the U.S., according to Sony, which would put this number at more than 23 million consumers interested in a VR headset.

Leading up to the launch of PlayStation VR last week, more than one study projected numbers lower than that.

DigiTimes projected 3 million PlayStation VR units to ship by the end of the year and IHS Technology projected that number to be almost 1.5 million in the same timeframe.

Both studies agreed that PlayStation VR will outperform other immersive virtual reality systems like Oculus’ Rift and HTC’s Vive by large margins.

The installed base of PlayStation VR units will be twice as large as both Rift and Vive systems combined by the end of the year, according to the IHS study.

General interest in VR differs across regions globally, according to the GWI research. PlayStation 4 owners in the Asia Pacific region expressed the most interest in using VR headsets, while the Middle East and Africa hold the lowest interest.

Here is the breakdown by region of PlayStation 4 owners who say they are interested in using VR headsets:

• 67% -- Asia Pacific

• 56% -- Latin America

• 51% -- North America

• 48% -- Europe

• 46% -- Middle East and Africa