Meta is joining other hardware manufacturers in raising prices due to escalating memory chip costs. The company announced a significant price increase for its Quest virtual reality headsets effective April 19, citing the ongoing RAM shortage driven by artificial intelligence companies' massive data center investments.
The Meta Quest 3 will see a $100 price bump, bringing it to $599. The Quest 3S pricing structure increases by $50 across both storage options, with the 128GB model moving to $350 and the 256GB variant to $450. These adjustments reflect the broader industry trend of rising component costs affecting consumer electronics across multiple categories.
The RAM shortage has become a critical issue in the hardware market. Artificial intelligence firms are aggressively purchasing memory chips for their data centers, creating supply constraints that have pushed component prices upward. This same pressure has forced competing manufacturers to reconsider their pricing strategies.
Meta is not alone in this decision. Sony recently increased prices for PlayStation 5 consoles and the PlayStation Portal handheld device due to similar manufacturing cost pressures. Microsoft also raised prices on its Surface PC lineup this week. The pattern demonstrates how widespread the RAM supply crunch has become across the consumer electronics industry.
While Quest accessory prices remain unchanged, the company's refurbished inventory is also receiving price increases. Refurbished Quest 3S units will cost $50 more at $320 for the 128GB model and $410 for 256GB storage. The refurbished Quest 3 price will increase by $100 to $550. The company did not provide detailed justification for why refurbished device pricing also increased substantially.
Looking ahead, Meta indicated that smart glasses pricing will not be affected by these increases in the near term. The company told media outlets it does not anticipate raising prices on its eyewear products in the foreseeable future, offering some relief to consumers interested in that product category.