The Quest 2 offers lower specs than Meta’s latest headset, true, but it also costs half the price. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
In case you haven’t heard, the Meta Quest 2’s $249 holiday pricing is sticking around for good. That’s a natural progression for the second-gen VR headset, which launched in 2020 and was recently outclassed by the newer Meta Quest 3. What’s more, if you pick up a 128GB Quest 2 at Walmart right now, you’ll receive a $50 Meta Store credit to help you build up your game library, essentially making it a $200 purchase.
At launch, the Quest 2 was an excellent little device thanks to its standalone nature. As far as mainstream VR headsets go, it remains one of the easiest and most affordable devices to pick up and play, especially since you don’t have to worry about external depth sensors and wires. You won’t be able to engage in unique mixed-reality experiences as you can with the Quest 3 — the last-gen model doesn’t feature full-color passthrough cameras, after all — but the Quest 2 retails for half the price and still supports a vast majority of the same titles, albeit often at lower specs. Plus, Meta has continued to roll out regular updates for its entry-level headset over the last year or so, boosting GPU speeds and CPU power, with the promise of more support to come.
Read our Meta Quest 2 review.
Three things are normally true about Bang and Olufsen products: they produce really good sound, they look outstanding, and you’ll pay a healthy premium to own them. But you don’t have to compromise your budget thanks to Amazon’s current deal on the Beosound Explore, which drops the portable speaker down to an all-time low of $119.78 (about $80 off) in black.
B&O’s cylindrical, Bluetooth 5.2 speaker sends sound in every direction, and it’s made to withstand the elements. It looks the part thanks to the included carabiner, and you can trust it won’t whimper in the elements given it’s built to survive drops of up to 1.5 meters and rated IP67 for dust and water resistance. I’ve used the Explore, and while I baby my gear too much to know whether it reliably can survive worst-case scenarios, I can confirm it feels as rugged and substantial as it looks.
You can also rest assured its 1.8-inch drivers emanate impressive audio. The default sound signature doesn’t provide room-thumping bass, but if that’s what you like, you can dial in your preferred sound signature with the help of an onboard equalizer. It should last for up to 27 hours, too, and supports stereo sound when paired with a second Explore.
More great weekend deals to consider
Building out a new game room? Amazon is selling Arcade1Up’s Capcom Legacy and Pac-Man arcade cabinets for $299.98 ($200 off) right now, making it the perfect opportunity to add some retro flair. Each comes preloaded with 14 games and features authentic artwork, a coin drop, and a lighted marquee. The Capcom cabinet, which is anchored by Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting, adds online play and global leaderboards, which is a first for this line.
The Canon Ivy 2 — the sequel to our favorite Zinc photo printer — is on sale at Amazon, Target, and B&H Photo starting at $69 ($31 off), making retro-style fun a bit more affordable. The second-gen instant photo printer, which supposedly offers better color accuracy and sharpness, lets you print photos directly from iOS or Android using zero-ink, sticker-backed paper. It comes with a sheet of 10, but if you want additional prints, Amazon is currently selling a pack of 20 for $9.98, 50 for $24.98, and 100 for $49.99.
Huanuo’s dual monitor mount has never been cheaper at $34.99 ($25 off), which is its current price at Amazon when clip the on-page coupon and use promo code 6PX3ZDFB (via Slickdeals). Each arm can accommodate monitors between 13 and 30 inches in size that weigh between 4.4 and 19.8 pounds. Huanuo products have a pretty good track record — the stands and monitor arms get pretty good workouts around our offices — with several staff members at The Verge entrusting them with even high-end monitors.
We’re not sure how long the deal on Hoto’s electric screwdriver will stick around, but you can still grab the handy tool at Amazon for $40.84 ($29 off) after clipping the on-page coupon. The battery-powered screwdriver, which is a beloved staple for many of us at The Verge, features LED lights, three torque speeds, and 12 steel bits machined to fit the most common screws. You can use it to build furniture or make minor electronics repairs, and you can always shut it off for manual jobs that require a bit more delicacy.
