June 26 (Reuters) – Meta Platforms (META.O) on Monday launched Meta, a subscription-based service for virtual reality (VR) headsets, to shape an nascent but high-investment market. Started Quest+.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on the social media app Instagram’s broadcast channel that MetaQuest+ subscriptions will be available starting Monday for Quest 2, Pro for $7.99 a month, and $59.99 a year, soon. Said it will be available in Quest 3 as well.

Apple (AAPL.O) has entered a market dominated by Meta, unveiling a $3,499 augmented reality headset called the Vision Pro. Still, Apple’s headset costs three times as much as Meta’s most expensive headset.

Meta lowered the price of the headset in March after its bold bet on the Metaverse didn’t make much headlines.

According to Meta’s website, the price of the social media company’s flagship VR headset Meta Quest Pro has now dropped to $999.99 from its launch price of $1,499.99, while the Quest 2 retails for $299.99.

Called the next big thing, the introduction of virtual reality headsets is limited to the gaming community, even though the devices have more advanced capabilities.

Reported by Jaspreet Singh of Bangalore.Editing: Krishna Chandra Elli

Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.