The Oculus Rift is catching up to the Vive on Steam

August seems to have been a good month for Oculus, with the Oculus Rift gaining more momentum on Steam. According to Valve’s latest Steam survey data, the headset has increased its market share on the platform by 8.1%, the largest leap in a single month.

With these gains, the Oculus Rift is sitting at 43.8%, while its main competitor, the HTC Vive, has a 52.3% share, down 7.7% compared to July. The Rift is catching up quickly.

Two significant price drops in the space of a few months are undoubtedly major contributors to its rise in popularity. One of these drops, however, is part of a limited promotion, the Summer of Rift, and the headset will increase in price by £100/$100 when it ends.

The Vive’s future, on the other hand, isn’t looking quite as rosy. Last month, HTC brought in a strategic adviser after they made $513 million in losses for the fiscal year. A possible outcome is that HTC gets out of the VR business, selling the Vive. These losses, however, are not down to the headset.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.