Facebook Announces Oculus Quest 2, Confirms Price and Release Date

Facebook announced the Oculus Quest 2 during its latest Facebook Connect event. The follow-up to the Oculus Quest virtual reality device will feature a number of improvements from the first version of the Quest, and it’s releasing much sooner than many people may have expected. Pre-orders for the device are going live today, Facebook announced, and it’ll be sold for $299, a cheaper price than the original Quest and the Oculus Rift S. The Oculus Quest 2 will release on October 13th. Pre-orders are live on Amazon, via Best Buy, Walmart, and via Oculus now.

The announcement of the Oculus Quest 2 was an expected one from the Facebook Connect event, though the pricing and near availability of the product came as a surprise. In addition to costing less than the original Oculus Quest, it also weighs 10 percent less which should lead to people being able to use it for longer periods.

With pre-orders open for the product now, Facebook shared some insights into the advancements made from the Oculus Quest to the Oculus Quest 2 during the video event. A follow-up post on the Oculus blog broke down the most notable changes in more detail. The video below shows off the Oculus Quest 2’s new design and highlights some of these features as well.

“With the first Quest headset, we debuted a revolutionary all-in-one form factor powered by innovations like the Oculus Insight tracking system,” the blog post on the Oculus site accompanying the Oculus Quest 2 announcement said. “With Quest 2, we’re taking things even further, starting with a multi-generational leap in processing power with the state-of-the-art Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform offering higher AI capability, and 6GB of RAM. The new display features 1832 x 1920 pixels per eye—our highest resolution display yet. With 50% more pixels than the original Quest, everything from multiplayer games and productivity apps to 360° videos look better than ever.”

Facebook also previewed some of the games people will be able to experience with the Oculus Quest 2 and other Oculus devices. Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge from ILMxLAB is one experience to look forward to and follows the Vader Immortal series from the same creators. Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment are also working on Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond to bring the Medal of Honor franchise to the virtual reality world for the first time.

Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 is scheduled to launch on October 13th with pre-orders open now.

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