Meta is ending support for the Quest 2 and Quest 2 Pro VR headsets, as it promises its VR headset will be “another step forward” for users.
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- Meta has announced the end of support for two of its popular virtual reality headsets.
- The affected devices are the Quest 2 and Quest 2 Pro
- Support will be discontinued at the end of 2027.
If you own a Meta Quest 2 or Meta Quest Pro virtual reality headset, we have bad news: Meta has announced that it plans to remove support for these devices next year, leaving a large number of users without support for its virtual reality products.
An announcement on the Meta blog aimed at developers details how things stand for creators of applications and services created for these headphones. With both devices “reaching the end of feature development,” big changes are coming.
On the one hand, shipping new applications for these devices will close in December 2027. On the other, version 2.13 of the Quest operating system (due out in March 2027) will be the last one that will work with these headphones. Quarterly security patches and critical bug fixes will continue “until the end of 2027,” Meta said.
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Still, Meta attempted to reassure developers of apps created for these virtual reality headsets, stating that “people on Quest 2 and Quest Pro can still find, purchase, download and play their apps.” Cross-play with the Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets will continue and developers will be able to continue sending updates to Quest 2 and Quest 2 Pro users.
And Meta’s app store for virtual reality headsets will still be available to users of these soon-to-be discontinued devices, with the firm saying that “people retain access to everything they’ve purchased and no apps will be removed from the Store due to this change.”
Is it time to upgrade?
The Quest 2 was released in 2020, so it’s six years old at this point. Although we gave it a high score in our review, it has since been replaced by the Quest 3, which is our pick for the best VR headset out there. Meta evidently feels the time has come to retire the Quest 2 and its sibling Quest 2 Pro, with the Quest Pro line supposedly being phased out entirely in 2024.
Meta framed the change as one that is paving the way for its upcoming VR headset. The company said the Quest 3 and Quest 3S are “the foundation for Meta VR gamers” and that its VR headsets will bring “another leap forward” for the industry. In that world, there’s apparently no more room for the Quest 2 and Quest 2 Pro.
Continued app development for the Quest 2 and Quest 2 Pro may be difficult, as Meta says it will not be testing new operating systems or SDK versions on these products. Instead, it will be up to developers to ensure their apps work as intended.
Meta urged developers to evaluate how much of their audience uses Quest 2 and Quest 2 Pro devices and consider splitting their releases to accommodate those with older headsets. If developers want to end support for these products, they must give users at least 180 days’ notice if, as a result, customers could end up losing access to the content or services.
If you have a Meta Quest 2 or Meta Quest 2 Pro at home, you’ll need to think about what you want to do in the future. While you should be able to continue using your headphones, the lack of critical bug fixes after the end of 2027 could prove to be a problem. In that case, it might finally be time to upgrade to one of the best virtual reality headsets to make sure you don’t miss out on anything.
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