The VR goggle as a media viewer

Several VR goggles (such as the Carl Zeiss Cinemizer) present themselves as media viewers, which translates to a really cool way to watch movies from your iPod.

Is there really a significant market for VR media viewers?

Have you ever gone to a movie theater to watch a movie alone? Sure, when I travel, I sometimes go to restaurants alone, but I don't remember going to a movie alone. Isn't watching a movie alone what VR media players are designed for?

I tried researching how many people go to see movies alone and could not find the answer. There are tons of movie stats from the Motion Picture Association of America, the movies alone is not one of them. Googling this brings up pages titled "Do you ever go to the movies along and feel weird for doing it?"

People watch movies alone at home, but then they can use a TV and don't need a low-resolution set of goggles to do so (Cinemizer had 640x480 pixels, though perhaps has gone up since). Watching movies on a plane is a potential use, but wouldn't an iPad or other tablet be a better experience? Privacy is a plus when using goggles, but would you really spend $500 on a pair of goggles only to use them on a plane to watch movies that you are uncomfortable having your neighbor see?

Sure, I get using an iPod, not to mention that since as of Dec 2010 "only" 297 million units were sold, there is clearly a big market. You can do other things while using an iPod, but you can't do much when watching a movie on a set of VR goggles.

So, I don't get it. Any ideas?