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, which will increase by $50–$100 (about 12–20 percent) starting on April 19. In announcing that price increase on Thursday, the company cited “the global surge in the price of critical components—specifically memory chips—and its own spending priorities as contributing to these increases.”
Unlike many other tech companies that have been pushed into similar price increases due to the ongoing RAM shortage, Meta’s recent hard pivot to the “AI superintelligence” race has directly contributed to the conditions now making its Quest headsets more expensive. The company 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).
Spending like a drunk sailor
In January, Meta announced that it 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).
Meta’s recent hard pivot to the “AI superintelligence” race has directly contributed to the conditions now making its Quest headsets more expensive, unlike many other tech companies that have been pushed into similar price increases due to the ongoing RAM shortage.
Key Takeaways
- Meta is increasing the price of its Quest VR headsets by $50–$100 starting on April 19 due to rising costs of critical components.
- The company’s spending priorities, particularly in AI infrastructure, are contributing to the increased prices of those components that affect the Quest headsets.
- Meta plans to spend significantly more on capital expenditures this year compared to recent years, with a large portion going into AI-related investments and data center construction.
Originally published at arstechnica.com. Curated by AI Maestro.
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