Meta introduced that it’s going to finish characteristic growth for its Quest 2 and Quest Professional VR units by March 2027 as the corporate appears to be like to the subsequent stage of digital actuality growth. The announcement comes forward of the launch of its Meta VR glasses, that are set to launch subsequent spring.
Meta’s Quest 2 machine was launched in 2022, which was shortly after the corporate introduced a broad-ranging metaverse imaginative and prescient that was centered round VR connection.
The Quest Professional was the evolution of this and included extra superior know-how to reinforce the VR expertise.
Each units, nonetheless, grew to become much less of a precedence for the corporate over time as Meta shifted its consideration to generative synthetic intelligence. In consequence, Quest headsets grew to become one thing of an afterthought, with Meta now placing an finish date on its help of its once-lauded machine.
Meta mentioned that characteristic growth for each units will finish with v213, which is able to attain all units in March.
“New OS options, platform capabilities, and APIs launched after v213 will solely be obtainable on Quest 3, Quest 3S, and newer units,” Meta mentioned. “After v213, we’ll hold delivery safety patches and significant bug fixes via the tip of 2027.”
Meta famous that apps that help Quest 2 and Quest Professional will nonetheless be submittable via December 2027, which would be the closing closing date for Quest 2 help.
That may depart Quest 3, which Meta launched in 2023, as Meta’s closing supported VR machine, at the very least till the corporate launches its next-level VR glasses subsequent yr.
Meta lately previewed the approaching VR machine, which galvanized analysts at its Join 2026 occasion.
The brand new machine is lighter and extra comfy to make use of than earlier iterations, and it additionally consists of extra superior tech parts to energy all-new VR experiences.
Nevertheless it’ll be expensive. Meta mentioned that the machine will price $1299 at launch, which is greater than double the present worth of a Quest 3.
Given the final lack of shopper curiosity and engagement with VR, that looks as if an enormous ask. Then once more, if Meta invests extra into VR growth and the mixing of its artistic AI instruments into the VR surroundings, that would spark a brand new wave of curiosity within the tech.
