Meta quest 2 price increase: Shop these VR deals while you still can
Facebook company is about to increase the price of its virtual reality headset by £100
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Your support makes all the difference.Meta has announced that its quest 2 virtual reality headset is about to have its price increased by £100.
As of 1 August, the headset currently priced at £299 and £399 depending on storage will jump to £399 and £499 for the 128GB and 256GB models respectively.
The quest 2 arrived back in 2020, when it was known as the Oculus quest 2. Since then, Facebook, which owns Oculus, rebranded to Meta and changed the name of its virtual reality business to match. So, while the name has changed – and the price is about to go up by 33 per cent – the hardware is exactly the same as it has always been, ever since the headset arrived almost two years ago.
Inflation is pushing up prices across the board at the moment, but technology products tend to be insulated against such sharp rises. Usually, prices fall as products get older, and even when newer versions arrive they tend to offer improved features at the same price as before. But not so with the Meta quest 2.
Thankfully though, there’s a few days to grab the VR headset at its current price. Below, we have rounded up some of the best Meta quest 2 deals to snap up before the price change comes into effect.
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Meta quest 2
- Rating: 9/10
- Release date: October 2020
- Resolution: 1832 x 1920p per eye
- Refresh rate: Up to 90Hz
- Storage: 128GB / 256GB
- Weight: 503g
- Standalone? Yes
We expect current Meta quest 2 stock to sell out quickly, with the price rise coming into effect in just a few days’ time. Until then, we’ve highlighted the best places to pick up the VR headset before it gets considerably more expensive. And don’t forget, this is a best-in-class headset and was awarded the “best overall” title in our round-up of the best VR headsets earlier this year.
Meta quest 2, 128GB: £299 with two-year guarantee, Johnlewis.com
Most retailers will have the headset at its original price, but we’ve picked John Lewis & Partners here because of the store’s free two-year guarantee, which is double the length of most others and included at new extra cost.
The website claims over 100 of the headsets have been purchased in the past 24 hours, so you’ll have to be quick to secure your own before stock runs dry – or before the price goes up in just five days’ time.
If you aren’t aware, the quest 2 is a self-contained virtual reality headset that doesn’t need attaching to a computer or console, and it has its own internal displays so doesn’t need the screen of a smartphone either. It comes with a pair of wireless hand controllers for playing games and navigating through VR content, and the 10,000mAh battery promises up to three hours of gameplay or 10 hours of entertainment.
Meta quest 2, 256GB: £399.99, Argos.com
Meta is also about to increase the price of the larger-capacity, 256GB quest 2, also by £100. Before that happens on 1 August, you can get this model from Argos for its original retail price. The shop also has a special offer that gets you £5 off certain quest 2 accessories when you buy the headset. This offer ends on the eve of the price rise, on 30 July.
Meta quest 2, 128GB with free delivery: £299, Amazon.co.uk
If you want a quest 2 and you want it now, then Prime members can buy the VR headset from Amazon with free next-day delivery. The headset itself is the same price as the John Lewis deal mentioned earlier, but that one only comes with standard delivery for free, which can take up to five days. We’ve seen reports of Amazon removing its quest 2 listing ahead of the price rise next week, but at the time of writing the headset is still in stock and available.
Why is Meta putting the Quest 2 price up?
Meta announced the price rise in a company blog post published on 26 July. Attributed to “Oculus blog” rather than an individual, the statement explains how “the costs to make and ship our products have been on the rise.
“By adjusting the price of quest 2, we can continue to grow our investment in groundbreaking research and new product development that pushes the VR industry to new heights.”
In an email to IndyBest, a Meta spokesperson said: “Meta has invested billions of dollars to help foster and grow a thriving VR ecosystem. We’re adjusting the price of our Meta quest 2 headset to enable us to continue investing in ways that will keep driving this increasingly competitive industry forward for consumers and developers alike.”
The company also says it will be increasing the prices for quest 2 accessories and even its refurbished units.
In a bid to soften the £100 blow, Meta is giving away the VR rhythm game Beat Saber (£22.99, Oculus.com) for free with every new headset bought, albeit only for purchases made between 1 August and 31 December.
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