Across the similar time Meta hiked up the value on its Quest 2 headsets, it additionally introduced that it’s ending Quest 1 help for Inhabitants One, a well-liked battle-royale shooter set in digital actuality. BigBox VR, the Meta-owned developer behind the sport, shared the replace in a put up on its weblog, noting that Quest 1 house owners will not be capable of launch or play the sport beginning October thirty first, 2022.
BigBox VR says the shutdown is critical so it may possibly concentrate on creating new experiences “that can push the boundaries of multiplayer VR.” Quest 1 gamers can nonetheless technically play the sport if they’ve a VR-ready PC, nevertheless. The sport helps cross-buy, which makes the PC model obtainable through Air Hyperlink and Oculus Hyperlink. This could let customers play Inhabitants: One by connecting their Quest 1 headset to their pc (whether or not wirelessly or with a wired connection). Gamers utilizing the Quest 2, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Rift S will nonetheless have entry to the sport.
Whereas Meta’s providing Quest 1 house owners a refund for Inhabitants: One, there’s a catch: you needed to have bought the sport from the Quest Retailer throughout the previous six months. The coverage appears form of unfair for a sport that launched on the Quest practically two years in the past and can doubtless depart a lot of gamers with a sport that they’ll’t even play (until, after all, they improve to the now-$399 Quest 2 or use Air / Oculus Hyperlink, which requires a dear VR-ready PC).
Inhabitants: One’s shutdown additionally raises the query of whether or not different builders will quickly ax help for the three-year-old Quest 1. Meta spokesperson Caiti Sullivan mentioned in a press release to The Verge that the corporate’s presently “understanding the small print of an ecosystem-wide end-of-support course of,” and that “different builders who select to finish help for apps on Quest 1 shall be in a position to take action.” Meta declined to remark additional when requested whether or not every other video games will finish Quest 1 help within the close to future.
I do know that video games can’t help each older system ceaselessly, however doling out a value improve, together with an announcement that can quickly depart Quest 1 house owners with one much less sport to play, is sort of a double punch to the intestine. As my colleague Jay Peters factors out, Meta might be elevating the value of the Quest 2, and maybe even pushing customers in direction of it, to stem the the losses its digital actuality arm reported in each the primary and second quarter of 2022.
Replace August seventh, 2:27PM ET: Up to date so as to add that Inhabitants: One helps cross-buy.