The Meta Quest 3S VR headset is here for an incredible new low price

Priced at just $299.99, the Meta Quest 3S has an amazingly low price and while it does compromise in some areas, it still delivers plenty.

Meta has just unveiled the Meta Quest 3S, a new lower-cost variant of its Quest 3 VR headset that does include some downgrades but still makes for a compelling offer thanks to an amazingly low price. While the Quest 3 has just been discounted to $429.99, the new Quest 3S comes in at just $299.99.

With the Quest 3 riding high as the best VR headset you can buy right now, Meta certainly knows a thing or two about making a headset for the masses but this new low entry price for the Meta Quest 3S takes the situation to a whole new level. Technically, Meta still lists the Quest 2 as available for just $199.99, but it’s sold out on its store and is a much less-capable headset.

In order to hit that new sub-$300 price, Meta has pared back the design of the Quest 3S, removing the Quest 3’s depth sensor and reducing the field of view, display resolution, and lens quality. Where the Quest 3 has a resolution of 2,064 x 2,208 pixels per eye, the Quest 3S drops to the same 1,832 x 1,920 resolution as the Quest 2.

Meanwhile, the field of view of the Quest 3S is 96° horizontal and 90° vertical, which compares to 110° horizontal and 96° vertical for the Quest 3. The lens setup has also changed from an the pancake lens of the Quest 3 (above right) to a fresnel lens (above left), while the inter pupillary distance adjustment has also reverted from a continous adjust to a three-position adjustment.

As a result of all these tweaks, the Quest 3S will generally feel slightly more restricted in its view with a bit less clarity. However, early reports of users trying the new headset suggest the downgrade doesn’t feel as noticeable as you might expect. Helping in this regard is that the displays are still 120Hz-capable, though they can only drop to 90Hz minimum not the 72Hz of the Quest 3.

Other changes include that the headset’s design has been tweaked, with a slightly larger overall build and a less curved shape. The arrangement of the front sensors has also changed with them now clustered in two pairs of three, rather than three lozenge-shapes in a row.

A new addition is also present in the Quest 3S, which is an Action Button. This can be used to switch between passthrough and immersive modes. That’s already a feature on the Quest 3 but there isn’t a dedicated button for the function.

Of course, Meta is keen to push the mixed reality abilities of this headset – thus the passthrough mode – with features such as being able to watch a movie on a virtual screen with a view of the room around you or playing games that let you see the room you’re in. It’s a step towards the sort of VR vision Apple has pushed with the Vision Pro.

Highlighting this further is the general standalone capability of the Quest 3S, with it powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 as the Quest 3 and including a 4,324 mAh battery for up to 2.5hours of cable-free use. It’s less a consideration for PC gaming but adds versatility to the headset which means it’s not just stuck plumbed into your PC.

The Quest 3S comes with either 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage, with the latter being half that available in the top-end Quest 3 (that has dropped from $649.99 to just $499.99). The new headset comes with the same in-box features as the Quest 3, with a universal power adapter and set of controllers included.

You can buy the Meta Quest 3 at its new lower prices now from the Meta store or via the Amazon links above. Alternatively, you can pre-order the Meta Quest 3S on Meta’s store or via the other above link.

For more on the Meta Quest 3’s capabilities, check our Quest 3 review that details how the headset improved considerably on the Quest 2.