Meta’s AI Spending Spree is Helping Make Its Quest Headsets More Expensive
The rising costs of RAM and other computing components are pushing up the price of Meta’s Quest VR headsets. The company has announced that prices will increase by $50–$100 (about 12–20 percent) starting on April 19. In announcing this price increase, Meta cited “the global surge in the price of critical components—specifically memory chips—and its own spending priorities for those components.”
Unlike many tech companies that have been pushed into similar price increases in recent months due to ongoing RAM shortages and other issues impacting various categories of consumer electronics, including VR, Meta’s own spending priorities are at least partly responsible for the rising prices of those components. The company’s recent hard pivot to the “AI superintelligence” race has directly contributed to the conditions that now make its Quest headsets more expensive.
Spending like a drunk sailor
In January, Meta announced plans to spend $115 billion to $135 billion on capital expenditures this year, up significantly from $72 billion in 2025 and just $28 billion as recently as 2023. The vast majority of that investment is going into AI infrastructure, including a recent $21 billion in new investment in data center company CoreWeave (in addition to $14.2 billion originally committed) and an additional $10 billion recently committed to a planned El Paso data center (up from $1.5 billion initially).
Key Takeaways
- Meta’s recent spending spree on AI infrastructure is partly to blame for the rising costs of RAM and other computing components.
- The company’s focus on AI superintelligence has contributed to conditions that are now making its Quest headsets more expensive.
- Meta plans significant investments in data centers, including additional commitments to El Paso, driven by its AI spending priorities.
Originally published at arstechnica.com. Curated by AI Maestro.
Stay ahead of AI. Get the most important stories delivered to your inbox — no spam, no noise.