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Much like the Nintendo Switch (and for a time, Xbox consoles), retailers have had a ridiculously hard time keeping Facebook’s Oculus Quest VR headset on their shelves. It’s partially because COVID-19 has forced people to stay inside and seek out new ways to keep busy/escape our current reality — read: we’re all still playing tons of video games — and partially because that same global pandemic has shut down supply chains for months, resulting in sky-high demand when the occasional restock actually does happen and “sold out” notices the rest of the time. It’s a perfect (and exceedingly frustrating) storm.
That brings us to our main point: The 128GB Oculus Quest just came back in stock at several retailers, so if you want one, you should buy it as soon as physically possible. (You know, no pressure or anything.) It’ll arrive as soon as next week if you place your order through either Best Buy or the Oculus website, but if those options sell out by the time you read this, Amazon also has it in stock with shipping “within 1 to 2 months.”
SEE ALSO: What are the best video games of all time? I asked our team to help decide.
Why the Oculus Quest, you might ask? As far as VR technology goes, its in a league of its own: Setup its fast and easy; it doesn’t require any extra cables, external sensors, or a PC/smartphone connection; its battery life is decent (two to three hours of continuous playtime on a single charge); and its “experiences” (apps and games) are interesting and immersive. To quote tech reporter Raymond Wong, who reviewed the headset (and gave it a coveted Mashable’s Choice Award) shortly after its release last May, “The Oculus Quest is the beginning of a new chapter for VR: self-contained, wireless, convenient, and fun.”
FWIW, Bloomberg reported in May that Facebook is supposedly working on a next-gen Oculus Quest that’s smaller and lighter, but COVID-19 will most likely push its release back ’til 2021. Needless to say, if you want to guarantee yourself a headset to use in the near future, you’d best go with the current model.
Hurry on over to Best Buy, Oculus’ website, or Amazon to snag the 128GB version for $499 before it inevitably sells out once again.
