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Home Tech Wearables AR + VR

Meta Quest 2 for $200 is my pick for best Cyber Monday deal of 2023 (Expired)

This is the lowest price I've seen for a high-quality VR headset. And for VR experiences, the Meta Quest 2 can do nearly everything the Quest 3 can do.

Written by Jason Hiner, Editor in Chief Nov. 28, 2023 at 4:09 a.m. PT

Meta Quest 2 VR headset — Jason Hiner/ZDNET

Expect virtual reality and augmented reality to be among the hottest topics in tech in 2024 with of the launch of Apple Vision Pro. VR and AR are making big leaps forward. The best VR headset you can buy for the money right now is the Meta Quest 2, which normally retails for $300 -- compared to $500 for the new Meta Quest 3. But, you can get a Quest 2 for $200 in a terrific Cyber Monday sale that makes it my top pick for the best Cyber Monday deal of 2023. The Quest 2 is a great way to get started with VR and there are a lot of great VR experiences -- far beyond just gaming -- now available among the apps in the Quest ecosystem. And we can expect that a lot more are on the way as part of the next wave in VR.

Also: The best Cyber Monday deals you can buy: ZDNET's top picks

Both Amazon and Meta are running aggressive deals on the Meta Quest 2 for $250 with a $50 credit included -- so a $200 net price. In Amazon's case, you get a $50 Amazon digital credit (using the promo code META50), while Meta gives you a $50 credit to the Meta Quest Store that you can use to buy apps and games for the Quest.

Here are quick links to both deals:

I'd recommend going for the Amazon deal because you have a lot more options to choose from to spend that $50 Amazon credit. However, if you're buying the Quest 2 as a holiday gift for a kid then the $50 credit to buy apps and games is a great way to help them get started.

ZDNET RECOMMENDS

Meta Quest 2

The Meta Quest 2 is light, portable, comfortable, and plays virtually all of the content in the Meta Quest ecosystem. It's the best VR headset for the money right now.

View at Amazon

The Quest 2 has no cords attached, it's compact, the software is easy to navigate, and the headset and controllers are comfortable to use. I recently wrote about the Supernatural app as a killer app for fitness on the Meta Quest, and it works on the Quest 2 as well as it does on the Quest 3.

Amazon states that its deal runs through November 27. Meta does not specify how long its deal will last. So, if you're interested, jump on this deal before it's gone.

If you do decide to get the Quest 2 then I'd recommend also picking up the Anker Charging Dock for Quest 2 because it's discounted for Cyber Monday at Best Buy and it will make your life easier when charging and storing the Quest 2. It retails for $99 and the average street price is typically $79, but Best Buy's current deal for $59 is a winner.