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The AI-driven memory shortage has come for Meta's VR headsets, forcing the company to raise prices globally.
"We're making this change because the cost of building high-performance VR hardware has risen significantly," Meta said in a blog post on Thursday. "The global surge in the price of critical components—specifically memory chips—is impacting almost every category of consumer electronics, including VR."
Here’s the pricing change in the US, which adds an extra $50 to $100. The Canadian market is receiving a similar price hike.
- Meta Quest 3S (128GB): $349.99, up from $299
- Meta Quest 3S (256GB): $449.99, up from $399
- Meta Quest 3 (512GB): $599.99, up from $499
The good news is that consumers can still buy the headsets at the current pricing, but only for a few more days. Meta plans to increase prices starting Sunday, April 19.
The price increase may hurt VR headset sales, as media outlets have questioned whether Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the “metaverse” is dead. The company recently scaled back VR support for Horizon Worlds, which was supposed to be a major virtual reality platform.
Perhaps in response, the company’s announcement notes: “Meta remains committed to investing in VR and leading the category because we believe this is the future of computing. We have a long-term roadmap full of new hardware and experiences, and this adjustment helps us stay on track to deliver that future.”
Meta also says, “Even with these changes, Meta Quest 3 and 3S remain the best-value headsets on the market,” alluding to the price hike.
Still, the news doesn't bode well for other VR headsets and consumer electronics. Prices for Sony's PlayStation consoles also went up this month, with the company citing economic conditions. Valve’s Steam Frame, meanwhile, was supposed to launch earlier this year, but the memory crunch derailed the release of the headset and its Steam Machine. Valve has warned it needs to reconsider pricing for both products.