Meta, the owner of Facebook, has recently rolled out a new virtual reality (VR) subscription service called Meta Quest+.
Meta, the owner of Facebook, has recently rolled out a new virtual reality (VR)
subscription service called Meta Quest+. The subscription service aims to boost the
profitability of Meta’s VR business.
For a monthly fee of $7.99 or an annual subscription of $59.99, users will have access
to two new games every month. The service is compatible with Meta’s Quest 2, Quest
Pro, and the upcoming Quest 3 headsets.
An Attempt to Bounce Back
The launch of Meta Quest+ comes after Meta, previously known as Facebook, reported
a loss of $4 billion in its VR unit during the first quarter of the year. The company faces
tough competition in the VR market, with founder Mark Zuckerberg expecting Reality
Labs to continue to rack up operating losses.
The competition is particularly fierce from Apple, which recently unveiled its highly
anticipated mixed-reality headset.
The subscription service is part of Meta’s strategy to generate recurring revenue from its
Reality Labs division, responsible for developing VR and augmented reality (AR)
technologies. While Meta reported a profit of $5.7 billion in the first quarter of the year,
Reality Labs recorded a net loss of $4 billion during the same period.
Apple’s recent entry into the VR market with its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset priced
at $3,499 has further intensified the competition. Meta’s VR headsets range in price
from $299.99 to $999.99, making them relatively more affordable compared to Apple’s
offering.
Zuckerberg’s Vision for a Unified Online Space
Zuckerberg has been vocal about his vision of building a “metaverse,” an online world
where people can work, play games, and communicate in a virtual environment. He sees
VR as a crucial component of achieving this vision. In line with this, Meta aims to
position itself as a metaverse company in the long run.
Meta Quest+ subscribers will have the opportunity to enjoy popular games such as FPS
Pistol Whip and Pixel Ripped 1995 initially, with additional titles like Walkabout Mini Golf
and Mothergunship: Forge coming in subsequent months. Notably, subscribers will
retain access to the games as long as they maintain their subscriptions.
Discount to Reel in Users
In a bid to entice users, Meta is currently offering an introductory discount. Users who
sign up for Meta Quest+ before July 31 will only pay $1 for the first month. Additionally,
Meta has announced upcoming games for its VR headset, including Stranger Things VR,
Assassin’s Creed, and Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord.
Meta Quest+ is now available in the Meta Quest Store, marking another step in Meta’s
ongoing efforts to establish itself as a leader in the VR market and generate consistent
revenue from its VR and AR technologies.
Some tech pundits claimed that Meta Verse is looking at a bleak outlook for 2023 after
its promising rise during the height of COVID-19. The interest has died down as end-
users and even organisations showed no signs of shelling out money any further.
The unwieldiness of the VR headset continues to be the main hurdle toward an even
more popular adoption. Only time will tell how the new Meta offering will pan out.
