After nearly four years, the Meta Quest 2's dominance in the VR market is seemingly coming to an end. A few months ago, the 256GB model sold out, and major retailers quickly delisted it, indicating that production of the higher storage model had ceased. Now, the 128GB model is out of stock in the US, signaling that Meta's beloved headset may soon be discontinued.
As one of the best VR headsets of its time, the Meta Quest 2 became immensely popular due to its great price, wireless convenience, and an impressive catalog of titles. In fact, despite the launch of the Quest 3, many of the best Meta Quest 3 games owe their success to the iconic Quest 2.
However, the Quest 2 was never destined to last forever, given its mobile chipset and the increasing hardware demands of the best PCVR games before they could be ported to the standalone Quest lineup. As the industry shifts towards mixed reality experiences, the main competition now lies between the Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro.
It’s not all bad news, though. While the diminishing stock of the Meta Quest 2 may disappoint those looking to purchase it, the emergence of the Meta Quest 3S—a more affordable model of the standard Quest 3 with enhanced capabilities thanks to a new chipset—suggests that the Quest 3S may be launching soon.
According to UploadVR, the Quest 2 going out of stock in the US indicates that Meta may be planning to replace the aging headset with a newer and more exciting option, which will still be budget-friendly. Rumors of the Quest 3S have been circulating for months, and a recent leak on the Quest Store makes its arrival almost certain.
We may see the reveal of the Quest 3S during Meta Connect 2024, similar to the Quest 3’s unveiling at last year's event. With games like Batman: Arkham Shadow and Hitman 3 VR being exclusive to the new headset, VR gamers would have a cheaper option to upgrade or enter the VR world without missing out on major titles.
While we eagerly anticipate the Quest 3S launch, we also hope that the Meta Quest 3 Augments will make an appearance later this year. This highly anticipated feature, announced alongside the Quest 3 last year, had a broad release window of 2024, but no updates have been provided since. Nevertheless, it seems to be an excellent time to either explore VR for the first time or upgrade your existing headset.