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bradypsnyder@gmail.com (Brady Snyder)
2024-09-25 15:55:33
www.androidcentral.com
What you need to know
- Today, Meta introduced the Quest 3S, a more affordable version of its popular Quest 3 headset.
- As part of the move, the company discontinued the 128GB version of the Meta Quest 3.
- The 512GB variant is now available at the same $499 price point that the 128GB model launched with.
Meta has a history of attacking the value sector of the mixed-reality market, and it continued that with a string of announcements at Meta Connect 2024. The company introduced the Meta Quest 3S, a more limited and affordable version of its popular Quest 3 headset, hitting the $299 price point while delivering a familiar Quest experience. However, the bigger news might just be that the regular Meta Quest 3 now ships with significantly more storage at the same $499 price point.
The reason that the Meta Quest 3S exists at all is that Meta has proved there’s room in the market for budget virtual reality headsets. The original $499 retail price for the Quest 3 served as a real barrier of entry to buying what was a great headset. Even if you could afford it, the base model started at just 128GB of onboard storage. The bump to a more reasonable 512GB cost an extra $150, pushing the total cost to $650.
Now, with a new pricing model, Meta has a compelling headset for each tier:
- Quest 3S (128GB): $299
- Quest 3S (256GB): $399
- Quest 3 (512GB): $499
The upgraded 512GB configuration of the Meta Quest 3 was already a pretty great deal when it launched. For an extra $150, you could get roughly four times the storage of the base model. Now that the Meta Quest 3S serves people who need the 128GB or 256GB storage options, there’s no reason for Meta to keep the 128GB Quest 3 around. It’s being discontinued, and in a surprising move, that 512GB model takes its place at the same $499 price point.
To sweeten the deal, you get a copy of Batman Arkham Shadow for free if you buy a Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S before April 2025. The game doesn’t come out until October 22, but it’s yet another way Meta is adding value to Quest headsets. If that wasn’t enough, Meta Quest Plus is free for three months after you buy a new Quest headset.
The Meta Quest 3 was already the best mainstream VR headset for gaming, and the extra storage means you’ll be able to store more of everything on your device. It isn’t surprising that Meta discontinued the 128GB Quest 3, but at a time when everything is getting more expensive, it is surprising that it slashed the price of the 512GB model. The entire Quest lineup is now positioned in a way that buyers can get an excellent value no matter what model or storage configuration they choose.
We don’t often see price cuts for current tech products
Products are introduced and discontinued all the time. They get price cuts now and then, too, usually when a new model is introduced. However, the Meta Quest 3 is still Meta’s best consumer-grade VR headset (setting aside the pricey and professional Meta Quest Pro). Meta didn’t have to cut the price of the Quest 3; in fact, the 512GB Quest 3 at $649 probably wouldn’t have looked out of place with the Quest 3S at $299 for the budget crowd.
Meta’s position on mixed-reality has been clear: it’s trying to bring headsets to the masses. Apple took the opposite approach with the Apple Vision Pro, where the same 512GB model costs $3,700. Yes, there’s a lot of hardware differences between the Vision Pro and the Quest 3, but this stark difference highlights the approaches that Meta and Apple are taking.
That approach seems to be paying off for Meta. Even Apple seems to have forgotten about Vision Pro, since we haven’t heard a peep about Apple Intelligence coming to the platform. Meanwhile, the Meta Quest 3 is the most popular headset on the planet, and it should only get more popular with the price-competitive Quest 3S and 512GB Quest 3.
The announcement of the Meta Quest 3’s price cut comes right as Sony is gearing up to launch the PS5 Pro at the $700 price point. That’s $200 more than the regular PS5, and yet the PS5 Pro doesn’t include a stand or a disc drive. Put simply, that’s more than some gamers are willing to pay for a mid-cycle refresh in this economy, no matter how much better the console performs. Let’s not even discuss the egregious PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary bundle, which is priced so highly that Sony hasn’t even revealed the exact MSRP ahead of pre-order day.
To sum up, this is a rare win for Meta, a company that makes decisions that aren’t always in tune with what the public is feeling. Meta got the 512GB Quest 3 pricing right, and it deserves credit for that.
One of the best VR headsets gets a price cut
The Meta Quest 3 is one of our favorite mixed-reality headsets on the block, and you can now get the 512GB plus a few perks for just $499.
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