A refurbished Quest 2 with 128 GB storage for $249, sold directly by Meta, is the best deal for a VR headset right now.
Walmart offered Quest 2 refurbished last year as low as $199 for the earlier 64 GB model, but that storage size has been bumped out of the lineup as VR games running on the system have grown in size. Medal Of Honor: Above And Beyond, for example, takes up 41 GB of storage on its own. As of this writing, the 128 GB Meta Quest 2 sells new for $299 or refurbished for $249, with the note “inscription may vary” suggesting buyers might get one with either the earlier “Oculus” branding or the new Meta company symbol on the front of the headset.
For those just catching up on the state of VR in 2022 — Quest 2 is a self-contained standalone VR headset which comes with a pair of tracked controllers to play everything from active games like Beat Saber, Pistol Whip or Supernatural to fun social gaming experiences like Walkabout Mini Golf or Eleven: Table Tennis, or even intense scare-fests like Resident Evil 4 VR or The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. If you’re looking to get a Quest 2, be sure to check out our top 25 games list for a look at the best of what’s available. Quest 2 is also compatible with powerful gaming PCs as well, meaning if your computer is up to the task you may be able to download games like Half-Life: Alyx, Boneworks No Man’s Sky or Microsoft Flight Simulator, and stream them over to Quest 2 from either a wired USB connection or wireless via Wi-Fi. There’s even a vibrant sideloading community working on standalone VR ports of older PC games like Quake 3 Arena and Doom 3. Taken altogether, there’s no other VR hardware available that even comes close in price while offering access to so much high quality VR content. While Quest 2 requires a Facebook account to use today, that’s expected to change as well.
Quest 2 is priced so low for a complete standalone VR system because Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants as many people as possible using the company’s headsets as it transitions away from focusing on Facebook. That means he’s comfortable taking hardware losses up front for Quest 2 rather than take profit as companies like Apple do. The loss-leading strategy comes even while Meta invests $10 billion or more annually on a range of initiatives, like hiring engineers or securing VR titles like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the platform.
“I think our inclination is probably going to be to try to offer these products at as low of a cost as possible in order to be able to get them out to everyone. So unlike some of the other companies in this space that basically charge premium prices as their business model, one of our core principles is we want to serve everyone. I’m very focused not only on how you create a good VR & AR device, but how do you make it so it’s $300 instead of $1000. I think that’s a pretty big deal,” Zuckerberg said last year.
Meta’s next VR headset will release this year, but it is a high-priced product code-named Project Cambria that’s expected to be compatible with Quest games. The system will offer additional features designed for remote workers or long distance socialization, but the price for Cambria is expected to be “significantly” higher than $800. Quest 2 first started shipping in late 2020 and could be replaced as early as next year, but leaders at the company have said on multiple occasions Quest 2 would have “a long life.”
Meta says it has a “limited supply” of refurbished Quest 2 headsets which are covered by a 6-month warranty and 30-day return policy.
