The Meta Quest 3 might be the hot new virtual reality headset but there’s still plenty of life in its predecessor. The Quest 2 might be three years old but it can still run all the Quest Store games. Just without the fancier visuals and full-colour mixed reality capabilities. And for the festive season, Meta has slashed the price of Quest 2.
At the moment, you can pick up a Meta Quest 2 128GB model for £249.99 GBP/$250 USD. That’s a decent £50/$50 saving! Or there’s the 256GB model for £299.99/$300, saving the same amount. That makes the Quest 2 128GB version half the price of the equivalent Quest 3 edition. You can find these prices on Meta’s official store as well as participating retailers.
The only detail Meta hasn’t released is how long the promotion is on for. The Quest 2’s price has fluctuated a couple of times, so it’s unclear if this is just to clear stock.
Go for a Quest 2 deal or invest in the future
There’s no denying the fact that Quest 2 is a great VR headset. But it’s running on Qualcomm’s older XR2 Gen 1 chipset, has basic B+W passthrough and chunkier Fresnel lenses. In comparison, the newer Quest 3 has the latest XR2 Gen 2 chipset which is twice as powerful. A depth sensor, plus enhanced mixed reality capabilities and new pancake lenses.
It is a big jump in price though. However, there’s one other factor to consider before buying the Quest 2 at the moment. Earlier this year Meta discussed its hardware roadmap plans. Part of this included making a more accessible Meta Quest 3 for 2024. What does that mean exactly? It means a VR headset that’s “accessible” to the masses Meta’s VP of VR, Mark Rabkin said at the time. Meta wants to “pack the biggest punch we can at the most attractive price point” Rabkin added. Reports suggest that this could mean it features the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2.
So there’s the conundrum. Pick up a Quest 2 deal now, go for the newer model, or bide your time. What will you do? Let us know in the comments.