Meta is ending support for the original Quest headset

Meta has announced plans to end support for its original Quest headset.

While owners can still use the virtual reality headset and “available” apps, the company will no longer be shipping new features for the device.

In an email detailing planned changes (via Upload VR), Meta said users will no longer be able to create or join a party, and those who currently have access to Meta Horizon Home social features will lose access on March 5, 2023.

Meta will continue maintaining the system software with critical bug fixes and security patches until 2024.

The original Quest launched in May 2019 and its successor arrived in October 2020.

Meta increased the Quest 2 price by $100 / £100 in August 2022. Explaining the move, the company said the costs required to make and ship its products had been on the rise.

“By adjusting the price of Quest 2, we can continue to grow our investment in groundbreaking research and new product development that pushes the VR industry to new heights,” it said.

“We have an ambitious VR hardware roadmap, beginning with the launch of our high-end headset, Project Cambria, later this year. And we plan to ship new generations of Meta Quest after that.”

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It added: “Even with these pricing changes, Meta Quest 2 continues to be the most affordable VR headset with a comparable feature set on the market.”

Sony will launch PlayStation VR2 on February 22, 2023. Priced at $549.99 / €599.99 / £529.99, it includes the PS VR2 headset, PS VR2 Sense controllers and stereo headphones.