Prices normally drop as devices get older, but that's not the case for the Meta Quest 2. UploadVRreports Meta will raise the price of the Quest 2 from $299 to $400 for the base 128GB version on August 1st, and from $399 to $500 for the 256GB model. You can still find the VR headset for $299 on Amazon as we write this, but you may want to act quickly when supplies could easily run out.
Refurbished Quest 2 prices are jumping to a respective $349 and $429 for 128GB and 256GB headsets. You can also expect higher accessory prices. Meta will partly offset the increases by offering free copies of Beat Saber to new buyers between August 1st and December 31st, but that's not much consolation if the previous price was the chief draw.
The company pinned the increase on higher manufacturing and shipping costs. The Quest 2 price hike will let Meta "grow [its] investment" in research and development for VR products, according to a blog post. Meta pointed to the high-end Project Cambria headset as an example, and emphasized that "new generations" of Quest were in the pipeline.
The Quest 2 is still one of the more affordable entry points for VR (you don't require a PC, after all). That doesn't make the higher minimum outlay any easier, however, and it potentially opens the door to Pico and other companies that might try to compete on price.