Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered some of his strongest comments about the strength of the company’s business in virtual reality in an earnings call with investors.
Quest 2 “is on track to be the first mainstream virtual reality headset,” Zuckerberg said during the call. “Facebook has done more than any other company to help virtual reality reach mainstream.”
As is typical, Facebook didn’t provide any specific figures for how many Quest headsets it sold. However, the company’s revenue in its non-advertising “other” category grew in the last three months of 2020 from $346 million in the same period of 2019 to $885 million in 2020. Oculus Quest 2 launched in October with a lighter, more powerful and less expensive follow up to the 2019 first edition of the headset. Dozens of developers with software available in the Quest store are believed to have seen revenues above $1 million selling software for the all-in-one devices.
Quest 2 “is doing quite well, and I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to do there,” Zuckerberg said. “We’re continuing to work on new hardware, the new hardware…the content that works on Quest 2 should be forward compatible.”
Some of the comments echo things Zuckerberg has said previously, like the fact that content for Quest will be forward compatible, but stating that Facebook’s standalone headset is heading toward mainstream adoption marks a significant moment of confidence from the CEO.
“I’m excited about our product roadmap for 2021 as we build new and meaningful ways to create economic opportunity, build community and help people just have fun,” Zuckerberg said in a prepared statement prior to the call.
