Meta Quest 3S: A Game-Changing Mixed Reality Headset at an Affordable Price

The Morning After: Meta launches a newer, cheaper VR headset

Meta Connect is over for another year, leaving nought but some paper plates on the floor and a raft of new AR/VR gear on the table. Because we're nice, . The headline act is the . Getting the base price down to $300 has meant some compromises, however, like removing the pancake lenses, dropping 4K and reducing the storage. The 3S seems like a smart idea, since cost remains the second biggest barrier to getting VR/AR gear into people's homes. The first, of course, being there's still not a truly killer use case to convince the vast majority of people. To further lever users toward the Quest 3 series, . Naturally, given longstanding developer gripes that it's difficult to develop for both the Quest 2 and 3, this makes plenty of sense. The other big news to come out of the show is the announcement of the . These, the company admits, aren't ready to go on sale yet, but it's working with developers to refine the technology for some unspecified future release. I'll be honest: I'm forever skeptical about the potential for AR to be as smart and useful as I'd need it to be. I'm not going to invest until it's at least as useful as Jeeves -- from PG Wodehouse, not the search engine -- even if it's never going to be able to fold my laundry. -- Dan Cooper Nathan Ingraham was lucky enough to play The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and is happy to share his thoughts. It's a throwback top-down Zelda title, albeit with you playing as the title character for the first time. Nathan's a fan but, much like Tears of the Kingdom, found the sheer breadth and depth of tools available to be frustrating to marshal and organize. Speaking of being lucky to play things ahead of time, Jessica Conditt has only bloomin' gone and played with a PS5 Pro already. . But if you have $700 lying around and really would like to see your games pop in a way they never have before, you should get one. DoNotPay, the "robot lawyer" designed to help you battle the smaller legal irritations of life, has been fined $193,000 by the FTC. . It's part of the FTC's crack down on companies using AI to make boastful claims about their abilities. It looks like . This is both in response to the boardroom drama that briefly saw Altman ousted from the project, and because OpenAI is likely to become a cash cow.

Meta's $300 Quest 3S Headset Significantly Lowers VR's Buy-In Price

The Meta Quest 3S has nearly all the same capabilities as the Meta Quest 3, but costs $200 less. It ships in October. The Quest 3S, Meta's newest mixed reality headset, will be out in the world soon. If you're familiar with the features Meta's VR headsets currently offer, then the only thing about the new hardware that will really surprise you is the price. But it's reverse sticker shock; the new Meta Quest 3S is a $300 headset that has nearly all the capabilities of the $500 Meta Quest 3. This much more modestly priced entry into the metaverse is available for preorder today, and Meta says it will be out on October 15. The Meta Quest 3S was announced today at Meta Connect, the company's big annual developer fete where it typically also announces new products. In the keynote address, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out his vision for the company's latest AR and VR devices and the many, many updates to the artificial intelligence features being built into its platforms. Like the Quest 3, the Quest 3S is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform. It has full color passthrough vision, so you can pipe in a view of your immediate environment (and navigate around your coffee table) without taking the goggles off. There's even a new dedicated button on the bottom of the headset for this; press it whenever you want to see your real life surroundings. The headset is compatible with most Quest 3 accessories, but not all of them. The Quest 3S also features Meta's Horizon OS, which allows for a desktop-like experience where you can cycle through 2D apps and browser tabs and then seamlessly switch to watching a movie or playing a game. And yes, you can play Wordle in it. The base configuration of the Quest 3S comes with 128 GB of storage, and for an extra $100 you can add up to 256 GB (bringing the price to $400). The only version of the older Quest 3 you'll be able to buy is the 512 GB version, and the price on that model is dropping from $650 down to $450. Meta will wind down production of its other headsets, too. The company says it will soon stop selling the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. These cheaper prices, along with a diminished emphasis on the premium models, are meant to entice a broader swath of the VR curious. Meta is likely to announce Quest headsets with beefier specs in the future, though for now that higher class of device faces an uncertain fate. Meta is clearly taking guidance from the underwhelming reception of Apple's Vision Pro headset, and choosing to focus on devices that are cheaper and more accessible. The day before the announcement, Meta offered a 40-minute demo of the Meta Quest 3S at its headquarters in Silicon Valley. I played a demo of the VR game Batman: Arkham Shadow, which comes installed on the Quest 3S if you buy it before April 2025. (If you've ever wanted to feel what it's like to crouch around in a sewer while dressed as Batman, this is a game for you.) But ultimately, the Meta mixed reality experience felt like most other immersive headset experiences. Sprawling, ambitious, blurry, and occasionally disorienting. The headset is light and easy to wear, but still makes you sweat if you keep it on your head too long. The apps it offers are fun, but can be experienced more comfortably on more traditional devices. (I will play Wordle on my phone, thank you.) Horizon Worlds, Meta's virtual meeting and hangout space, could be a neat place to stream a concert, but all the different realms still feel disconnected and strangely thrown together, like if you could shove your head directly into a random subreddit. That said, the weirdness also makes for some of the more interesting moments. At one point during my Quest 3S demo, I navigated, to the chagrin of my Meta press handlers, to a user-created realm in Horizon Worlds called MetDonalds. This turned out to be a VR rendering of a McDonalds restaurant that was exclusively operated by children. Nearly every person there was on mic, and every one of them sounded like a child. I tried to order a digital Happy Meal, and was immediately called out. They asked me how old I was, and when I told them my age there was a great chorus of laughter. Ultimately, the Meta Quest 3S is here to serve up the same kinds of VR features that its VR headsets have offered for a while. The metaverse isn't fully here yet, and Horizon Worlds still feels janky and disorienting. But hey, if these untamed experiences are your thing then at least the Quest 3S will lower the cost of entry. The toddlers running the VR McDonalds in Horizon Worlds are having a blast, so maybe this is really just their world now.

Meta Quest 3S makes mixed-reality gaming affordable | Digital Trends

At Meta Connect 2024, the company announced the Quest 3S, a $300 VR headset with many of the best features of the more expensive Quest 3 that launched last year. While the Quest 3 is a better headset overall, the budget model can run the same mixed-reality games and apps and immersive VR titles. Meta gave the Quest 3S a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, the best available in any Meta VR headset. That's why it can handle big titles like Batman: Arkham Shadow and Asgard's Wrath 2. If you buy a Quest 3S during the promotional period, Arkham Shadow is free. It also has Touch Plus controllers without the bulky rings of the Quest 2's controllers. If you're upgrading from an older VR headset, you'll enjoy more freedom of movement without worrying about clashing rings when drawing a bow or putting your guard up in virtual boxing. Recommended Videos The Quest 3S also has the same hand-tracking and controller compatibility as the Quest 3. In Meta's Horizon OS and a growing number of games and apps, you can simply use your hands to reach out and touch virtual controls as if they were real. Open the browser to see three giant tablets hovering in your surroundings. Tap a drag on a window to click, browse, and scroll. A Meta Quest 3S could replace your tablet. You get automatic privacy, but sharing the screen with someone else isn't as easy. Start the Fast Hands app for some light cardio with hand strikes on the beat. Or grab your controllers for a complete workout to your favorite music with Supernatural. When you're ready for a break, you can open Netflix in a cinema-sized screen and catch up on your favorite series. The Quest 3S can handle work, play, and entertainment. Meta AI has been expanding across social media and it's also in Meta headsets. The Meta Quest 3S has multimodal AI capabilities similar to Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. With the touch of a button, the Quest 3S launches Meta AI to answer spoken questions or identify and discuss any real wide item visible in the passthrough cameras. That all sounds great but at $300 there have to be tradeoffs. The Quest 3S isn't as slim as the Quest 3 and the lenses won't have as large of a sweet spot. The Quest 3S has two clusters of tracking cameras on the front giving it a distinctive look, but the body is reminiscent of the Quest 2. It also uses Fresnel lenses like the older model instead of the Quest 3's advanced pancake lenses. If you can afford the Quest 3, it's still a better VR headset, but the Quest 3S is a great first step into VR or an upgrade from an original Quest or Quest 2. You'll appreciate the lower cost when buying headsets for the whole family. The Quest 3S starts shipping on October 15 and is available for preorder today.

Hands on: Meta Quest 3S review - an affordable mixed-reality headset that everyone might want

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test. There may be no better argument for affordable yet reasonably performant mixed and virtual reality than the new Meta Quest 3S. it strips away a handful of features from the Quest 3 that most users might not notice to achieve a pocket-friendly price point, and it may soon occupy a spot near the top of our best VR headset list. After chasing the high-end with the now-discontinued Meta Quest Pro, and then leapfrogging that headset with a more affordable Meta Quest 3 (which included a better chip and higher display resolution) Meta pulled has back just a bit on resolution, image quality, and depth-sensing, to deliver its most compelling combination of value and performance yet in the Meta Quest 3S. There may be a lesson here for Apple, which has been chasing the high-end with the $3,499 / £3,499 Apple Vision Pro, a headset that has the highest imaginable specs, and includes powerful hand and face tracking. However, while Apple hasn't shared much about sales, it's clear that it has not enjoyed iPhone-level adoption. With the $299.99 / £289.99 Quest 3S, Meta is now focused on the middle, a sizeable segment of potential users that has yet to adopt VR and mixed reality at scale. Coming in at hundreds less than the $499.99 / £469.99 Quest 3 is not without sacrifice. The Quest 3S has a lower per-eye solution, at 1832 x 1920 per eye, matching that of the now-discontinued Quest 2. The Quest 3 by contrast offers a 4K display with 2064 x 2208 per eye. Plus it has a pancake display design, which is slimmer and less bulky than the Quest 3S's fresnel lens. Like the Quest 3 and Quest 2 before it, the Quest 3S isn't trying to be Vision Pro or even a Quest Pro. It's a glasses-friendly headset that can track your hands, and ships with controllers for maximum compatibility with games and apps that have not been remade for gesture control. That fact that the Quest 3S works with glasses is a big deal for many users, including me. There's no need for special lens inserts (which also add cost); the headset can adjust to fit your head and the glasses you wear every day. Despite the price and some sub-pro specs, the Quest 3S is also a mixed-reality headset with image passthrough capabilities that match those of the Quest 3: 4MP RGB, 18ppd. There's no hardware depth sensor, though, which means some of the headset's recognition of your environment may be lacking. Meta is pitching the Quest 3S as no less than a do-it-all mixed reality headset, supporting console-level gaming, productivity (look at all those floating browser windows!), exercise, entertainment, and virtual gathering places in the form of Horizon Worlds. How good is the Meta Quest 3S? I took it for a quick spin, and below you can read my hands-on first impressions - the TLDR version is that this is the well-fitting, easy-to-use, glitch-free performing VR and mixed reality headset that you probably want. Meta unveiled the Quest 3S at its September 25 Meta Connect event. There are two Meta Quest 3S models, and the only difference between them is the amount of on-board storage. The 128GB headset costs $299.99 / £289.99, and the 256GB model costs $399.99 / £379.99. Pre-orders are open now, with shipping from October 15. The hallmark of good VR headset design is when you need a minimum of guidance to get it on your head and find a good fit. In this regard, the Meta Quest 3S largely succeeds. In my hands, it felt relatively lightweight. At 514 grams (just a bit over a pound) it's just a gram lighter than the Meta Quest 3. It comes with a Y strap that supports the Quest 3S over the top and across the back of your head. I found the strap-adjustment system fairly obvious. There's a pair of plastic strap guides that you push together or pull apart to adjust the tightness of the strap that goes around your head. The top strap uses velcro. As is the case with Apple's Vision Pro, this top strap is critical to comfort; otherwise, the weight of the headgear rests on your face. Meta has redesigned the face cushions for added comfort. It felt pretty good, but I still found myself sweating underneath the soft foam, although to be fair the demo room was pretty warm. Button placement is also good. There's a home button on the headset (in case you opt not to use the included remotes) and a volume rocker that I found with a little guidance. Meta appears to be taking a relatively cavalier attitude when it comes to the fit. The Meta reps just let me slip the headset on over my glasses and make fit adjustments. We never talked about adjusting pupillary distance or focus and, to be honest, none of that seemed to matter. They handed me the two controllers, which look a bit like white versions of my Meta Quest Pro (RIP) remotes, but without the magnets to hold them together. The remotes, which include safety straps, were comfortable to hold, and my thumbs found the buttons, though I could also see them in passthrough mode. The Quest 3S is also an able hand-tracker, and you can choose to use the headset without the remote, although not all games and experiences will support it. In any case, I didn't get to try it out during my demo. As soon as I put on the headset and it woke from sleep mode I could see a slightly grainy, full-color version of my environment. Also floating in front of me were three screens, for music, applications, and the web browser. I could hold down the Oculus button on the right-hand controller to reset the viewport so all the windows were directly in front of me - this is exactly how it worked with previous Quest headsets. I've used a number of different VR and mixed-reality headsets, and found the gestures for moving, resizing, and opening applications pretty obvious. Unlike the Vision Pro, the Quest 3S does not track my vision, so I needed to point at whatever I wanted to move or grab; I couldn't just look and something would light up. Still, for $299.99, no one should be expecting eye tracking. I was told that I could open multiple web browsers and place them all around the room, but I got stuck at one point and could not seem to move my browser window out of my field of view; it just kept snapping back into place. This apparently related to the positioning and visibility of the menu bar. There may be a bit of a learning curve for more advanced mixed-reality window placement. I summoned a virtual keyboard, but instead of typing I selected the microphone icon and said "TechRadar", selected enter, and our homepage loaded. It, like everything I saw in a window, looked very sharp. The Meta Quest 3S lacks the Quest 3's 4K dual displays, but it still delivers HD-quality content to each eye via a fresnel lens (the Quest 3 has slimmer pancake displays). I also opened the music app and played some smooth jazz. The dual, open-ear speakers deliver crisp, loud, spatial audio that I enjoyed listening to. After closing TechRadar.com (you, of course, should always keep it open), I opened a canned Dolby Atmos demo and then, using some of the browser settings, switched to Theater mode, which popped the video out of the browser window. When I selected the dimming option, I could turn down the passthrough video until it fell into darkness. I also grabbed a little curve on the lower-left side of the window and made the screen massive. Now it was as if I was in a cavernous movie theater. It's an effect I've seen done somewhat more dramatically on the Vision Pro, but it's still quite effective here. I spent the most time, though, inside Batman: Arkham Shadow, an excellent Batman first-person action and puzzle game that looks fantastic on the headset. Unlike my mixed-reality experiences, this is immersive and interactive. so, yes, I stood up to play. I'll admit, it's been a while since I've played this kind of game on a VR headset, so some of the movement made me a bit dizzy. I needed a minute to get my sea legs under me, and to remind myself that I could turn my head around to look, and didn't always need to use the almost too-smooth remote to look around. Soon I was walking through an abandoned factory space in search of opponents. I learned how to grab climb, fly with my cape, throw a batarang, and use a grappling gun. One of the coolest moments was when I was looking around and noticed my full Batman shadow on the ground. Ii could barely hold back from whispering earnestly, "I'm Batman". I spent way too much time playing, but eventually got stuck. For this, I blame myself, not the game or Quest 3S. I would've kept going, but the headset warned me I was low on power. It's rated for a maximum of 2.5 hours of play, but your mileage will vary based on activity. In this case, though, many others had been through similar demos before me, and the Quest 3S was just exhausted. My brief hands-on was just a glimpse of what's possible with the Meta Quest 3. It's a home for gaming (it'll ship bundled with not just the Batman game but a 3-month Quest Plus gaming membership). It's a health and fitness wearable with support for workout games like Supernatural (that'll get a sweat on) and Le Mills XR Bodycombat. There are also more chill-friendly health apps, like Headspace XR. It's an entertainment platform, with apps like Peacock and Youtube VR (you can watch Netflix, but only in a browser) and there's now a Travel Mode, so you can use it and watch content while on an airplane. This being Meta, it's also a social tool. I didn't get to try it out, but the Quest 3S supports Horizon Worlds, a social media platform where you can meet up with fellow Quest headset wearers and chat, play, and generally engage. Put another way, there's a lot to explore both inside and out on this mixed-reality headset. Even in my all-too-short demo, I could see that the headset was ready to handle all these activities. That's largely due to the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen2 chipset backed by 8GB of RAM - that's the exact same chip you'll find in the pricier Meta Quest 3. One area where Meta did skimp a bit is on base storage. You get just 128GB, where the Quest 3 starts with 512GB. If you want 256GB on the Quest 3S you'll pay $399 / £379.99. That's what is key here: Meta has made few noticeable concessions to bring the price of its Quest line down to affordability for the masses. I know, $299.99 isn't cheap, but it does look like an incredible bargain next to the Vision Pro and now-defunct Quest Pro. And if you're comparing it to the $499.99 Quest 3 with its higher-resolution displays and slightly better hardware-based 3D object tracking, it still looks quite good. I'm pretty sure that Meta has a very popular gift on its hands for Christmas and the holiday season. The Meta Quest 3S is a near-perfect blend of mixed-reality value and performance. It's not breaking any new ground in terms of AR/VR innovation, but it will easily meet or exceed expectations for image quality, control, fit, fun, and even utility. Even though the world's attention has turned to AI, there is still a solid market for VR, especially among gamers. A $299.99 mixed-reality headset that does console-style gaming and so much more is just what the doctor ordered, and what I believe you'll be ordering just in time for the holidays.