The price of everything is shooting up this year, from hardware to software and even subscription services. It seems not even the wealthiest companies in the world are immune to rising costs.
Netflix subscriptions are more expensive, and after increasing the cost of Prime in the US, Amazon has now announced it will hike its Prime subscription in the UK and Europe later this year.
Meta, the company behind Facebook and the hugely popular Quest 2 VR headset, today made a surprise announcement of an immediate price increase for both the 128GB and 256GB versions.
These originally cost $299/£299 and $399/£399 respectively, but are now jumping to $399/£399 and $499/£499 – an inflation-busting 33% increase.
If you act quickly, you may still be able to pick one up at the lower price from Amazon in the US and Argos in the UK (as well as other retailers) but even these will switch to the new prices very soon.
You’re probably wondering why it’s such a massive price rise. The affordability of the Quest 2 is arguably what makes it so tempting for those new to the world of VR – a virtual sweet spot, if you like.
The simple answer? It now costs a lot more money to manufacture and distribute the headset. On Meta’s blog, the company explains that “the costs to make and ship our products have been on the rise” so it had to change prices to reflect that.
A Meta spokesperson further explained to us that Meta is “adjusting the price of our Meta Quest 2 headsets to enable us to continue investing in ways that will keep driving this increasingly competitive industry forward for consumers and developers alike”.
To help sweeten the deal, Meta has also announced that all new purchases of the Meta Quest 2 will come with Beat Saber, one of the most popular VR titles of all time and the current top game in our selection of the best Quest 2 games.
Nobody likes price hikes, especially huge ones, but it’s worth noting that the new pricing reflects that of the original Quest – a headset that was praised for its affordable price at release – and it’s still the best-value VR headset on the market.
And quite frankly, we were surprised that the Quest 2 was so cheap when we first reviewed it.
Meta
Meta also took the opportunity to tease future hardware. The blog post talks of an “ambitious VR hardware roadmap” that starts with the launch of the high-end Project Cambria headset later this year, with “new generations of Meta Quest” to follow. Let’s just hope the Meta Quest 3 remains affordable.
As well as standalone headsets, Meta provided more insight into the tech it’s working on, ranging from state-of-the-art VR displays to lifelike avatars, haptics and much more. It’s clear that Meta sees VR as a big part of our collective future, and is investing serious money into advancing the tech around it.
If you want to try and bag yourself a bargain on the standalone headset, we’ve found the best Meta Quest 2 deals, and once you’ve got your hands on it, we list the best Quest 2 accessories that’ll enhance your virtual experience.
