Meta to end support for the original Quest VR headset

Meta (formerly Facebook) has announced that it is to end support for the original Quest VR headset.

As reported by IGN, an email has been sent by Meta to owners of the original Meta Quest revealing that new features will not be added to the headset in future. Software and security patches will continue to be added until next year, though.

The Meta Quest 1 was launched in 2019 as the Oculus Quest, and retailed at £400. From March 5, Quest 1 users are set to lose access to Meta Horizon Home social features, with users also unable to invite people to your Home or visit theirs from then.

The news comes shortly after Doom and Quake co-creator John Carmack left his position at Meta, telling the company: “Give a damn.” Carmack, who held the role of consulting Chief Technology Officer, shared an angry note with his employers before stepping down.

Carmack’s note, seen by Business Insider, read: “This is the end of my decade in VR. I have mixed feelings.

“Quest 2 is almost exactly what I wanted to see from the beginning – mobile hardware, inside out tracking, optional PC streaming, 4k (ish) screen, cost effective. Despite all the complaints I have about our software, millions of people are still getting value out of it.

“We have a good product. It is successful, and successful products make the world a better place. It all could have happened a bit faster and been going better if different decisions had been made, but we built something pretty close to The Right Thing,” Carmack added.

Going on to criticise the company’s “efficiency,” Carmack said: “We have a ridiculous amount of people and resources, but we constantly self-sabotage and squander effort. There is no way to sugarcoat this; I think our organisation is operating at half the effectiveness that would make me happy. Some may scoff and contend we are doing just fine, but others will laugh and say, ‘Half? Ha! I’m at quarter efficiency!’

Elsewhere at Meta, the company recently announced the purchase of three game development studios, including the teams behind Iron Man VR and Resident Evil 4 VR.