Meta cuts the price of its Quest virtual reality headsets after disappointing demand
- The Meta Quest Pro, the company’s headset aimed at corporate users, will cost US$1,000 beginning March 5, down from US$1,500
- Meta has been exploring ways to package hardware and software for the Quest for more commercial clients to sell it in larger batches
Facebook parent Meta Platforms cut the price of some of its Quest virtual reality headsets, including its high-end mixed reality device, in part because demand has been weaker than anticipated, a person familiar with the matter said.
The Meta Quest Pro, the company’s headset unveiled last fall aimed at corporate users, will cost US$1,000 beginning March 5, down from US$1,500, the company said on Friday. The 256-gigabyte Meta Quest 2, previously listed at US$500, will soon cost US$430.
The price is dropping so that “more people can get into VR”, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Instagram channel. But the move is also in response to sluggish demand from both business customers and consumers, said the person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorised to speak publicly about the company.
A Meta spokesman declined to comment.
While one of the original plans for the Quest Pro was to sell to enterprise customers interested in using the device in work settings, that plan has not gained traction, the person said. The lack of compatible third-party apps also hindered sales, the person said.