In context: Meta launched the Quest 2 in late 2020 at a starting price of $299 before inexplicably deciding to hike its price by $100 last year. The Quest Pro was priced at a staggering $1,500 from day 1, making it unaffordable for most people. Meta has seemingly acknowledged that they were overpriced, announcing price cuts for both units.
Meta announced significant price cuts on its Quest Pro and Quest 2 headsets. The new MSRPs go into effect on Sunday, March 5. Unfortunately, the entry-level 128GB Meta Quest 2 remains at $400. However, the 256 GB model will get its price slashed from $500 to $430, and the Pro will cost $999.99 instead of $1,500.
The company said the price drop on the Quest 2 would help more people experience VR without tethering a headset to their PC or game console. The lower cost for the Quest Pro aims to make it available to more enterprise users.
Meta’s move to lower the prices of its VR headsets comes just over six months after the company hiked the 256GB Quest 2 from $400 to $500 and the 128GB from $300 to $400. At that time, the company said the increase was needed to help it keep “investing in moving the VR industry forward for the long term.”
The Meta Quest Pro launched last October for a whopping $1,500. However, unlike the Quest 2, it is aimed at professionals and businesses rather than gamers. Its use case is to enable enterprise users to visualize 3D models of products, create virtual workspaces, and collaborate with remote coworkers efficiently. It is also backward compatible with Quest 2 apps and games, meaning customers could still use it as a high-end gaming headset.
The new prices should entice some VR enthusiasts to pull the trigger and get a new Quest headset, which is most likely Meta’s motivation. That said, Quest 2 is routinely available at decent discounts during shopping seasons, although the permanent price drop means that users can now buy it at a reasonable price all year round.
The price cut on the Quest Pro just a few months after its launch is a surprise, but it will likely help clear out inventory before Apple’s rumored XR headset debuts later this year. Plus, it sets a price 66 percent lower than Cupertino’s rumored price of $3,000.
