Many consider the Meta Quest 2 to be an affordable, entry-level VR headset, but customers might change their minds about that, because Meta is instituting a price increase on the Quest 2. The baseline 128GB model normally retails for $299.99, and the 256GB version is $399.99, but "starting in August", the price will go up by $100, bringing both models to $399.99 and $499.99, respectively. Meta's reasoning behind the change is to "help invest for the long term, and keep driving the VR industry forward", with prices also increasing on refurbished models and even Quest 2 accessories. Those that purchase a headset following the price hike will be given a copy of Beat Saber for free.

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[Aheago]

I tried the Quest 2 and it was so dang uncomfortable. No thanks.

Still using my CV1... wish it wasn't Facebook though. I don't regret it, but I hate their grubby info stealing hands getting all over VR.

It’s not a great reason/solution but they are uncomfortable due to the useless strap that is bundled with the headset. It doesn’t offset any of the weight at all

A cheap third party strap makes the headset much more usable

 

[Dr_Faustus]

I have my Vive and I have no desire for anything that Zuck has cooking in his half-baked platform.

This is just being done because they are losing money so much in this sector that its actually putting all of Facebook's future on a tight squeeze because Zuck is so determined in throwing as much resources as possible into this platform for the sake of being the one to succeed in making his "metaverse" the new social media platform for the future. Because he does not want to have his relevance be displaced by the wheel of time just as he displaced Myspace.

 

[DoctorBagPhD]

Every time I think this backwards-ass company can't act any more inbred they pull shit like this and surprise me.

 

[bazamuffin]

all because beat saber makes it all worth it

Synth Riders shits on Beat Saber in my opinion.

 

[HarveyHouston]

It's because they're developing this kind of technology: https://www.popularmechanics.com/te...lets-you-feel-spiders-crawl-across-your-lips/

On another related topic, I'm still on the hunt for a cheap VR solution for my PC. The thread I started is here, if you guys have more ideas: https://gbatemp.net/threads/cheapest-way-to-experience-vr-on-the-pc.608751/

 

[Kioku]

It’s not a great reason/solution but they are uncomfortable due to the useless strap that is bundled with the headset. It doesn’t offset any of the weight at all

A cheap third party strap makes the headset much more usable

A better facial interface/cover helps that much more as well.

 

[subcon959]

Quest 2 is cordless?

It's basically like a Gear VR with the phone built in.

 

[Nincompoopdo]

They are removing Facebook login in August, that's why there's an increase in price.

The Quest 2 was sold below manufacturing price for the last 2 years, that's why no other companies were able to make VR headset at the same price point with the same specs.

Meta recovered the cost by using facebook to track the users for ads revenue. Nothing is really free, free services come with ads and tracking behind your back. Now that Facebook is removed from the headset, new buyers have to pay the additional cost.

For people who thinks Quest 2 is expensive, it's actually cheaper than the Switch OLED. You just pay for the hardware and get all the games from the 'Freeshop' - yes you can use a freeshop without even needing a CFW. Just use a 'Loader' to get all the games for free, amazingly you won't even get banned like on Nintendo when playing them online.

 

[Taikutsumaranai]

Many factories of global companies are leaving China due to U.S-China trade tensions in the east and the new formed unions.
I wonder if this was one of the reasons for the price jump or was it just one of the other reasons like the other members mentioned.

 

[fvig2001]

Well checked amazon today and all the units are sold out, the renewed 256gb is gone. I guess they got what they wanted. I really hope they actually send a good unit this time since I bought one for my nephew and the last one had a defect.

 

[SS4]

They already sold 10 million units so they have more than penetrated the market.
Now they wanna start making money obviously.
The price hike is a good thing though because it will make it easier for other company to launch their headset at the same price point meaning we can start having some competition in the VR market.
The only thing i worry about once more VR models are competing is that it might turn like streaming with a huge seggregation of content.
Lets hope multiplat becomes the norm instead of a closed echosystem like the Meta store . . .

 

[Lavaimp]

well i was going to get the quest 2 as an upgrade from my normal quest, but i guess not lol
i don't have the money for any of that lol

 

[leon315]

all because beat saber makes it all worth it

I rather play "Wii sport" on crt at 480p.

 

[Dr_Faustus]

They are removing Facebook login in August, that's why there's an increase in price.

The Quest 2 was sold below manufacturing price for the last 2 years, that's why no other companies were able to make VR headset at the same price point with the same specs.

Meta recovered the cost by using facebook to track the users for ads revenue. Nothing is really free, free services come with ads and tracking behind your back. Now that Facebook is removed from the headset, new buyers have to pay the additional cost.

Yeah, except that is not entirely true. They "removed the need for a Facebook account" However you still have to make a Meta account to use your Quest. So basically, no matter what the scenario you approach this your private information is still being fed to the same source at the end of the day. Same shit, same problems, different name. If you want to avoid giving up your shit to Zuck then just avoid any Meta VR shit until people can properly root this shit and get full unrestricted CFW working on it without any compromises.

The real reason the price is being raised is because they are not meeting their investment revenue/profits back with all their efforts being dumped into this sector for the sake of trying to be the dominant controlling platform for VR and make their Metaverse the de-facto future Social Media platform that will ultimately replace Facebook in the long run (at least in his mind anyways).


This is all just Zuck trying to recoup costs betting on the wrong horse.

 

[AaronUzumaki]

Quest 2 is cordless?

It's a wireless, self contained console basically and it's able to work pretty well as a PC headset wirelessly too.

 

[Lostbhoy]

It has been under sold and I'm not surprised this didn't happen sooner although I have gotten over the novelty of it now. Wish i could get the dolphin emu working on it but i ain't paying £79 for the cable to connect it to my pc. No other cable seems to work so... Oh well!

 

[Nincompoopdo]

Yeah, except that is not entirely true. They "removed the need for a Facebook account" However you still have to make a Meta account to use your Quest. So basically, no matter what the scenario you approach this your private information is still being fed to the same source at the end of the day. Same shit, same problems, different name. If you want to avoid giving up your shit to Zuck then just avoid any Meta VR shit until people can properly root this shit and get full unrestricted CFW working on it without any compromises.

No more Facebook is better. They banned people for using fake facebook account, for saying the wrong thing on their Facebook page or even by mistake. The ban was mostly carried out by their dumb AI, you can google and see just how many people were affected. Your purchased games and apps are tied to the Facebook account, when it's banned - they are gone as well.

With a Meta account, you can use a disposable email address to register - so even if they are tracking you, it doesn't matter.

You don't need to buy any games from their store, since a 'freeshop' exist. If Meta banned you, just factory reset and use another account.

 

[Nincompoopdo]

The real reason the price is being raised is because they are not meeting their investment revenue/profits back with all their efforts being dumped into this sector for the sake of trying to be the dominant controlling platform for VR and make their Metaverse the de-facto future Social Media platform that will ultimately replace Facebook in the long run (at least in his mind anyways).


This is all just Zuck trying to recoup costs betting on the wrong horse.

They are losing money becasue they have been selling the Quest 2 below cost to monoplize the market. They also recent spent 10 billion on making VR content. Now that Facebook is removed, they have to convince their shareholders that they can recouped by charging $100 more.

 

[Dr_Faustus]

No more Facebook is better. They banned people for using fake facebook account, for saying the wrong thing on their Facebook page or even by mistake. The ban was mostly carried out by their dumb AI, you can google and see just how many people were affected. Your purchased games and apps are tied to the Facebook account, when it's banned - they are gone as well.

With a Meta account, you can use a disposable email address to register - so even if they are tracking you, it doesn't matter.

You don't need to buy any games from their store, since a 'freeshop' exist. If Meta banned you, just factory reset and use another account.

You did not even read the articles did you?

• You must provide us with accurate and up to date information (including registration information), which may include providing personal data.

Translation: This allows Meta to institute a "real-name policy" for Meta Accounts at any time. So far, I haven't gotten answers from Meta's press team about whether Meta Accounts will require payment credentials and/or first and last names. Meta services include a number of free-to-play games, along with pre-paid card systems for making payments without saving any payment credentials, so it stands to reason that a zero-credential VR software account could be feasible, just like on the original Oculus platform. I'm hopeful that in the short term, at least, a path outside real-name use remains available.

• If you choose to connect your Meta account with other Meta Company Products accounts (such as your Facebook or Instagram accounts), you also give us permission to display your profile information and information about actions you have taken in MPT Products across Meta Company Products.

This is a concerning line because it refers to platforms that Meta might create or acquire in the future, especially any that might automatically include existing data from Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. It would get us right back to the original Facebookening complaint, leaving us with a piece of hardware and associated OS that demands a backdoor into your existing social activity in order to function. Either you cough up the relevant data and credentials or you're left with a headset-shaped paperweight.

To me that does not sound like they are changing anything here. You can still very much get banned for the same shit and still have to deal with the same shit regardless. THE FACEBOOK REMOVAL REQUIREMENT IS ULTIMATELY BULLSHIT WHEN ITS THE SAME COMPANY, SAME SERVICES AND SAME TOS THAT YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW REGARDLESS OF THE CHANGE IN NAME PERIOD.

They are losing money becasue they have been selling the Quest 2 below cost to monoplize the market. They also recent spent 10 billion on making VR content. Now that Facebook is removed, they have to convince their shareholders that they can recouped by charging $100 more.

They are losing money because their bet of The Metaverse is a long term goal that Zuck thought he could gain traction in by selling the VR hardware at a loss to encourage adoption rates and push towards the walled garden that he wanted to cultivate within it. Unfortunately he was too late to the game as VRChat, NEOS, and a few other systems exist that offer this experience that Meta wanted to push forward without any of the corporate gunk and control/data mining that Zuck was hoping to live off on once the next generation of Social Media puts Facebook in the same spot they put Myspace in. A very real scenario since in recent times the website is being looked upon badly to younger demographics and drop-offs in users are now happening.

Unfortunately for Zuck, not even VR would be the next generation Social media space. Perhaps in 10-20 years sure, but putting that much investment in that early now when you are already struggling to keep up with shit like TikTok of all things shows that it was a bet made harshly to push early adoption to its limit and not getting the desired outcome in the end.

Please do the research on this before you go gull Zuck apologist. I do not have time for those kind of people.

 

[Nincompoopdo]

Unfortunately for Zuck, not even VR would be the next generation Social media space. Perhaps in 10-20 years sure, but putting that much investment in that early now when you are already struggling to keep up with shit like TikTok of all things shows that it was a bet made harshly to push early adoption to its limit and not getting the desired outcome in the end.

Please do the research on this before you go gull Zuck apologist. I do not have time for those kind of people.

Your personal hatred of Zuckerberg has clouded your judgement. VR is becoming mainstream after Apple launched their headset early next year. It will be expensive but gradually cheaper in the next couple of years. Sony PSVR is only for games, so Meta will be competing directly with Apple in the near future.

Zuckerberg knew that Apple was working on their VR headset and had pre-emptive taken the market by selling the Quest 2 below cost. Apple however targets the higher-end, and so in a few weeks from now Meta will introduced their own high end Quest Pro to compete with Apple before their launch. Meta doesn't have the hardware capability of Apple, they relied on Snapdragon chip - while Apple has their own in-house M2 ARM chip to power the headset and LiDAR for tracking. This is why Meta planned on selling services, which is the Metaverse that they preached.