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Meta Launches VR Subscription Service (cnbc.com) 31

Meta has introduced a new VR subscription service called Meta Quest+ that costs $7.99 a month. Subscribers will get access to two new games each month, which they can play as long as the subscription is active. CNBC reports: Meta Quest+ costs $7.99 a month and is compatible with the Quest 2, the Quest Pro and the upcoming Quest 3. The subscription service marks Meta's latest effort to generate recurring revenue from its Reality Labs unit, which is developing virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. New games will launch for Meta Quest+ subscribers on the first of each month. The games can be played as long as the subscription is active.

In July, subscribers will get the games "Pixel Ripped 1995" and "Pistol Whip." Users will then receive "Walkabout Mini Golf" from Mighty Coconut and "Mothergunship: Forge" from Terrible Posture Games in August. Meta Quest+ is available in the Meta Quest Store starting Monday.

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Meta Launches VR Subscription Service

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  • I cant believe facebook is still a thing. I haven't used it for 7 years now. I would recommend people just not use the service, let along pay 8k for a pair of goggles. YOU WANT VR, WALK OUTSIDE FOR A FEW MINUTES
    • Fakebook is irrelevant.

    • You're off by a factor of 20 on the cost: The Oculus Quest 2 is $400, and it's a pretty impressive hardware package for the price. The head/hand tracking is great. Forget the metaverse garbage - the draw here is gaming. I've been an avid gamer for 30 years, and there are some truly impressive experiences in VR. I'm tempted to call Half Life:Alyx (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2W0N3uKXmo) my favorite game of all time. That one requires a gaming PC (can stream to Quest over wifi). $8/month actually sound
  • Already lost (Score:4, Insightful)

    by TheRealMindChild ( 743925 ) on Monday June 26, 2023 @06:23PM (#63635030) Homepage Journal

    Subscribers will get access to two new games each month, which they can play as long as the subscription is active
     
    It's failed before it even starts

    • This reminds me of the 1990s CD subscription service from Columbia House. You would initially get ten or twelve popular CDs for a penny as long as you agreed to a yearly subscription where you agreed to purchase at least ten additional CDs during that year (for slightly higher than you could purchase the same CDs in a record store). You got a postal notification about a week before the next CDs where shipped and you could decline any or all of the CDs for that month, but you were still obligated to meet

    • by jmke ( 776334 )
      > It's failed before it even starts

      it's exactly the same how Playstation Subscription works though...
      • > It's failed before it even starts


        it's exactly the same how Playstation Subscription works though...

        That's just how subscriptions work in general.

    • Where do I subscribe to NEVER hear about 'Meta' again?

    • Subscribers will get access to two new games each month, which they can play as long as the subscription is active

      It's failed before it even starts

      It will fail before it starts but not for the reasons you think. The reason is the service isn't compelling because the content isn't compelling. The idea of subscribing and having access to games while your subscription service is active is actually wildly successful. XBox game pass with it's 25million + subscriptions is proof of that.

      I pay for xbox gamepass (I don't own an xbox).
      I will not pay for this VR subscription (I DO own an Oculus headset).

  • I have an Oculus Quest 2, and while I have to say it's a great VR headset, in the end I have come to realize that I just don't care for many VR games.

    There are a handful of VR games I do enjoy, but outside that I'm just not keen on trying more regularly, so the subscription while it seems a good value, is not enticing to me.

    I think Playstation has a real advantage here because if you subscription to the higher Playstation Plus levels you get games not just for the VR headset they offer, but the console as w

    • But it isn't a great VR headset. It is a mediocre one at a cheapish price. It is missing a bunch of simple QoL items that make it tedious. Hell, you can only adjust the pupilary distance of the eyepieces in increments of 5mm. That is WAY too large if one of those positions isn't what your PD actually is. You will be playing perpetually out-of-focus

      • But it isn't a great VR headset. It is a mediocre one at a cheapish price.

        Yeah but that is what makes it great! It's cheap enough if you end up not using it as much, it's less of punch to the gut than if you had sprung $600 for a better one... the price/value ratio is I think optimal.

        I ran into the focus issue myself a bit but could nudge it just a little out of the click range so it's clear enough for me.

  • They should call it the MetaBerry+.

  • Old Model (Score:4, Informative)

    by stikves ( 127823 ) on Monday June 26, 2023 @06:50PM (#63635070) Homepage

    This is the old model used by Xbox Live, PS Plus, and ... Stadia. You subscribe, and every month get the chance to "claim" two games. They are active as long as your account is active. (Can have gaps, and the content will not be removed when you resume paying).

    However the value only comes after being subscribed for a long time. 10, 12, 20 months, and you collect a sizable library. Otherwise it is just $8 to try two games.

    The current working model has evolved. Game Pass, and PS Premium: You get to access a rotating library of premium titles. Most stay there almost "forever" some are very quick touch and go (like famous Grant Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption titles). This way any time you pay the monthly fee, you get a good enough library. And the network effect works in favor of everyone getting a good deal (including the game devs).

    Bottom line: the model is tried, and not working well.

    • I would agree on everything except for the fact that the Oculus isn't a console. It's more of a mobile device and the software should be priced appropriately.

      Meta failed on so many levels with the Oculus that I think it's completely impossible to make it happen now. I'll list a few

      1) The store prices are too high... for everything. They charge $10 for novelty videos that display the VR experience. They should have been $1 or $2. Games... I think they charge $30 for BeatSaber on Quest or $20 on Steam. And th
      • by MobyDisk ( 75490 )

        As someone who has had a Quest 2 for about a week, you hit the nail on the head. What a phenomenal piece of hardware that is going to waste. I just want to rewrite the entire UI and ecosystem.

        The store prices are too high... for everything. They charge $10 for novelty videos that display the VR experience.

        COMPLETELY AGREE! I see games that look lie an indie dev put something together in a week. Or things like an escape room, which has zero replay value. I actually love those games at $2 - $5 a pop on Steam. Or I buy them on discount or on a Humble Bundle.

        Their web browser is garbage.

        So happy to hear someone else say this. Add the store in to

    • by MobyDisk ( 75490 )

      Otherwise it is just $8 to try two games.

      Given that VR games cost $20 - $40, I would actually take that deal. I just got a Quest 2 and I would love to just play a bunch of games for 15 minutes to see the potential for what is out there before I commit. So $4/game for a one month trial sounds good.

      However the value only comes after being subscribed for a long time.

      I feel the opposite way. If I could, I would subscribe, try 2 games, cancel, then subscribe again to try 2 more games. After a month or two of that, I'll buy the couple I want. It seems like a great way to try out VR initially.

  • I could now subscribe for 8 bucks a month and get two random games that may or may not be what I'm looking for (I looked at them... it's closer to not). And I will be allowed to play them for as long as I subscribe, and allow Meta to leech my data and pester me about how wonderful their other junk is.

    Or I could buy them for about 17 [steampowered.com], about 20 [steampowered.com], about 25 [steampowered.com] or 12.50 [steampowered.com], always assuming that I want all four of them, to keep for as long as I want, provided I want them at all.

    And this is always assuming, hoping and pr

    • by ledow ( 319597 )

      Looked into VR as a "mid-life crisis" type of treat for myself (I don't smoke, drink, have no interest in bikes or fast cars, etc.)

      Bought a Vive Pro and used my near-20-year-old Steam account.

      Yes, it's more expensive. But apart from HTC-related hardware, all the other major options are tied to companies like Meta, who inevitably will move everything to subscription models.

      Valve don't care about subscription models, they never really have in any significant fashion. They just make games and give them to yo

  • it MIGHT be viable to get ALL games for 8 bucks a month, but the shortage of quality games on the services is going to make this tank i'd bet.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • This was always the end goal for Meta with VR. Get people paying a subscription to wander around in a VR world. It's the whole reason they bought Oculus in the first place. Forcing people into using Facebook, watching ads, and paying for that subscription are all easy to implement and enforce if you own the flagship hardware.

      Unfortunately for Meta, they forgot that you need a viable platform before you can monetize it to death. VR hardware on it's own isn't good enough to get people coughing up money for
      • Facebook has a lot of money still to burn through, and could borrow a whole lot more, so they could spend many years chasing this particular rainbow.
        Let's hope they do.
        My personal view is that VR is never going to happen, just like 3D TV will never happen.
        • Personally, I'd rather they spend that money on other worthless projects, but to each his own.

          My personal view is that VR is never going to happen

          It will happen eventually, it's practical and entertainment uses are too good to pass up. Especially if they are priced and marketed correctly. Sadly, Meta's pretty much killed it for this round by doing that extremely poorly.

    • >> Has Meta ever had a successful product?
      You are the product.
      Are you successful ?

  • Two things people hate, Facebook and yet another subscription. What could go wrong?
  • I have all the games listed already. They are old. Creating a subscription doesn't magic new content into existence.

    WE NEED NEW CONTENT.

    Meta at least realise this to some degree in their showcase focusing almost exclusively on games rather than hardware.
    Sony shat the bed after a full burrito night with the PSVR2 launch, imagine launching an expensive headset not only without compelling titles, but breaking backwards compatibility with previous titles.
    Apple... hahahahaha. Not ever their fanbois will spend th

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