The year was 2019 and it was an exciting time for virtual reality (VR). Before covid ruined everything and Meta still went by the name Facebook, the company released Oculus Quest. This wireless, consumer headset would be the beginning of a new revolution in VR gaming, becoming more accessible to the masses. Alas, Quest 1’s life is drawing to a close with Meta revealing that a few changes are on the way.
Yesterday, Meta issued an email to the owners of Quest 1. In it the company details that whilst you’ll still be able to use the headset and apps, no new features will be added.
Here’s the email in full:
We launched Quest 1 over four years ago and we are grateful to the Quest 1 community for pushing VR forwards. As we look to the future, we remain committed to supporting the community of Quest 1 users and will continue to support the headset with a few changes:
- You will still be able to use your Quest 1 headset and available apps.
- We won’t be delivering new features to Quest 1.
- We plan to continue maintaining the system software with critical bug fixes and security patches until 2024.
- Quest 1 users will no longer be able to create or join a party.
- Quest 1 users who currently have access to Meta Horizon Home social features will lose access to these features on 5 March 2023. You won’t be able to invite others to your Home or visit someone else’s Home.
If you have any questions about these changes or about your Quest 1 headset, we encourage you to contact Meta Store support here: https://store.facebook.com/help/support/
Thank you to the entire Quest 1 community for helping us get to where we are today.
The Quest 1 had a relatively short sales window, replaced the following year with the Meta Quest 2. The follow-up would boast an improved processor – the Snapdragon XR2 – better resolution, and a higher refresh rate. It would become the defacto VR headset for developers, although most would try to support both devices. Over time though, more and more games have become Quest 2 exclusive, unable to keep to Quest 1’s constraints.
Do you still have a Quest 1 that you use? Or have you already upgraded, let us know.