Meta just unveiled a less expensive version of its Quest 3 VR headset, dubbed the Quest 3S. Hot on the heels of this annoucement, Amazon already has a placeholder page up and you can actually preorder it for October 15 delivery. Alternatively, you can order it straight from the Meta Store. The 128GB model is available for $299.99 and the 256GB model for $399.99. That's up to $200 less expensive than the Quest 3 128GB VR headset and definitely a more attractive price for anyone planning to jump aboard the VR bandwagon.
Update: More retailers (including Walmart, Best Buy, and Gamestop) now have preorder pages up. No matter where you preorder, you'll also receive a voucher for Batman: Arkham Shadow VR and a 3-month trial of Meta Quest+.
Preorder the New Meta Quest 3S VR Headset
As the IGN staff member who reviewed the Quest 3 headset last year, I'll be the first to admit that the $500 price tag makes the Quest 3 overly expensive and thus inaccessible to new and casual VR gamers. Fortunately, the upcoming Meta Quest 3S appears to be the true spiritual successor to the Quest 2. It improves upon the previous generation headset in nearly every way while somehow matching its price. You'd think that there were a lot of concessions made, but at least on paper the Quest 3S seems to retain much of the tech and feature improvements of the Quest 3. Here's a quick breakdown of the differences between the two models.
Quest 3S vs. Quest 3 Similarities
- Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor
- Touch Plus controllers
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Mixed reality passthrough (same cameras, different layout)
Quest 3S vs. Quest 3 Differences
- Lower per-eye resolution (1832x1920 vs 2064×2208)
- Fresnel lens vs. pancake lens
- Lower FOV (96°/90° vs 104°/96°)
- Smaller maximum storage capacity (256GB vs 512GB)
- Longer battery life (2.5hrs vs 2.2hrs)
In essence, the Quest 3S is nearly the same headset but with downgraded optics. On the plus side, since both headsets use the same processor, running at a lower resolution reduces the load on the APU, which could theoretically improve performance in games and also account for the increased battery life.
For the price, the Quest 3S is unquestionably a better value than the Quest 3, and a better choice for most gamers, especially if the Quest 3 was completely out of your budget in the first place. Compared to the previous generation Quest 2, the decision is even easier. Aside from the resolution – which is identical – the Quest 3S improves upon the Quest 2 in virtually every way. It's not a surprise, then, that Meta plans to phase out the Quest 2 moving forward.
Interested in the Quest 3? Expect a price drop soon.
If you're still interested in the Quest 3 and its superior optics, I'd recommend you hold off on your purchase just a little longer. According to this Facebook news article, the 512GB model will be dropping to $499.99, which is the current price of the much smaller capacity 128GB model. It's still $649.99 at the Meta Store (and everywhere else) so this price adjustment hasn't quite happened yet, but we'll be sure to report on it when it does.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
