VRHow / VR History / Meta / Oculus Quest 2

Meta / Oculus Quest 2 history

Short answer: Quest 2 launched as the Oculus Quest 2 on October 13, 2020, after a September 16 announcement and pre-order period. Its launch configuration was a standalone Snapdragon XR2 headset with 6GB RAM, 1832 × 1920 pixels per eye, new Touch controllers and a $299 USD starting price. It later became known as Meta Quest 2 as Meta replaced Facebook as the company brand in October 2021. Meta wound down headset sales in September 2024 as Quest 3S took the entry-level position; Meta’s current product page calls Quest 2 discontinued, while noting that retailer stock may remain. Last checked October 11, 2026.

2020: Oculus Quest 2 is announced and ships

On September 16, 2020, Facebook Reality Labs announced the product under the name Oculus Quest 2. The announcement opened pre-orders, set a $299 USD starting price ( $100 below the original Quest), and said it would ship on October 13. The same primary record describes an all-in-one design, new Touch controllers, Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2, 6GB RAM and 1832 × 1920 pixels per eye. Meta’s announcement also says Quest 2 was compatible with Oculus Link for PC VR and had access to the Quest content library.

The October 13, 2020 availability notice confirmed that the headset was on sale at Oculus and named retail partners in the US, UK/EU and Japan, as well as Amazon worldwide. It specifically described Japan as a new retail market for Oculus products. That is evidence of announced distribution, not proof that every configuration was available in every country. Meta’s launch-day record also documents the launch software/content ecosystem, optional comfort and carrying accessories, and Oculus Link.

2021: a configuration change and a temporary sales pause

On July 27, 2021, Meta announced a voluntary recall process for the removable foam facial interface after reports of skin irritation, and said it was temporarily pausing global Quest 2 sales while adding a silicone cover. The company said that, when sales resumed, the 64GB model would be replaced by a 128GB SKU at the same $299 USD price; the 256GB model remained part of the offering. Meta said the silicone cover would be included in every box from August 24. These are product-line changes documented in Meta’s July 2021 community letter, not a new headset generation.

2021 onward: Oculus name to Meta Quest

On October 28, 2021, Meta announced “Meta” as the new company brand at Connect 2021. The announcement linked Quest 2 to the company’s new Presence Platform and described Meta as bringing Facebook’s apps and technologies together under one brand. Meta’s company-brand announcement is firm evidence for the corporate rebrand date.

The hardware had launched as Oculus Quest 2, while later product and support material uses Meta Quest 2. The available primary announcement does not establish a single, exact day when every box, logo, app or web page changed, so this article does not claim one. “Oculus Quest 2” is the launch-era name; “Meta Quest 2” is the later brand form.

2024: sales wind down and discontinuation

On September 25, 2024, reporting around Meta Connect said Meta was officially winding down Quest 2 sales as the lower-priced Quest 3S entered the lineup. TechCrunch quoted Meta’s statement that remaining Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets would be sold through the end of 2024 or until stock ran out, whichever came first; Road to VR reported the same sales-window language. The wording describes a wind-down rather than a guaranteed single last retail date. See TechCrunch’s September 25 report and Road to VR’s contemporaneous report.

Meta’s current Quest 3S product page now answers “Is the Meta Quest 2 headset discontinued?” with yes, while warning that some retailers may still have units “while supplies last.” That is the safest present-tense availability statement: Quest 2 is discontinued by Meta, but a third-party listing is not proof of current official production or stock. Meta’s current product page also points shoppers toward Quest 3S as the replacement entry-level headset.

Questions this timeline answers

Was it originally called Meta Quest 2?

No. The September 2020 launch announcement calls it Oculus Quest 2. Meta became the company brand on October 28, 2021; the exact date of the product’s physical and digital naming transition is not established by the cited primary records.

Did the 2021 storage change create a new Quest 2 generation?

No. Meta described the 128GB model as a replacement for the 64GB SKU at the same $299 price, alongside the existing 256GB option and the silicone-cover packaging change.

When did Quest 2 stop being officially sold?

Meta announced a sales wind-down on September 25, 2024, with remaining stock planned through the end of 2024 or until gone. Meta’s current page labels the headset discontinued, but does not give one universal last-sale timestamp.

Sources