The Meta Quest 3 mixed reality headset isn’t anywhere near as popular as many expected. While the hardware has been well received by fans of the prior headset, sales are much lower than original forecasts.
Ming-Chi Kuo, a supply chain analyst, revealed that sales are less than half of what Meta Quest 3 forecasts predicted. Following the dramatic failure of the Meta Quest Pro, the future of Meta’s VR platform isn’t looking too strong.
Earlier predictions for Meta Quest 3 sales put the VR headset at a total of 7 million units sold by the end of 2023. However, following the device’s launch, Kuo’s prediction has dropped to just 2.5 million units by the end of 2023.
Via UploadVR, Kuo’s predictions come just before the launch of the Meta Quest 3 worldwide. While the headset is still in a pre-order state, with the 128GB version being its most popular, some already have access to the next-gen standalone headset.
The Meta Quest 3 headset is far from the only mixed reality project at the Facebook parent company. Zuckerberg’s tech giant is also working on augmented reality glasses which it believes is the next generation of communication.
Meta Quest 3 may end up selling a lot more units as more games are developed for it. After all, the rampant success of the second version of the VR headset came as the original Oculus Quest was being phased out.
With blockbuster exclusives such as Resident Evil 4 VR available in stunning quality on the Meta Quest 2, there’s currently no reason to upgrade to the new headset. At least until more intensive software is available for gamers on the new device.
Meta is also pushing the Meta Quest 3 as the ultimate mixed reality portal to its Horizon Worlds “metaverse” project. A poor man’s VR Chat, the groper-filled virtual world has failed to garner a strong user base compared to its competitors.
The Meta Quest 3 release date is officially confirmed for October 10th. If you’re stuck on whether to buy the Meta Quest 3 128GB vs 512GB model, or how to set up Meta Quest 3, we’ve got ya.