The Meta Quest 3S has been revealed as the brand’s most affordable mixed reality headset to date, starting at $299.99 USD. It’s an excellent option for those seeking a low-cost upgrade from the Quest or Quest 2, with Batman: Arkham Shadow included for purchases made before April 30, 2025. The Meta Quest 3S is compatible with the entire library of apps and games, including those that have received Quest 3-specific performance updates.
The Meta Quest 3S is powered by the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset with 8GB of RAM, delivering twice the GPU processing power of the Quest 2. The per-eye resolution is 1832 x 1920 pixels, but the Quest 3S does use Fresnel lenses instead of the better Pancake lenses found on the Meta Quest 3. The headset averages 2.5 hours of average run time with a 4,324 mAh battery and it’ll be available in 128GB and 256GB ($399.99 USD) storage options. For mixed reality, the Meta Quest 3S offers 4.5 times the resolution of the Quest 2 (for clarity and color) and features a 96-degree horizontal and 90-degree vertical field of view.
Overall, the Meta Quest 3S has the same per-eye resolution and lenses as the Meta Quest 2 but benefits from the upgraded Gen 2 processor and color passthrough. In addition to unveiling the Meta Quest 3S, the 512GB Meta Quest 3 has received a price reduction of $649.99 USD to $499.99 USD. It’s unclear what will happen to the 128GB model, but given that the 512GB is now priced the same, there’s a good chance it’s being discontinued.
So what does the $200 difference get you if you are considering the Meta Quest 3 over the Meta Quest 3S? The more expensive headset has a per-eye resolution of 2064 x 2208, but the biggest upgrades are the pancake lenses and single LCD display. Otherwise, you’re getting the same processor with both devices.
The Meta Quest 3S launches on October 15, 2024.
