The Meta Quest Pro’s original $1,500 sticker was a major barrier to adoption, but it won’t be a problem for a long time. Mark Zuckerberg revealed on an Instagram channel that the price of the Quest Pro dropped to a palatable $999 on March 5. And if you don’t need high-end virtual reality, the 256GB Quest 2 is now on sale for $429, or just $30 off the regular price of the 128GB version. The reduced prices are intended to help “more people get into VR,” Zuckerberg said.
The lower prices precede a next-generation consumer Quest headset expected later this year. In that regard, the cheaper Quest 2 will help Meta clear inventory before the new model arrives. If you’re happy with the current capabilities, though, this is an easy way to get into standalone VR while still having plenty of room for apps and games. That said, it’s also a backtrack – Meta raised prices in August to compensate for higher manufacturing costs.
Both declines also reflect Meta’s struggles to pivot in the metaverse. While it remains committed to the concept and is pouring 20 percent of its 2023 spending into the Reality Labs division, that unit continues to lose billions of dollars every quarter. Better prices could get the headsets into the hands of more customers and, by extension, help the adoption of Horizon Worlds and other Meta projects.
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