This week Meta held its Q1 2023 earnings call, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressing recent reports regarding its Metaverse plans, saying “we remain committed to it”. He also discussed the upcoming launch of Meta Quest 3, and how the aim is still about creating a device suitable for all. Suggesting that the Quest 3 price “will be accessible” even with all the new features.
In the call, Zuckerberg explained: “The next milestone is that we’re gearing up to launch our next generation consumer virtual and mixed reality device later this year. We launched Quest 2 almost three years ago at this point. It was a very big step forward for VR, and I’m really excited to show the world all the improvements and new technology we’ve developed since then at a price point that will be accessible for lots of people.”
Quest 3 for all?
How accessible that price is is up for debate. Previously, it was reported that Meta’s VP of VR, Mark Rabkin said a pricier Meta Quest 3 would be coming aimed at enthusiasts. Rather than mainstream gamers which the Quest 2 has been trying to entice. Rabkin then details that a more mass-market Meta Quest 3 planned for 2024 was in the works.
It’s likely that while suggesting “a price point that will be accessible for lots of people” will mean Quest 3 isn’t Quest Pro expensive, it won’t be Quest 2 affordable. Mainly because the new headset will have mixed-reality features from the Quest Pro, as well as a new chipset, better displays and so on.
Considering the investment Meta has put into this area of its business, the company needs a win from Quest 3. The high-end Quest Pro hasn’t been a success by all accounts. After very mixed reviews the headset saw its price slashed permanently after only four months on sale, as seen in our Best VR Deals April.
Quest 2 and the store in general aren’t doing too bad, however. Zuckerberg adds: “In the near term, we’ve reached a few milestones that I think are worth calling out. More than a billion Meta avatars have now been created. Since last year, the number of titles in the Quest store with at least $25 million in revenue has doubled. More than half of Quest daily actives now spend more than an hour using their device.”
Specific Meta Quest 3 details aren’t likely to arrive until Meta’s Connect conference towards the end of 2023. So we’ll keep you posted.
