Meta's AI spending spree is helping make its Quest headsets more expensive
Ars Technica • • technology
Key Points:
- Meta is increasing the prices of its Quest VR headsets by $50–$100 (12–20%) starting April 19, citing a global surge in memory chip costs affecting consumer electronics.
- The company’s heavy investment in AI infrastructure, including a $115–$135 billion capital expenditure plan for 2026, has contributed to the component supply crunch driving up VR headset prices.
- Meta’s AI spending, focused on RAM- and storage-intensive GPUs and data centers, contrasts with its declining investment in the metaverse, as evidenced by $73 billion in losses in its Reality Labs division.
- Despite earlier ambitions for the metaverse, Meta is now cutting spending on VR projects by up to 30%, signaling a strategic pivot toward AI as the company’s primary focus.
- New US prices for Quest headsets are $350 for the Quest 3S (128GB), $450 for the Quest 3S (256GB), and $600 for the Quest 3 (512GB), reflecting increases between 12.5% and 20%.
