quest 3 (21) — Image courtesy Meta

With Quest 2 Widely Sold Out, Meta Aims to Make Quest 3 Price More Palatable with 0% Financing

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Jul 9, 2024

We’re in a bit of a gulf now that Quest 2 is sold out and Meta is likely preparing to drop a new, cheaper device pretty soon to fill its shoes. To keep the headset sales chugging though, Meta announced it’s offering 0% financing on Quest 3.

Meta says eligible people in the US can finance a Quest 3 starting today at 0% APR through Affirm, which lets you pay $25 per month for a 128 GB headset, or $35 per month for the 512 GB model—both of which is paid over the course of 24 months.

Granted, that comes out to $100 more than if you bought the 128 GB variant outright, and $190 more for the 512 GB variant, however Meta is offsetting this by offering an included 24-month subscription to its Meta Quest+ game service and Meta Warranty Plus coverage.

Image courtesy Meta

Meta Quest+ features two curated monthly games and access to a pool of titles, which normally costs $60 annually, and Meta Warranty Plus coverage costs $40 for two years of coverage on the 128 GB variant, and $50 for the 512 GB variant. Essentially (if you’re approved), you’ll spend less than you would if you purchased everything separately.

But should you really buy a Quest 3 on credit, which will necessarily lock you into two years of ownership? We can’t answer that question, because it depends on your financial situation, however the company is likely making some pretty big moves fairly soon which could change your mind one way or the other.

YouTube is Finally Set to Get Social Viewing on Quest

Earlier this summer a leak seemingly confirmed that Meta is launching a new, cheaper Quest headset in 2024, reportedly called Meta Quest 3S, which is likely set to replace Quest 2 as the low-end device.

Meta still hasn’t let the cat of the bag on Quest 3S, which we’re hoping to learn more about at Connect 2024 in September, however the company has confirmed it’s going to release its XR operating system to third-party OEMs for the first time, which is set to include Quest-like mixed reality headsets from ASUS, Lenovo, and Xbox.

Whatever the case, Quest 3 is an extremely competent XR headset, which you can read more about in our full review from when it launched in October 2023.

Yeshaya

"All you need for VR for less than $1 a day" is a decent pitch I think. The Meta Quest+ library is very good value for the money for a brand new VR user I think, gives a great sampling of the major genres and let's you see what you like.
eadVrim

I think that new panckage lenses and the mixed reality have take VR to a new level.
Using old lenses I see it is a step backwards.
kakek

If you need to finance a video game device, don't buy it.
- Hussain X
  
  Even if the financing is at 0% and after totally paid off 'you’ll spend less than you would if you purchased everything separately' ? Also Quest 3 is more than a video game device.
  - Christian Schildwaechter
    
    But that's simply not true. You'll buy a USD 499 Quest 3 128GB for USD 600 or a USD 649 Quest 3 512GB for USD 840. Plus an extra USD 60 for every following year if you don't want to lose access to your Quest+ library once the two years are up.
    
    Like most bundle deals it is cheaper than buying all the parts separately, but that's only relevant if you intended to get the extra warranty and Quest+ subscription for two years anyway. Otherwise it is in no way a free/0%/cheap offer.
    
    And for many people paying the full price once and then be free to do whatever they want with it, incl. spending the saved money on the Steam summer sale or selling the HMD once they lose interest may be the much better option.
CaryMGVR

I agree.
This should put the spurs to Q3 sales, absolutely!
[]^ ]
ViRGiN

I no longer need to suck weiner to be able to afford one, this is wonderful news.

I must tell my friend in Gorilla Tag that my Quest 2 with the Harry Potter tape repair to the strap will soon be a distant memory.

And my other friend in my cult who's in my basement. He doesn't say much because his parents were brother and sister, but he thinks I'm the best, especially if I clean up his drool.
- ViRGiN
  
  gayben
  - Thud
    
    Classy. In an article that has nothing to do with valve. Not a fanboy though. Nah.
    
    "What am I fanboying for?"
    - ViRGiN
      
      What a lecturing response, blaming the victim of an imposter, fully tolerated by administration. You really need to get out more often.
      - Thud
        
        75 at the beach here. What's it like in your moms basement?
      - ViRGiN
        
        Stop bullying me.
      - Thud
        
        I got an idea. Why don't we both stop bullying and being rude to others. Sound good?
      - ViRGiN
        
        Ladies first.
      - Thud
        
        You can't do it can you. It's the whole reason I'm doing it and everyone else just thinks you're a joke. Why not give it up? What do you get out of treating people bad?
      - ViRGiN
        
        Wow, this is how you respond to obvious lightweight joke? You never wanted peace.
      - Ardra Diva
        
        dude, for what it's worth, i think you're mostly hilarious.
Peter vasseur

If you have to finance this, you probably shouldn’t be buying one.
- Yeshaya
  
  My theories for what happens if you fall behind on payments:
  -Zuck puts his MMA skills to use and he goes repo man
  -Instagram feed becomes 98% ads
  -They remotely soft brick the headset till you're caught up
  - Peter vasseur
    
    He probably just would be fine with it cause he can then tout more hmd sales numbers. All I know is if you have to have a credit system so people can buy your stuff. It’s not looking good for either the company or the consumer.
    
    I do find it funny how quest 3 sales pale in comparison to q2 sales with the price differences. Funny how when you subsidize something you always have more customers vs when you don’t and the real price is what the consumer pays.
    
    Zuck realizes he can’t do that forever, hence the costs are higher now for q3. Looks like a similar boat as the psvr2, numbers aren’t as good as the highly subsidized q2. Those 4th q numbers were all super discounted q2 sales. Which is a false reality.
    
    Reality says if you want the bells and whistles, you are going to have to pay extra for them. If you don’t psvr1, og and a bunch of other first gen hmd is probably available and cheap.
    
    Moral of the story, Ignorance is bliss until reality slaps you upside the head.
Christian Schildwaechter

True if you also can pay for it upfront, as you could then put the USD 499 into a 2-year fixed-deposit account and keep any interest you make.But the "don't buy it" here refers to people who actually don't have the USD 499 to spend/invest, and are lured into buying a non essential luxury item with seemingly low monthly cost. That can make sense, but this "hiding the full cost" is what leads to lots of people with lots of debt from things they didn't really need.

And the 0% APR here only means no additional interest on top of your monthly rates. But the rates themselves aren't 0%. USD 25 * 24 months = USD 600 for a USD 499 Quest 3 128GB, or ~9.65% effective interest rate per year. Good luck making that back with a fixed-deposit account.

Yes, you also get extra warranty and 24 months of Quest+, mostly a scheme to increase low average user spendings for apps, partly due to low retention. The terms ask you to build a library over time, then take it away once you unsubscribe. It's designed to keep you hooked/paying just to not lose your previous investment, and after 24 months of unvoluntary Quest+, you'd lose quite a lot, so many will keep paying. The offer is as self-serving as credit card companies telling you to "just pay later". The first dose of crack is free.

"Don't buy stuff you can't afford/don't need" is usually good advice.
- kool
  
  Yeah if you don't have it don't use your credit for sure but if you do and can pay it off before the terms why not. I did the same thing with my truck and 0% interest for 18 months. I could have paid cash but I put it on my card and 12 months later it was paid off and me credit shot into the 800s. I'm not talking about living check to check and adding an expense but if you have have it why not catch some extra points on your credit?
shadow9d9

A luxury entertainment device at 500 is not comparable in any way to a house. Laughable.
- kool
  
  Yep one ties you in for 2 years and one ties you in for 30…and charges you hundreds of thousands in interest if you finance it. It’s better to rent unless it’s an investment property or you want something to leave your kids to sell.
  - kakek
    
    You need a place to live anyway, and the property is likely to gain value over time.
    You could do without the gaming device, and it will lose all value pretty fast.
    
    Wether it's better to rent or buy depends a lot of economic context and where ( and how ) you live.
    It's impossible to tell wich one is better in general, or even in a few typical situations. It's a case by case question.
    - kool
      
      You are absolutely right. I bought my house cash during the recession and am being a bit of D, because I’m excited about finding a quest 3 and boosting my credit score Mybad. But I’d rent until absolutely sure I’m not going anywhere else or it’s going to pay for itself., unless you don’t live in usa
kakek

You misunderstod me.
If you could and would have bought it without the 0% credit, might as well use it.
If you needed the credit to be able to buy it, if the possibility of credit is what made you buy it, don't.
- kool
  
  I know bro, I just did some clever things with my credit and now look for 0%apr to boost my credit now!
Ardra Diva

Just get a Quest3 and enjoy all the best VR has to offer. You'll be glad you did, and delighted with the product. The FoV and pixel and lens nerds will never be happy, every visor will have some fatal flaw to them. So don't listen to them.