It’s finally official. After months of leaks – including a few from Meta itself – Meta Connect 2024 finally revealed everything about the Meta Quest 3S, and as expected, it’s a budget-friendly alternative to the Quest 3.
As expected, it has the brains of the Meta Quest 3 – meaning it can play upcoming exclusives like Batman: Arkham Shadow – but the bulkier body of the Meta Quest 2. However, Meta tells us it’s about 20% slimmer even if it does boast fresnel lenses.
This might not immediately look like the most exciting VR headset announcement compared to the Apple Vision Pro, but a device that’s making VR accessible again is a definite winner in our book.
Scroll down for everything you need to know about the Meta Quest 3S, including its price, specs, and release date. You can also check out our hands-on Meta Quest 3S review for our initial thoughts on it.
Meta Quest 3S: Specs
Meta Quest 3S: Price
The Meta Quest 3 comes in two models 128GB, and 256GB. The smaller memory unit will cost you $299.99 / £289.99, while the other will set you back $399.99 / £379.99 (we’re waiting on Australian prices for both models).
For this, you’re getting a slightly better device than we expected. The displays are less sharp than the Quest 3 screens – boasting 1,832 x 1,920 pixels per eye rather than 2,064 x 2,208 – but you get the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 from Qualcomm and 8GB of RAM (we were anticipating just 6GB, so this is great news).
You’ll also get the same 4MP RGB 18ppd cameras for mixed reality but no hardware depth sensor. Lastly, it boasts Fresnel lenses which are thicker than the pancake lens system used by the Quest 3 and can cause the image to appear a bit less sharp around the fringes.
Meta Quest 3S: Release date
The Meta Quest 3S launches on October 15, so you don’t have long to wait to get your hands on it. And if you like what you read in our hands-on you can preorder the headset right now.
Alternatively, you can skip the wait and score the Meta Quest 3 – though you likely don’t have long until the Meta Quest 3 128GB model sells out as Meta has discontinued it. The 128GB Meta Quest 3 will be on sale for $429.99 (UK and Australian pricing to be confirmed) while stock lasts, but the 512GB model will stick around at $499.99 / £469.99 (Australian pricing to be confirmed).
Meta Quest 3S: Design & Features
The Meta Quest 3S looks just like it did in the leaks. It's a little bigger than the Quest 3 (though still 20% slimmer than the Quest 2, according to Meta), and at 514g, it's 1g lighter than the Quest 3.
We also learned that the new button on the headset next to the volume bar isn't a programmable action button, as was rumored. Instead, it's a simple home button to make navigation a little easier when you're using hand tracking instead of controllers.
Speaking of, the Quest 3S has the same controllers as the Meta Quest 3, so if you were worried it might have lost its handsets in an effort to cut costs, you have nothing to fear.
Features-wise, the Quest 3S can seemingly do almost everything the Meta Quest 3 can. You'll be able to enjoy full-color mixed reality, hand tracking in experiences that support it, Xbox Cloud game streaming, and the multitasking features recently added to Horizon OS, too.
The only issues you might run into are any apps that rely on the Quest 3's depth sensor, as the Meta Quest 3S doesn't have one. This shouldn't cause too many issues for playing games and watching videos, but some apps might not work as effectively (or at all) as they would on the Quest 3.
Meta Quest 3S: Software
Because the Meta Quest 3S has similar mixed-reality capabilities and specs to the Meta Quest 3, it’ll have access to all of the same software – that is, everything available on the Quest platform’s Store (and many other games and apps available through sideloading via third-party digital storefronts).
This includes the upcoming Meta Quest 3-exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow, which is bundled with new purchases of Quest 3S and the 512GB Meta Quest 3 through April, 30, 2025. This means you have plenty of time to score it.
