Brand new Meta Quest 3S pre-orders are now live, with both the US and UK enjoying a plethora of retailer options to choose from. We're seeing listings available all over the web right now, following the VR headset's announcement last night.
Initial pre-orders were via Meta only, but now that we're onto the second day of action there's far more choice. We'd recommend heading over to Amazon (in both the US and UK) for the easiest time. If you're a Prime member you'll get free, fast shipping and stock is holding out nicely here. Of course, there are plenty of other options if you're a member elsewhere or you'd prefer physical in-store pickup.
The Meta Quest 3S comes in considerably cheaper than the fully fledged console, though at the expense of those pancake lenses. The 128GB sits at $299.99 / £289.99 and the 256GB model is available for $399.99 / £379.99. All Meta Quest 3S pre-orders also come with a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadows and three months of Meta Quest+. The system launches on October 15 in both the US and UK.
The Meta Quest 3 is one of the best VR headsets on the shelves today, and a cheaper version might be just what the brand needs to draw in more first-time buyers. There are still loads of gamers who have never owned a VR headset because they're usually prohibitively expensive, but a cheaper Quest 3S could change that.
Meta Quest 3S pre-orders in the US
Meta Quest 3S pre-orders in the UK
FAQs
Where can I pre-order Meta Quest 3S?
The Meta Quest 3S is available for pre-order via Meta right now, but we're expecting other retailers to pile in shortly. In the UK, early pre-orders are starting to go live at Amazon.
How much will the Meta Quest 3S cost?
The Meta Quest 3S costs $299.99 / £289.99 for the 128GB model and $399.99 / £379.99 for the 256GB model.
Meta Quest 3S specs and features
The Meta Quest 3S does everything the original Quest 3 can; from mixed reality to precision controls. It just drops those beautiful pancake lenses for a more affordable set of Fresnels. What exactly does that mean for you? A pancake lense offers a higher picture quality with increased clarity and fewer visual distortions but they're also much lighter than Fresnel. That means the Quest 3S could be a little heavier on the noggin while offering lower quality visual images. Still, that $200 had to be sacrificed somewhere, and Meta states that the Quest 3S still provides a better visual experience than the Quest 2 overall. You're still getting "4.5x the resolution and color compared to Quest 2" with 96x90° field of view and 773 pixels per inch of display.
The Meta Quest 3S uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip as the Quest 3, so everything under the hood should be running the same. That means the Quest 3S (while it can run with the brand's precision controllers) will still work with the hand tracking features that have dominated the VR space for the last year.
Jazz up your VR loadout with the best Meta Quest accessories, or grab yourself a chair to play in with the best gaming chairs. If you want to play PC VR games, you'll need one of the best gaming PCs.
