Virtual reality takes a little longer

Image: Meta

Virtual reality is becoming expensive again. While this may slow down the development of the technology, it is no reason to despair.

Meta Quest 2 is $100 more expensive this week. $400 instead of $300. It’s already making a difference for the end consumer, especially in these times of economic uncertainty.

Voluntary price increases are a surprise and are most likely to affect sales. Meta Quest 2 contributed to the growth of the VR market more than any other headset. If demand drops, the impact will be felt.

of The days of cheap virtual reality are overUpcoming headsets such as the Playstation VR 2 (info) and Pico 4 (report) are likely to follow this trend and introduce new technology, so they won’t come cheap. Not to mention headsets.

meta buckle

Meta Quest 2’s low price is made possible by Meta’s fat advertising business. Now that this has weakened, Meta has been forced to cut subsidies. Nevertheless, price dumping has achieved its purpose. Meta almost completely dominates the VR market.

The price increase is A rare compromise on the meta sideOtherwise, the company has always indicated it’s pushing virtual reality forward, regardless of cost. This news must have shocked VR developers. After all, are giants shaking? It could have been the problem of one of the studios betting their future on VR.

Still, the end of the low-price period was inevitable. virtual reality must grow At some point, you can stand on your own two feet. That moment is fast approaching and the question is whether end users are willing to bear the costs of research and development.

Evolution of technology

This also applies to other electronic devices such as televisions, computers and smartphones, where demand determines how fast technology evolves. Virtual reality must follow the same path, but there is no bottom price to paint a skewed picture of demand.

Technology must remain unique and retain customers, regardless of technical maturity. Virtual reality is just getting started. But the industry can no longer use that as an excuse for consumer indifference. Televisions, computers, and smartphones were all initially relatively primitive compared to today, but have become pervasive.

Do fundamental improvements really need to be made for virtual reality to become more widely accepted? A clearer picture will emerge in the next few years, but don’t expect rapid breakthroughs. Technological leaps are rare, and judging by past developments, in 10 years he will happen once, maybe he will happen twice. There are no shortcuts.

So sit back and enjoy the ride.

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