Meta Quest Pro Now Available At $999: Is Mark Zuckerberg Planning Ahead For Apple MR Headset?

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has reduced the price of Quest Pro to stay competitive ahead of Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) upcoming MR headset launch. 

What Happened: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg informed through his Instagram channel that Meta Quest Pro price had been dropped to $999 starting March 5. He added that 256 GB Quest 2 will now be available at $429. 

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The motive behind reducing these prices is to get “more people” into the virtual reality universe, said Zuckerberg. Meta launched Quest Pro in October last year at $1500. 

The latest development came ahead of Meta’s next-generation consumer Quest headset, which is expected later this year, reported Engadget. Meta’s latest rival in the metaverse, Apple, is also planning to launch its highly-anticipated mixed-reality headset this year. 

Why It’s Important: Meta’s latest price cuts contradict the company’s decision in August. The tech giant previously raised prices to compensate for the higher manufacturing costs of these devices. 

These price reductions reflect Meta’s struggle to pivot the metaverse. The company is pouring 20% of its 2023 spending into the Reality Labs division, which continues to lose billions per quarter. However, Zuckerberg continues to pour money into it in the hopes of replicating the success of Facebook’s Web 2 success. 

It is possible that the reduced price structure would attract more customers and thereby help the adoption of Horizon Worlds and Meta’s other projects, the report noted. The same could also help Meta prepare better to compete with rival headsets in the near future. 

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