Virtual assistants expected to top virtual reality in holiday sales

Virtual assistants are set to pummel virtual reality headsets in the fight for consumer dollars this holiday season, while smartwatches drive wearable sales. VIRTUAL REALITY After dubbing virtual reality as the "next mega tech theme" in a May 2015 industry report, brokerage Piper Jaffray will cut its 2016 estimate for sales of VR headsets by 65 percent to 2.2 million units in an as yet unpublished report. Sales of high-end VR headsets including Facebook Inc's $599 Oculus Rift and Sony Corp's $39