Meta Quest headset
Meta has issued a warning regarding the termination of support for the original Meta Quest headset, spelling the end of an era for mainstream VR.
The winding down of support for the Meta Quest was announced in 2023, but the latest email reminder for devs includes extra details about how this support will be wound down.
April 30 is the last date developers are able to upload app updates for the Quest 1 to the Meta Quest store. Even if those developers want to continue to cater for owners of older headsets, that support will be blocked.
“Builds for new apps that support other Quest devices along with Quest 1 will be able to be uploaded, but Quest 1 support will be blocked,” says Meta.
Additionally, new apps released after April 30 will not show up in the Quest 1 section of the store, and old headset owners will not even be able to purchase apps made after that date, according to Meta.
This is a rather hard and severe end for the original Meta Quest headset, but there are reasons other than the purely commercial ones for such a move.
While Meta says the first Meta Quest headset will be maintained with “critical bug fixes and security patches” until August 2024, this early switch off ensures those who continue to use their old headsets won’t be at obvious risk from new security threats.
This does not stop Quest fans from side loading apps that could introduce such threats, but it’s due diligence performed on Meta’s part.
As announced at the end of January 2023, Quest 1 users also lost access to Meta Horizon Home features earlier this month, such as the ability to visit someone else’s virtual home or join a Party. And brand new Quest 1 apps were barred from the Quest store after January 31 2024.
The Quest 1 was originally released in 2019, meaning it lasted a little under five years before support dropped off.
While the Meta Quest 2 came out less than 18 months after, in November 2020, it’s likely to have a longer tail-off.
As of early 2023, Meta had sold 20 million of its Quest headsets, 18 million of which were Quest 2 models. In the 2023 holiday season, the Quest 2 was significantly outselling the Quest 3 thanks to a heavy price reduction.
The older headset currently sells for $199, making it highly attractive despite, in tech terms, being ancient. Meta’s Quest 3 starts at $499.