Meta makes Mixed Reality more affordable with Quest 3S

Meta has officially announced the Quest 3S headset and it’s the company’s most affordable Mixed Reality headset to date. The affordability is what’s going to draw people in. However, what’s going to keep them there and perhaps solidify a purchase is the fact that the Quest 3S is not only affordable but that it manages to be affordable while also offering just about everything the Quest 3 does. The Qest 3S was announced as part of Meta’s Connect event today. Appearing alongside other announcements like the new Orion AR glasses and the new voice chat features for Meta AI.

Now the Quest 3S isn’t likely to cannibalize Quest 3 sales. The Quest 3 is still more powerful and offers a few more features that the Quest 3S will not. Most notably the higher resolution displays. But the Quest 3 also offers a depth sensor. That might not necessarily matter to customers looking to spend less, but those looking for a headset that’s more capable may look to the Quest 3 over its new less expensive sibling.

That being said, the Quest 3S is looking to be a tantalizing option for someone who hasn’t yet taken the plunge on a Mixed Reality or Virtual Reality headset. Its $299.99 price point compared to the $499.99 price of the Quest 3 is undoubtedly going to pull in consumers. Worth noting, is that these are also base costs. The Quest 3S starts at $299 for the 128GB model. You can also get it in a 256GB model for $399.99. By comparison, the Quest 3 skips 256GB for storage and jumps straight to 512GB for $649.99.

There is one small detail about that, though, worth knowing. Meta says it will be dropping the price of the 512GB Meta Quest 3 to $499.99. This means Meta will probably stop offering the 128GB model and make the 512GB model the standard. However, these prices have not changed yet.

The newly announced Meta Quest 3S will launch in October

If you haven’t picked up a Mixed Reality or Virtual Reality headset yet, and the Quest 3S has captured your interest, you can already pre-order it. The headset is available both from Best Buy and from Amazon as well as Meta’s own online store. There’s even a sweet little bonus if you purchase the headset by April 30 of next year. Doing so will net you a free download of the upcoming Batman Arkham Shadow game. There’s even a 3-month trial to Meta Quest+ included.

That’s a pretty good deal if you’re just getting started with Mixed Reality content. You get one free full game and access to a rotating catalog of VR games and other content for 90 days. Honestly, that’s not bad at all if you’re interested in this type of entertainment.

Meta’s new headset is very nearly just a cheaper Quest 3

Aside from the slightly bigger size, lower resolution displays, and lack of a depth sensor, the Quest 3S is almost the same as the Quest 3. Meta has packaged it with the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset. The company says it also has the same performance and features. So you aren’t losing out on what games you can play. Additionally, it comes with the same Touch Plus controllers, and it can supposedly last for up to 2.5 hours on a single charge.

In short, unless you really want higher resolution displays, a depth sensor, and larger storage capacity, the Quest 3S is the headset to go for.