Facebook has revealed on its social media channels the new 128GB model of the Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality (VR) headset will release August 24 this year.
The Menlo Park-based firm is making the upcoming version the new base standard and will officially retire the Quest 2 64GB model.
Despite the memory upgrade, Facebook will not change the £299 price tag, the company added.
In a blog post, Andrew Bosworth, Head of Facebook Reality Labs, stated the larger storage size offers users increased flexibility to manage VR content.
Start training that download finger. This August 24th, it’ll be put to the test when we release the 128GB Quest 2 for just $299. Double the storage. Same great price.
— Oculus (@oculus) August 9, 2021
Leaks and Rumours
The announcement follows a number of leaks related to the VR headset over the past few weeks.
While unconfirmed, Reddit users are already reporting Ebay listings of the 128GB headset ahead of its official release date.
XR Today also reported late last month initial leaks revealing the 128GB Quest 2 model, which first emerged after French and Chinese online retailers listed the headset before Facebook’s official announcement. The now deleted listings did not cite the 64GB Quest 2, hinting at its retirement.
Quest 2 Chemical Controversy
Following the developments, Oculus users also reported Quest 2 foam guards were causing skin irritation issues.
The European (EU) Commission later issued a chemical alert after the complaints, forcing Facebook and Oculus to pull Quest 2 devices from Amazon EU.
Facebook responded by providing affected users with silicone replacement covers, and announced it would update all Quest 2 models with the components from August 24.
Oculus also pledged further quality control checks and improved future hardware, and in Bosworth’s blog post, he doubled down on this commitment, adding: “The team and I are committed to ensuring the quality of our products and the ongoing support and success of our developer community.”
