The Meta gets a little more expensive
The price of the Meta Quest 2 is going up next month. Today, the VR company announced the Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset will get a price bump in August, tacking another $100 onto the price tag.
This will bring the Meta Quest 2 up to $399.99 for the 128 GB version, and the 256 GB version up to $499.99. Refurbished units and Meta Quest 2 accessories will also see a price increase.
Meta, a.k.a. Facebook, bought Oculus in 2014 and shifted the naming convention away from Oculus and under Meta in 2021. In today’s statement on the pricing change, the company acknowledges VR’s momentum, but also cites the cost of production as a concern.
“At the same time, the costs to make and ship our products have been on the rise. By adjusting the price of Quest 2, we can continue to grow our investment in groundbreaking research and new product development that pushes the VR industry to new heights.”
Those who pick up a Meta Quest 2 headset between August 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 will get a freebie. A copy of Beat Saber will be free to download for 14 days, after they’ve activated the headset.
The cost of virtual reality
This is surprising on a few levels. First, the Quest 2 has been available since 2020. A price hike without a hardware refresh is strange, to say the least.
But the Oculus Quest 2, or Meta Quest 2, has been the affordable entry point to virtual reality. Its ability to run wireless or hooked up to a computer is a huge boon. And the price point made it a no-brainer for those looking to get into the technology.
It certainly ratchets up the potential appeal of other headsets. For those who already managed to grab a PlayStation 5, the PS VR2 is slowly but surely leading up to its eventual launch.
