- Meta has reportedly ended all software program updates to the Oculus Quest
- This units the shelf-life for Quest headsets at just below six years, which suggests the Quest 2 would lose all assist in 2026
- The Meta Quest 2 may final till 2028 based mostly on Meta’s CTO’s feedback
Meta seems to have put the ultimate nail within the coffin of the unique Oculus Quest VR headset – and it provides us some concept of the life expectancy for the corporate’s different present headsets.
Meta discontinued the unique Oculus Quest, which was launched in 2019, in 2020, stopped updating it with new options in February 2023, ended safety updates in August 2024, and minimize assist for brand spanking new apps on the system in April 2024. Now it’s being reported (by way of UploadVR) that the system can now not obtain updates for older video games from builders both, successfully which means the headset has reached the tip of its life.
You possibly can proceed to make use of your Quest if you want – although given the shortage of safety updates we’d suggest exercising warning should you do. Extra considerably, this reported improvement would put the official lifespan of the unique Quest at six years, which in flip provides us an concept of how lengthy Meta may proceed to assist its different Quest headsets for – and it is likely to be unhealthy information for Meta’s hottest VR {hardware}, the Quest 2.
That’s as a result of if Meta follows an analogous coverage with the Meta Quest 2 we will count on that headset to obtain software program updates till mid/late 2026, then the Meta Quest 3 to be supported till 2029, and the Meta Quest 3S till 2030 – although Meta might select to finish assist for the Quest 3 later or 3S earlier on condition that the headsets share the identical chipset so it might be odd to finish assist for one and never the opposite.
There’s nonetheless hope for the Quest 2 but
Meta has already taken the primary steps in the direction of sunsetting the Quest 2. The headset was formally discontinued in September final 12 months – although it started disappearing from retail in July – and the first Meta Quest 3 exclusives have already arrived (titles comparable to Batman: Arkham Shadow) as software program builders start to desert the Quest 2’s getting old {hardware}. So a 2026 end-of-life date would definitely make sense; nevertheless, there’s probably excellent news should you’re hoping to maintain utilizing your Quest 2 for a bit longer.
In a no-longer-available Instagram Story (which was shared to Reddit), Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth mentioned the Quest 2 would obtain assist for “three years from the final date of sale.” That might imply it ought to final till 2027, with its unbelievable reputation (it has reliably topped Steam VR headset utilization charts for years) possible serving to to increase its life somewhat past that off its older sibling.
What’s extra, if Bosworth is simply speaking about Horizon OS safety updates, and never app updates from builders, then following the timeline Meta took for the unique Quest, your Meta Quest 2 might claw its approach to eight years of assist earlier than it’s caught in software program stasis, which is not too shabby given the lifespan of different tech like your smartphone.
If the Quest 2 does certainly survive till 2028, by then we’ll hopefully have a Meta Quest 4S for Quest 2 holdouts to sink their enamel into as a brand new reasonably priced VR headset different, however for actual particulars of Meta’s plans for its current headsets, and future ones, we’ll want to attend for some official bulletins.
