Meta Quest 2 as Christmas gift: something to consider before buying
Meta Quest 2 was released worldwide on October 13, 2020, so the VR headset is already in its third product year - which has advantages and disadvantages for potential buyers.
Meta Quest 2 has matured - but is pricier than at launch
Two years after its worldwide launch, Meta Quest 2 still offers the best price-performance ratio among all currently available VR headsets. This is true even after the $100 price increase in August 2022.
Yes, you read that right: Meta Quest 2 is more expensive today than at the market launch two years ago.
The Quest platform has matured over the past two years with extensive updates, and you can see that in the user interface, the numerous features added since launch, and the extensive app library. VR headsets with partly better hardware like the Pico 4 (review) cannot keep up with that yet.
Meta Quest 3 is in the starting blocks
However, the age of the headset does not only have advantages, and this brings us to the most important point: Quest 2 is moving towards the end of its life cycle and will be replaced by Meta Quest 3 in 2023.
Mark Zuckerberg announced Quest 3 in October, saying that it would cost between $300 and $500, about the same as Quest 2 today.
Two leaked CAD blueprints show Meta Quest 3. | Image: SadlyitsBradley
According to leaks, Meta Quest 3 will stand out from the current device with a new, significantly more powerful chip generation as well as a focus on Mixed Reality, but most importantly, a longer lifespan.
The Quest 2 is expected to be supported by Meta for a while after the launch of its successor and then slowly "fade out" - just like the first Quest, for which many new VR games are no longer released.
For this reason, you should think twice before buying a Meta Quest 2 for Christmas or rather getting into standalone XR with Quest 3.
Speaking of the next VR generation: If you own or plan to buy a Playstation 5, primarily want to play VR games, value impressive graphics, and do not mind the cable, you can alternatively consider buying a Playstation VR 2.
Sony's VR headset is considerably pricier at $550 / 600 Euros and requires a PS5, but it offers mostly better technology than available headsets. The Playstation VR 2 will be released on February 22, 2023.
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