Meta issues, its a warning about the discontinuation of support for the original Meta Quest headset, signaling the end of an era for mainstream VR.
The end of support for the Meta Quest was announced in 2023, however the most recent email reminder for developers offers more information about how this support will be phased away.
The deadline for developers to post Quest 1 app upgrades to the Meta Quest marketplace is April 30. Even if those developers want to continue catering to owners of earlier headsets, their support will be denied.
“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,” according to Meta.
Furthermore, new applications launched after April 30 will not appear in the Quest 1 part of the store, and existing headset owners will be unable to purchase apps created after that date, according to Meta.
This is a pretty harsh and abrupt conclusion for the original Meta Quest headset, but there are reasons other than commercial ones for such a decision.
While Meta states that the initial Meta Quest headset will be supported with “critical bug fixes and security patches” until August 2024, this early turn off assures that people who continue to use their outdated headsets are not at evident danger from new security concerns.
This does not prevent Quest enthusiasts from side loading programs that may pose similar dangers, but it is due care on Meta’s part.
As revealed at the end of January 2023, Quest 1 players lost access to Meta Horizon house features earlier this month, including the ability to visit someone else’s virtual house or join a Party. Furthermore, new Quest 1 apps were blocked from the Quest marketplace 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 Quest headsets, 18 million of which were Quest 2s. During the 2023 Christmas season, the Quest 2 outsold the Quest 3 due to a large price cut.
The older headgear is currently selling for $199, making it quite appealing despite its technological age. Meta’s Quest 3 begins at $499.
