Meta Reduces Quest Pro VR Headset Cost to $1,000
Shutterstock
Shutterstock
It’s hard to consider VR much more than an overpriced novelty when it takes so much money to make it work properly. Case in point: if you want the Meta Quest Pro VR headset, you’ll be on the hook for some $1,500. Thankfully, Meta realized that particular price tag is outrageous, so the device is being marked down to just $1,000 starting today.
The question now, of course, is whether that will be enough to make the headset more popular with customers. VR headsets offer a great way to experience video games in 3D, but they’re also a bit of a hard sell for most gamers.
Meta’s VR headsets are a new focus of the company’s business model. While Meta is well-known for operating social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, the company is aware that there’s only so much growth it can experience in the social media space. However, the VR industry isn’t exactly booming.
The Meta Quest is a great device for fans of VR games, but its $1,500 price tag wasn’t helping to convince any customers who were on the fence about the technology. With its new $1,000 price tag, the device might appeal to a wider audience–even though that price is still sky-high.
The technology behind VR is prohibitively expensive for most consumers because good headsets require both a powerful PC setup as well as a hefty investment in the unit itself. The Meta headset line is unique in that it doesn’t require any wires or any connection to an existing PC–it runs all of its graphics onboard.
Still, Meta has struggled to make any headway in the VR space. It’s been fixated on the concept of a “Metaverse,” a digital landscape accessed exclusively through VR headsets. And though the company has promised to put 20% of its 2023 earnings into its VR division, the Metaverse continues to lose billions of dollars every quarter.
Some people love VR for its immersive 3D graphics and the experiences it offers. Others are a bit more hesitant–some people get severe motion sickness from the technology, and others just don’t like being unable to see their surroundings when they’re gaming. Some people have noted that VR gaming is nearly the most antisocial kind of gaming there is since you literally disappear into your own little world when you put a headset on.
