Overview of the Meta Quest 3s
So in this article, I’ll be going over my Quest 3s hands-on first impressions based on my short demo, along with giving you three features where I feel the Quest 3s is a worthwhile upgrade over the Quest 2. Of course, I’ll also be letting you know how it stacks up against its more expensive big brother, the Meta Quest 3.
Full disclosure: Meta sponsored this trip, including flights and accommodation. However, my thoughts are entirely my own, and they don’t get to preview this article before it goes live.
Pricing and Availability
So with that said, the Meta Quest 3s is Meta’s latest headset, which will be replacing the Quest 2 as the budget option in Meta’s lineup moving forward. Pre-orders for the Quest 3s are open right now, and it’ll be releasing on the 15th of October. There are two Quest 3s models available: the 128 GB model, which comes in at $299 or £289 British, and the 256 GB model, which comes in at $399 or £379 British.
Meta are also reducing the price of the 512 GB Quest 3, which is the top-of-the-line model, down from $649 to $499 or £469 British. This, to be honest, is a fantastic deal. To make these deals even sweeter, everyone that pre-orders a Quest 3s or buys a Quest 3 up until April next year will get Batman Arkham Shadow for free when it releases on the 22nd of October. Now, I got to play Batman Arkham Shadow at Games com last month, and I was super impressed with it. I did a whole article on it that you can check out on the channel.
Financing Options
Now, if you’re interested in buying one of these new headsets, there are now financing options available through the Meta website.
Features and Specs of the Quest 3s
So the base model Quest 3s is $200 cheaper than the Quest 3. Now, to make it cheaper, Meta had to make some sacrifices and trade-offs, so let’s go over the headset’s form factor, specs, and features.
The Quest 3s has a similar form factor to the Quest 2, so it’s not as slim or as compact as the Quest 3. Now, this is mainly down to the fact that the Quest 3s uses the same display and Fresnel lenses that are found in the Quest 2, which is running a resolution of 1832 by 1920 pixels per eye. The Fresnel lenses found in the Quest 3s are a bit old now, to be honest. They have a smaller sweet spot and suffer from more glare compared to the excellent pancake lenses found in the Quest 3. This is the major trade-off with the Quest 3s, in my opinion.
On the plus side, though, if you happen to own prescription lens inserts for the Quest 2, I’ve been told they will be compatible with the Quest 3s. While it doesn’t have pancake lenses, the Quest 3s does have the newer Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor that features in the more expensive Quest 3. This means that it feels super snappy to use, and it can play the latest Quest 3 exclusive games like Batman Arkham Shadow and Alien Rogue Incursion.
Having this new processing power means that developers can break free from the restrictions of the Quest 2 platform and start to make more complex and better-looking standalone games moving forward.
Camera and Tracking Improvements
Looking at the front of the Quest 3s, we have a brand new camera layout. There are four tracking cameras: two located on the front faceplate at the bottom of the camera arrays and two tracking cameras on the sides. There’s also two IR illuminators on the far edges and two color passthrough cameras located at the top. These color passthrough cameras look just as good as the Quest 3, in my opinion, and this means that you’ll be able to clearly see your surroundings when needed and be able to play awesome mixed reality games like Miracle Pool, 11 Table Tennis, and Starship Home.
Design Changes and Accessories
There are a couple of new interesting design changes on the Quest 3s. Firstly, there’s a dedicated passthrough button that you can press to quickly jump between VR and the passthrough mode. Secondly, there’s a complete removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Now, for me, this is a strange design choice because I use the headphone jack on my headsets all the time, and it’s not a particularly expensive component. However, Meta feels that it’s not needed anymore and that most players will just use the built-in speakers or use a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter if they want to use wired headphones. But I’m curious to know what you all think of this in the comments down below.
Further to this, the Quest 3s uses the same great controllers that ship with the Quest 3 alongside the new headset. I also got to check out some brand new accessories, like the new breathable facial interface, which has these mesh sections on the sides and a silicone-style face cushion. I used this facial interface throughout my demo session with the Quest 3s, and I found the mesh a little distracting when playing VR games, as you do get some light leakage on the sides. But I can see the benefit of using it for active games and fitness applications.
I didn’t get to try this next one out, but they also had an open-air facial interface, so you can be more immersed in mixed reality experiences, which looks pretty interesting, and I’m looking forward to checking it out when the headset launches next month. They also had a new controller charging dock for both the Quest 3s and the Quest 3 that has a small stand for wirelessly charging the controllers and a passthrough power cable to charge the headset. Finally, they also had a couple of brand new Quest 3s carry cases.
Conclusion
So here’s my conclusion. Firstly, if you already own a Quest 3, the Quest 3s isn’t for you. You already have the best Quest headset available on the market right now. The Meta Quest 3s is positioning itself as the more affordable option, and at $299, it’s a fantastic deal for newcomers and those looking to upgrade from the original Quest or Quest 2. The Quest 2 was a huge success at this price point, so hopefully, we’ll see the same success with the Quest 3s.
The Quest 3s does pack the same processing power as the Quest 3, so you’ll be able to play all the upcoming Quest 3 exclusive titles, like Batman Arkham Shadow, for example. It offers full color passthrough for mixed reality content, but as a trade-off, it’s based on a similar form factor as the Quest 2, and it’s stuck with the Quest 2’s lower resolution display and older Fresnel lenses. Ultimately, the Quest 3s is a great budget option, but my personal recommendation, based on my experience with the headset, is if you have the additional budget or you can wait a little bit longer and save some extra money, then go for the Quest 3 at the new reduced price of $499, as it’s the better all-around headset with its sleeker form factor, higher resolution displays, and its excellent pancake lenses.
Overall, though, I’m just happy we now have a more affordable Quest 3 option, so more people can jump in and enjoy the latest content that VR and mixed reality have to offer.
Questions and Feedback
Now, if you have any questions about the Quest 3s, please feel free to drop them in the comments down below. Please let me know what you all think: does this get you excited for the Quest 3s? Are you going to pre-order one? And if so, what games are you most excited to play on it? I’d love to know in the comments down below.