Meta has always been a bit secretive about the exact number of headsets they sell, but there are some ways to get a sense of how popular their platform is. One of these ways is by looking at the download numbers for their must-have companion app, Meta Horizon, which you can snag on both Android and iOS.
According to a report by Game Developer, which references data from independent analyst Omdia, there was a noticeable drop in the app’s downloads on Christmas Day 2024, down 27% compared to the same day in 2023. This day has typically been the app’s busiest in terms of downloads.
A chart, brought to us by Omdia and Sensor Tower, highlights some key moments for Meta’s Quest series, such as the launch of Quest 2 in October 2020 that set sales records, Quest 3’s debut in October 2023, and most recently, the launch of Quest 3S in October 2024.
To give you a quick recap—Quest 3S is the newest mixed reality headset. It combines the power of the Quest 3’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset with full-color mixed reality features, alongside some of the older tech from Quest 2, like the displays and Fresnel lenses. If you’re aiming for a budget buy at $300, the Quest 3S is a solid choice, but if you can stretch to $500, the Quest 3 offers more bang for your buck.
However, the chart doesn’t paint the full picture. It doesn’t account for re-downloads, app updates, or when users download the app on new devices tied to existing iOS or Google Play accounts. Plus, it misses cases where existing Quest users might be adding a new device, like upgrading from a Quest 2 to a Quest 3S.
Game Developer also highlights some other factors that can cloud the direct link between app downloads and headset sales, such as the potential for second-hand sales, headset sharing, or folks downloading the app just to check out the app store without owning a headset.
Another way to assess how Quest headsets are doing is to look at third-party retail data. For instance, Game Developer points out that Meta managed to sell over 160,000 Quest headsets through Amazon across eight countries during November 2024. This marks a 16% drop from what they sold on Amazon the previous year. Of these sales, two-thirds were for the Quest 3S, while the rest were Quest 3 units.
Yet, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The Quest 3S emerged as Amazon’s best-selling console in the US for 2024, outpacing other heavyweights like the Switch, PlayStation 5 Pro, and both models of the refreshed Xbox Series S and X.
The dip in both Meta Horizon app downloads and Amazon sales compared to the Quest 2’s glory days might hint at waning excitement. Back when Quest 2 launched, Meta saw its app downloads more than double in the year following its debut and then almost triple the subsequent Christmas.
The question remains: will Meta invest enough in Quest 3 and Quest 3S to reinvigorate interest? Can they commission exclusive blockbuster games to turn heads as we head into the holiday season? They’re trying to sweeten the deal by dropping the price of Quest 3S’s largest storage model (256GB) by $50 for a limited time, bringing it down to $350. This deal also includes a copy of the highly-praised Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month trial for Quest+, their game subscription service.
Does this mark a turning point in the VR landscape or just a shift in what consumers want? While there’s no denying Meta’s Quest series still leads the charge in consumer VR, there might just be a change on the horizon. And Google likely hopes that’s the case.
