Will the next Meta Quest headset be a budget-friendly device? This insider says so
Did you already check if your Meta Quest 3 has shipped? That’s right, one of the most prominent candidates for the best VR headsets of the year is almost here and units have started shipping as we speak. And if you know how feature-packed the Quest 3 is, then you know you have a good reason to be excited.
But it’ll only take so long before the industry is ready with celebrating this release and moving onward to the next big thing, while discussions about the Quest 3’s sales targets ensue in the background.
I know what you’re expecting me to say: “Back to talking about the Vision Pro then!”. And while the device I’d like to bring up is said to release in 2024 too, it’s not one made by Apple. This one comes from prominent insider Mark Gurman and it was basically a long time coming.
A budget-friendly headset, courtesy of industry-leader Meta.
Yes! That’s exactly what the XR market needs and I’m not being ironic in any way. The goal of this long game that VR manufacturers are playing is to get VR tech in people’s hands and homes, and regardless of how feature-packed headsets like the Quest 3 are, the facts don’t lie: early adoption in the realm of XR is near-impossible.
“But wait,” I hear you say, “the Quest 2 got a price cut to $299, that's a pretty budget, right?”. It is! But no one said it would be permanent. And, also, tech has come a long way since the Quest 2’s release and sooner or later, that headset is going to become certifiably outdated, just like the Quest Pro.
So, what does Mark say this time around? Project codename Ventura, set to release in 2024 with one aim: getting you to try it, because it’s so low-cost. There is a rumor that Meta may release this headset without controllers and have it rely solely on hand-tracking, but that sounds more expensive than including regular old controllers.
Oh, and, beyond that, we don’t have any details to share for now.
While having some details that could serve as a firm basis for this claim to stand on, it isn’t difficult to start believing this one. A cheaper headset makes sense both for the market and the consumer. But will Meta end up taking this route? We’ll see next year.
I know what you’re expecting me to say: “Back to talking about the Vision Pro then!”. And while the device I’d like to bring up is said to release in 2024 too, it’s not one made by Apple. This one comes from prominent insider Mark Gurman and it was basically a long time coming.
Right now, you can get a Quest 2 with a huge discount.
Yes! That’s exactly what the XR market needs and I’m not being ironic in any way. The goal of this long game that VR manufacturers are playing is to get VR tech in people’s hands and homes, and regardless of how feature-packed headsets like the Quest 3 are, the facts don’t lie: early adoption in the realm of XR is near-impossible.
“But wait,” I hear you say, “the Quest 2 got a price cut to $299, that's a pretty budget, right?”. It is! But no one said it would be permanent. And, also, tech has come a long way since the Quest 2’s release and sooner or later, that headset is going to become certifiably outdated, just like the Quest Pro.
Oh, and, beyond that, we don’t have any details to share for now.
While having some details that could serve as a firm basis for this claim to stand on, it isn’t difficult to start believing this one. A cheaper headset makes sense both for the market and the consumer. But will Meta end up taking this route? We’ll see next year.
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