My guess as to why there aren’t more in-store demo units is because of the need for space and staff onsite for a smooth demo. Unlike Apple, meta only has one storefront. The issue of cleanliness also calls for the need for onsite staff
The best they could do is subsidize the cost which they have done multiple times in the past. The lowest price for a Quest 2 that I’ve seen is $229
> The issue of cleanliness also calls for the need for onsite staff
I'm not sure why this is being downvoted.
As anyone who actually tried to demo a quest 2/pro knows, this was absolutely true, and still is true [1].
During covid, there were no in-store demos that I could find for the Pro or Quest 2, in my city of millions. One large chain advertised demos, but it was by appointment, and not one within 100 miles actually went through with it.
Now, with COVID restrictions gone, the locations are far between, and require assisted demos, because you can't really leave a VR headset tethered to a counter and not have something break.
The only reliable way to try was to buy it and return it. See all of the subreddits for how widespread this behavior was.
I think the real issue is that HL: Alyx is an extreme outlier in quality, in VR gaming, which isn't good.
The best they could do is subsidize the cost which they have done multiple times in the past. The lowest price for a Quest 2 that I’ve seen is $229