It’s official – the Oculus Quest is now called the Meta Quest, and fans of the VR headsets aren’t pleased. The brand’s retirement was announced using a metaverse themed two buttons meme on Twitter, alongside the caption “New Name. Same Mission.”
Meta acquired Oculus for $2 billion USD in 2014, following the success of the original Oculus Rift headset. Since then, the company has used the brand to establish itself within the VR space and establish a foundation for its metaverse ambitions. While the Oculus Quest 2 is primarily designed with VR gaming in mind, upcoming products like Project Cambria aim to offer a high-end mixed reality experience.
The social media giant also intends to release an Oculus Quest 3, but its recent announcement means it’ll likely be called the Meta Quest instead. It’s worth noting that the company hasn’t announced official names for its next-gen VR headsets, so we’ll need to wait and see whether Meta’s new moniker belongs to one device or its entire lineup of metaverse accessories.
Since its announcement, Meta has responded to criticism over decisions to ditch Oculus as a brand name. In response to its meme being described as “cringe”, the company claimed “change doesn’t always have to be a bad thing!” while reaffirming its allegiance to the metaverse.
We understand our community will miss the Oculus name, but change doesn't always have to be a bad thing! We're hoping to make our ambitions to help build the metaverse more clear with our new name!
— Meta Quest (@MetaQuestVR) January 26, 2022
If one thing’s certain, it’s that Meta intends to make virtual reality synonymous with the metaverse. Whether or not it will succeed remains to be seen, but given that the Oculus Quest 2 is currently one of the best VR headsets on the market, it could use its position within the space to promote its Web 3.0 agenda.