When it comes to VR, you would have thought Meta’s biggest battle is selling headsets. However, that’s not exactly the case, facing a bigger problem, that of gamer retention. Previously revealed that new Quest 2 owners are “just not as into it”, it seems that Meta Quest 3 is bucking that retention trend.
During GDC last week, Chris Pruett, Meta’s Director of Content Ecosystem held a presentation confirming that Quest 3 owners return to the headset and use apps at a higher rate. Retention has always been used as a measure of success, highlighting an active ecosystem. Those who continually return are more likely to spend, ensuring developer revenue and therefore continued support.
Quest 2 had sold almost 20 million as of early last year. Meta hasn’t given any sales figures for Quest 3 just yet. Quest 2 recently saw a reduction to £200/$200, and even Quest 3 saw a limited-time price cut, further aiding those sales.
Meta Quest 3 Retention
There could be a number of factors to this improved retention. Firstly, Meta’s approach with Quest 3 was to target the enthusiast market. Quest 2’s cheap price encourages new consumers whilst Quest 3 serves the VR fan market. Enthusiasts are always known to spend more because it’s a hobby they love. Secondly, you have the hardware itself, with Quest 3 improved chipset, pancake lenses and displays providing an improved experience over its predecessor.
Then there are features like its mixed reality capabilities with full RGB colour passthrough. It helps players stay connected with the world around them, plus developers are adding new MR features week by week.
Enthusiasts may also be using Meta Quest+ more often, thanks to its new revolving library of games. Meta has yet to share any stats regarding the subscription service, though.
Are you a Meta Quest 3 owner? What are your thoughts on the headset, how often do you use it? Let us know in the comments below.