In an effort to increase consumer interest in the emerging technology on which it has staked its future, Meta is lowering the price of two of its virtual reality headsets.
Around six months after its release, the business revealed on Friday that it is cutting the price of its more expensive Meta Quest Pro headset by about $500, bringing its price to $999. The cost of Meta’s Quest 2 headset has been reduced from $499.99 to $429.99.
On Sunday, the Quest 2 price decrease will take effect in more than a dozen nations, including the US. The price cut for Quest Pro will go into effect on March 15 in all other countries where it is available in addition to the US and Canada on the same day.
The company stated in a blog post that “our objective has always been to produce technology that’s affordable for as many people as possible to take benefit of all that VR has to offer.
In late 2021, Facebook changed its name to Meta in order to better reflect its audacious plan to create the “metaverse,” a VR-powered future version of the internet. But, its metaverse aspirations still seem far off more than a year later.
Although the Quest 2 headset is well-liked in its field, it is still a specialized item. The Quest Pro is unlikely to have a significant impact with regular consumers because it came with a premium price tag designed for commercial customers. Horizon Worlds, the company’s leading social VR app, sometimes has the sense of a ghost town (albeit a ghost town with laser tag).
At its “Reality Labs” division, which contains its VR and metaverse initiatives, Meta lost $13.7 billion last year. According to the business, fewer sales of its Quest 2 headgear caused Reality Labs’ revenue to drop 17% in the fourth quarter compared to the same period last year.
At a time when the business is laying off thousands of employees and aiming to make 2023 a “year of efficiency,” those losses might be more difficult for Meta to take. Nonetheless, Meta stated that it is “dedicated to developing a thriving VR market for developers, businesses, and creators to prosper in” in a blog post published on Friday.
The corporation declared that the more individuals who have access to VR, the better because it is a potent social platform and creative tool. We’re in this for the long haul, just like you.
