The future is expensive
Meta are increasing the price of all versions of the Meta Quest 2, their flagship wireless VR headset, by $100. They announced the decision in a post on the Oculus blog, saying that the increase in price would help them “continue to invest for the long term and keep driving the VR industry forward.” Basically, Meta would like to lose less money now.
“We’ve been all-in on VR since the early days of PC and mobile, all the way through to today’s premium standalone 6DOF headsets—and we’ve invested billions of dollars to help nurture a thriving VR ecosystem,” starts the post on theOculus blog. “Now, we’re making a change that will help us continue to invest for the long term and keep driving the VR industry forward with best-in-class hardware, action-packed games, and cutting-edge research on the path to truly next-gen devices.”
From August, the Meta Quest 2 will cost $399.99 USD for the 128 GB version and $499.99 USD for the 256GB version. There’s no mention in the post of regional pricing, but it seems safe to assume that prices will increase similarly in other territories. The two versions of the Meta Quest 2currently cost £299 and £399in the UK.
The post also notes that Meta Quest 2 accessories and refurbished units will also be increasing in price. For a limited time, purchasers of the Quest 2 will getBeat Saberincluded for free as some sort of compensation - which is, at least, thebest VR game.
For what it’s worth, theOculus Quest 2 is a good headset, and being able to play in VR without wiring up to a PC is a huge boon. Earlier this month, Meta announced that they wouldno longer require a Facebook account to use the Quest, which is a bonus.
If you’re willing to pay the increased price, however, you might want to consider the Valve Index headset, which remains more expensive at £459 but which isthe gold standard of VR headsets. At least until we get a look at Meta’s Project Cambria, their high-end headset which, this price change announcement notes, is due to launch later this year.
