Looking to put a jolt into sales, the makers of higher-end virtual reality platforms have all implemented deep price cuts ahead of the holiday buying season.

While these across-the-board price cuts indicate that consumer interest in VR products has slowed, one analyst called them a typical move to entice people to jump in during this early-adopter phase of the VR market.

But it’s clear that three key VR players — Sony, HTC and Facebook-owned Oculus — are cutting prices to move the sales needle.

Among those moves, Sony said it has reduced the price of two VR product bundles by $50 — a combo with the Play-Station VR headset and camera now sells for $399, while an “all-in” bundle that includes the headset, camera, two motion controllers and a gaming title, PlayStation VR Worlds, is going for $449.

Meanwhile, HTC has chopped the sales price on its VR platform, the Vive, by $200 to $599. That was coupled with a report from Bloomberg that HTC is exploring strategic options that could lead to the sale of its VR business, and that the Taiwan-based company has already held discussions with Google.

Under a temporary summer promotion, Oculus in July cut the price of its Rift VR headset/hand-tracking Touch controller bundle in half to $399, followed by a permanent reduction on the product combo to $499.

All of those players are fighting for share in a small but growing market. With mobile VR headsets factored in, the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR headset kept its lead through Q1 2017, according to SuperData. The Gear VR was followed by the PlayStation VR (Sony has shipped more than 1 million units so far), Google Daydream mobile VR headsets, the HTC Vive, and the Oculus Rift.

Related: Another 'Promising' Week for Virtual Reality

Mike Bloxham, senior vice president of global entertainment and media at Magid, said the recent wave of price adjustments indicates that the companies are gearing up for the holiday buying season while also looking for ways to accelerate sales amid a period of sluggishness.

He also said that the price cuts should also drive enthusiasm for early adopters, stressing that their behavior doesn’t represent that of the mass market.

Citing recent Magid research, Bloxham said price remains the biggest impediment for consumers considering taking the plunge on VR by a wide margin (64%), compared to a perceived lack of content (34%).

Bloxham remains bullish about VR. “I think it does have huge potential,” he said, noting that product shipments are not the clearest barometer on the level of usage occurring the market.

“VR has the potential to shake things up and create a whole bunch of opportunities,” he added. The expectation, he said, is that VR will not only take hold in media and entertainment, but also in areas such as engineering, health care and education.

Magid and the VR/AR Consortium, a group that includes Turner, Warner Bros. and The VR Society, recently released a study based on a survey of about 2,000 U.S. consumers, showing that about one-third of all U.S. adults have used a VR device.

The study also indicates that the U.S. market of VR owners and “intenders” stands at 44 million.

Seeing is apparently believing, as 50% of those who have tried a VR headset reported “loving” the experience on a PC or console device, while 90% reported “liking” it on a high-end PC or console headset.

Sales of virtual- and augmented-reality devices were up 300% during the six-month period between May and October compared with the previous six months (November 2015 to April 2016), according to entertainment research firm The NPD Group.

NPD said it has added VR/AR measurement to its Retail Tracking Service, aiming to give both retailers and manufacturers a clear picture of how the category is performing. The addition comes during the all-important holiday shopping season.

“Given the growing interest in VR/AR technology and the wide range of products available to meet consumer needs, we anticipate 2016 holiday sales have the potential to double 2015 holiday sales,” said Ben Arnold, executive director and industry analyst for The NPD Group.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

MORE FROM THE VR SPECIAL REPORT: Littlstar Builds VR Content Constellation | Investors Bank on Virtual Reality

RELATED:'Virtual Reality -- Ready for a Closeup' Webinar, Feb. 24, with Andrew Trickett (Merge VR) and Tony Mugavero (Littlstar), moderated by Next TV editor Jeff Baumgartner

Initiatives from the likes of Facebook and YouTube are giving consumers an easy way to consume 360-degree video with no need for an additional headset.

However, the virtual-reality sector is already percolating with the full range of headsets — from entry-level, practically disposable platforms like Google Cardboard to new high-end platforms such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Here’s a snapshot of some VR headsets and viewers that are the market now, and some additional high-end platforms that will start shipping later this year. EDITOR's NOTE:Download the VR Headsets chart at the end of this article.

While some headsets appear to be going after a certain part of the market, “there’s room for multiple big winners that are that are going after different segments and use cases,” Andrew Trickett, co-founder of Merge Labs, said. “Our target is not so much the hard-core gamer as the … technology enthusiast.”

As for the Merge VR platform, it’s compatible with all of the Cardboard apps, though the company has also released a software |development kit to help partners build in capabilities that take advantage of its other functions, including lens adjustors and integrated buttons.

The company, which began to ship the Merge VR last November via outlets such as Amazon, has also developed Merge Start, a curated “trusted gateway” for VR apps and services. Early on, it features an “app of the day,” but will expand from there, Trickett said.

The VR market is expected to broaden in the year ahead. Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that Google’s developing a successor to Cardboard that will feature a higher-quality headset and be more tightly integrated with the Android software and apps ecosystem.

Google is expected to announce details at its annual I/O developer’s conference in May.