Meta drops the price of its Quest Pro VR headset to $999

The Meta Quest Pro's original $1,500 sticker has been a major obstacle to adoption, but it won't be a problem for much longer. Mark Zuckerberg has revealed on an Instagram channel that the Quest Pro price is dropping to a more palatable $999 on March 5th. And if you don't need high-end virtual reality, the 256GB Quest 2 will now sell for $429, or just $30 above the usual price of the 128GB version. The reduced prices are meant to help “more people get into VR,” Zuckerberg says.

The lower prices come ahead of a next-gen consumer Quest headset expected later this year. In that regard, the cheaper Quest 2 could help Meta clear inventory before the new model arrives. If you're happy with the current capabilities, though, this is an easier way to get into standalone VR while still having plenty of room for apps and games. With that said, this is also a backtrack — Meta raised prices last August to compensate for higher manufacturing costs.

Both reductions also reflect Meta's struggles to pivot to the metaverse. While it remains committed to the concept and is pouring 20 percent of its 2023 spending into its Reality Labs division, that unit continues to lose billions of dollars per quarter. The better prices could get headsets into the hands of more customers and, by extension, help with the adoption of Horizon Worlds and Meta's other projects.