Meta tends to keep its sales figures under wraps, but there are still ways we can estimate the popularity of their headsets—one key indicator being the number of fresh downloads for their must-have companion app, Meta Horizon, available on both Android and iOS.
According to some insightful data shared by independent analyst Omdia and reported by Game Developer through a Forbes article, the downloads for the Meta Horizon app took a noticeable dip of 27% this past Christmas compared to the previous year, which usually marks the highest annual download frenzy for the app.
In the data visualization provided by Omdia and Sensor Tower, you can also see major milestones from Meta’s series of Quest releases—including the Quest 2 rollout in October 2020 followed by its impressive sales record, the introduction of Quest 3 in October 2023, and the more recent unveiling of Quest 3S in October 2024.
For those unfamiliar, the Quest 3S is Meta’s latest mixed reality headset, incorporating the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset from Quest 3 and boasting full-color mixed reality features. However, it retains the older displays and bulkier Fresnel lenses from Quest 2. It’s certainly a good pick if you’ve got $300 to spend, though we’d still lean towards the Quest 3, which has a price tag of $500.
It’s crucial to mention, though, that the chart misses out on re-downloads, updates, or any downloads made on different devices under the same iOS or Google Play account. It doesn’t account for those users who already own a Quest device and decide to add another, like moving up from Quest 2 to Quest 3S.
Game Developer also highlights other elements that muddy the waters when correlating app downloads to headset sales, such as second-hand sales, shared headsets, and people downloading the app just to browse the store without actually owning the headset.
Without official numbers, third-party retailers offer another way to gauge interest. Looking at Amazon’s sales data, Game Developer notes that more than 160,000 Quest headsets were sold in eight countries this November, translating to a 16% dip from last year’s Amazon sales figures. Around two-thirds of these were Quest 3S units, while the rest were Quest 3.
Interestingly, the Quest 3S emerged as the top-selling console on Amazon US in 2024, outpacing the likes of the Switch, PlayStation 5 Pro, and the Xbox Series S and X refreshes.
Despite this win, the downward trend in app downloads along with the year-over-year sales decline might hint at waning excitement compared to the Quest 2’s prime days, which were remarkably successful. Omdia’s figures reveal that Meta saw more than double the app downloads the year after Quest 2 launched and nearly tripled those numbers the following Christmas.
We’ll have to wait and see how much momentum Meta throws behind the Quest 3 and Quest 3S and how many major, possibly exclusive, games they fund to stir excitement as this year edges towards the holiday season. To help push Quest 3S sales along, Meta has cut $50 off the largest storage model (256GB) for a limited time, now costing $350, and is also bundling a free copy of the well-praised Batman: Arkham Shadow, plus a three-month trial of Quest+, their game subscription service.
Whether these trends indicate a leveling off in the VR market or just a shift in consumer preferences is still up for debate, but one fact remains unshaken: Meta’s Quest lineup continues to lead the charge in consumer VR. Yet, change could be on the horizon, particularly if Google has anything to say about it.
