In the event you have been contemplating the acquisition of a
Meta Quest 2 VR headset, you higher act quick as a result of it is about to go method up in worth. Introduced on Twitter and in a weblog publish, the Quest 2 will improve $100 to $399.99 for the cheaper 128GB mannequin, and $499.99 for the 256GB mannequin. These costs go into impact in on August 1, 2022, which is lower than every week away.
Meta says the worth hike is so it may “proceed investing in transferring the VR business ahead for the long run.” To the corporate’s credit score, the Quest 2 gives one of the best bang-for-buck within the VR headset area, particularly after Meta doubled the quantity of storage on the baseline mode from 64GB to 128GB with out altering the worth. Nicely, till now.
However, the response hasn’t been constructive, as you would possibly anticipate. These quantity to 33 % and 25 % worth hikes on the 128GB and 256GB fashions, respectively, with none modifications to the {hardware}. It is the identical headset, simply at larger worth factors. To melt the blow, Meta is providing Beat Saber, a $30 recreation, as a free obtain to anybody who purchases a Quest 2 VR headset by the tip of the yr.
The elevated pricing comes as Meta pivots away from requiring that customers hyperlink their headset to a Fb account. In that regard, this quantities to unhealthy optics. As well as, in the identical weblog publish asserting the worth change, Meta says customers have spent over $1 billion on Meta Quest apps.
“On the similar time, the prices to make and ship our merchandise have been on the rise. By adjusting the worth of Quest 2, we will proceed to develop our funding in groundbreaking analysis and new product improvement that pushes the VR business to new heights,” Meta states.
Meta’s making a significant push into the following iteration of the online, which has been dubbed the metaverse. A part of that features an “formidable VR {hardware} roadmap” with a high-end headset known as Challenge Cambria launching later this yr. It additionally just lately confirmed off dozens of
VR headset prototypes.
Meta can also be
elevating the worth of refurbished items and equipment, although it did not specify by how a lot. Refurbished Quest 2 headsets offered by Meta begin at $249 and promise to be “pretty much as good as new.” Alternatively, for those who’re wanting to purchase a brand new mannequin earlier than the worth hikes go into impact, Amazon sells the
128GB Quest 2 for $299 and the
256GB Quest 2 for $399.
