Meta Platforms, which is owned by Facebook, introduced Meta Quest+ on Monday (June 16), a subscription-based service for its virtual reality headsets. The move will most likely define a young but high-investment market. Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement. He revealed on an Instagram broadcast channel that a Meta Quest+ membership will be available beginning Monday for USD 7.99 per month. If a subscriber desires to obtain an annual subscription, he or she must pay an annual charge of USD 59.99.
The subscription includes Quest 2, Pro, and the soon-to-be-released Quest 3 headsets. Apple has recently launched its first augmented reality headset and entered the market. The Apple Vision Pro is priced at USD 3499. Apple’s headset is three times the cost of the costliest headset from Meta. Meta reduced the price of their headsets in March of this year since its lofty intentions for the metaverse have yet to make a significant impact. Meta’s flagship VR headset, Meta Quest Pro, is currently priced at USD 999.99. It is less than the original price of USD 1499.99. Quest2 is available for USD 299.99. The prices can be found on Meta’s website.
Virtual reality headsets are often regarded as the next big thing, but adoption has been limited to the gaming sector thus far. Despite the fact that gadgets today have more advanced functionality, the dilemma persists. According to the BBC, Meta’s virtual reality unit lost USD 4 billion in the first three months of the year. Meta revealed numerous artificial intelligence projects last year. AI has been touted as “the key to unlocking the metaverse” by Zuckerberg. For the first three months of the year, Meta declared a profit of USD 5.7 billion. However, Meta’s virtual reality sector is currently failing.
Apple Vision Pro does not impress Zuckerberg
According to sources in the US media, Zuckerberg discarded Apple Vision Pro earlier this month while speaking with his employees. He reportedly stated that while Apple’s mixed reality gear is cool, it may not represent his vision of the future.
“I mean, that could be the vision of the future of computing, but like, it’s not one that I want,” Zuckerberg reportedly said while assessing what he has seen of Apple Vision Pro.
“There’s a real philosophical difference in terms of how we’re approaching this.”
“Our vision for the metaverse and presence is fundamentally social,” Zuckerberg said, according to a transcript of remarks posted by tech news website The Verge.