Meta has announced a fairly substantial price increase for its Meta Quest 2 headphones. In August, you will have to add 100 euros to the bill, regardless of the version you choose. A product that is still affordable before the confirmed arrival of the Pro model at the end of the year.
It’s rare enough to be noted. On Tuesday, Meta announced a price hike for its virtual reality headset. The Meta Quest 2 will take 100 euros on the bill in August, whether for the 128 GB or 256 GB version.
Meta explained in a blog post having to do this “to continue to invest (and) advance this increasingly competitive industry. »
A shortage of components that ends up having repercussions
With its Oculus Store and thousands of apps, Meta has amassed over $1 billion in app sales. A flourishing market, but a delicate period for the manufacturer, when the shortage of components also hit it hard. The manufacturing cost has increased, reducing the already tight margins for Meta, which is selling its helmet at a loss, catching up on the offer intended for professionals (the Meta Quest 2 was sold at 349 euros, against more than a thousand euros with the options for professionals).
In August, Facebook’s parent company therefore announced that the Meta Quest 2 in the 128 GB storage version would thus go from 349 to 449.99 euros. With 256 GB, it will take 549.99 euros against 449 euros previously. To offset some of the price increase, the Beat Saber game will be available as a download with any new purchase for a limited time.
“The costs of manufacturing and shipping our products have increased,” Meta note. “By adjusting the price of the Quest 2, we can continue to increase our investment in researching and developing new products that push the VR industry to new heights. »
Project Cambria, the Pro helmet, is confirmed at the end of the year
The whole industry is affected by the rise in prices resulting from the last few months, the pandemic and the shutdown of certain sectors, the difficulty of supply and delivery. The next iPhones, like the long-awaited graphics cards from Nvidia or even other smartphones, even Chinese ones, will be impacted by a sharp price increase. The Meta Quest case is therefore not isolated and reflects real difficulties in adjusting prices according to strong demand and production capacities.
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At Meta, we do not hide having “an ambitious roadmapfor its VR products. Project Cambria, the brand’s upcoming high-end headset, will launch later this year before “to ship new generations of Meta Quest afterwards», So more affordable helmets.
The metaverse is emerging at Facebook and Meta, but it needs to ensure that its support is sufficient in number to populate its virtual world and community. The Californian firm is constantly making its offer attractive with avatars, experiences as much entertainment as productivity, but also many games to come. Everything is done to make virtual reality attractive and even more immersive thanks to its popular Quest 2. But it does have a price and it is ultimately not the easiest to manage.
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