Meta announced official support for the original Oculus Quest virtual reality headset is ending in the near future. Original Oculus Quest users may still receive software and security patches despite a loss in features, but those important updates will inevitably come to an end as well.
The original Oculus Quest launched on May 21, 2019, as Facebook's next-generation VR headset following the success of the Oculus Rift and Go. Oculus Quest was on the market for just one year before its successor, Oculus Quest 2, launched on October 13, 2020. The Oculus Quest 2 would receive some of Meta's biggest VR releases yet such as Resident Evil 4, Among Us VR, and Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge. Oculus Quest 2 would be rebranded to Meta Quest 2 in November 2021 following Facebook's rebranding to the current Meta name. The rumored Meta Quest 3 headset is expected to launch within the next year.
Meta sent out an email to all original Quest owners confirming that support for the VR headset is coming to an end. The Quest headset will not ship any new features going forward, and users will lose access to Meta Horizon Home starting March 5. As a result, original Quest users will no longer be able to create parties, join parties, or visit someone else's home in Meta Horizon Home.
Meta plans to continue releasing software and security patches for the original Quest device until 2024. Once 2024 comes around, the Quest device will no longer receive new updates and official support from Meta. However, Meta is expected to have launched an all-new Meta Quest headset by then while support for the Meta Quest 2 headset carries on.
Quest's end of support comes roughly three months after Meta launches its premium Meta Quest Pro device for $1,500 in October 2022. Updates and features for the original Quest were beginning to slow down, which likely meant that Meta prepared to shift resources away from the headset for quite some time. Rumors and speculation suggest a Meta Quest 3 will release by 2024 as support for Quest 1 halts completely.
This year, Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro are the company's leading headsets. VR software is geared toward newer devices, so Meta ending support for the original Quest headset was to be expected. However, the company should consider pricing and features for Meta Quest 2 and a potential Meta Quest 3 after Sony's PlayStation VR2 headset launches in February. Meta may gain valuable customers by bringing support for major VR games coming in 2023 and beyond.
Source: GameSpot