The Meta Quest 3S, which officially launched on October 15, takes us back to the glory days of the Quest 2, the bestselling VR headset of all time. It brings back the 2020 headset's cost-cutting downgrades, but also the Quest 3's revamped hardware, combining for a compelling mid-tier upgrade more VR fans can afford.
The main audience for the Meta Quest 3S is Quest 2 owners, those who skipped the 2023 Quest 3 over its high price but still want access to its exclusives, enhancements, and mixed-reality upgrades.
After a Quest 3S hands-on at Meta Connect, our VR expert Nick Sutrich got his hands on a review unit and wrote up his first week of Quest 3S impressions; we'll have a full review soon, but the device is a major boost over the Quest 2 and even has some perks that the costlier Quest 3 doesn't.
Below, we'll focus on everything else you need to know about the Meta Quest 3S, from price and release date to specs and comparisons to other Meta headsets.
Meta Quest 3s: Price and availability
The Meta Quest 3S launched on October 15 in 23 countries; that link should tell you if it'll be available in yours.
If you buy the Quest 3S anytime before the end of April 2025, you'll get a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow, which launches on October 22. You also get three free months of a Meta Quest+ subscription, which includes a game catalog of 15 games and two curated titles per month as long as you're subscribed.
The 128GB Meta Quest 3S costs $299 / CA$399 / £289 / €329 / ¥48,400, while the Meta Quest 3S 256GB costs $399 / CA$549 / £379 / €439 / ¥64,900.
In the United States, it'll be available at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. For American customers only, Meta offers a "Pay Now, Play Later" program through its site that charges you monthly for 24 months for the Quest 3S 128GB ($19.99/month) or Quest 3S 256GB (24.99/month). It includes a 24-month Quest+ subscription and Meta Warranty Plus.
Meta Quest 3s specs and design
We've already written up a Meta Quest 3S vs. Quest 3 guide that compares in depth how the budget and high-end VR headsets compare. Essentially, both headsets share the same Snapdragon chipset, memory, 4MP color passthrough camera, weight, and Touch Plus controllers. The Quest 3 has superior lenses and higher resolution, but a shorter battery life.
We also have a Quest 3S vs. Quest 2 guide if you want an in-depth comparison. To summarize briefly, the latest budget headset has a new Snapdragon chip with double the GPU power, 33% extra RAM, and full-color passthrough with 18 pixels per degree (PPD) instead of 4 PPD black-and-white passthrough on the Quest 2. It's about 10g heavier, but also 20% slimmer than the Quest 2, making it slightly less front-heavy.
The Meta Quest 3S resolution and Fresnel lenses are virtually unchanged from the Oculus Quest 2; if you want a visual upgrade, you'll need to buy the Meta Quest 3, which has an extra 5 PPD and pancake lenses that remove the notorious "sweet spot" from Fresnel lenses.
Of the three headsets, the Meta Quest 3S actually has the highest battery life estimate (2.5 hours). The Quest 3 has more capacity, but its higher resolution and brighter lenses use more power; the Quest 2 matches the Quest 3S for visuals and its Snapdragon chip isn't quite as demanding, but it has a smaller capacity.
As for what else has changed, the Meta Quest 3S no longer has a 3.5mm headphone jack for private audio, only the USB-C charging port if you want to use wireless earbuds with a USB-C dongle.
Plus, the Quest 3S now has two "flood LEDs for illumination and more reliable hand interactions across environments and lighting conditions." We're still testing out how well these work, but in theory they'll let you play games in a dim or dark room without any hand-tracking problems.
Meta Quest 3S accessories
Curious which Quest 2 & 3 accessories work with the Quest 3S? Our guide runs through things in detail, but essentially most of the Quest 3 head straps, Link cables, and controller accessories will carry over, but not any facial interfaces or lens inserts. Quest 2 owners can transfer over their prescription inserts, but not much else aside from carrying cases.
If you're upgrading from the Quest 2, you'll end up spending a lot of money if you go with the official Meta accessories. Our guide on the best Quest 3 and 3S accessories includes our favorites that'll work for both headsets and cost you significantly less.
Meta Quest 3S games and exclusives
Thanks to the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, the Meta Quest 3S will support the same exclusive games and enhancements as the Quest 3.
Among the upcoming Quest games, Batman: Arkham Shadow and Alien: Rogue Incursion are Quest 3 exclusives because they couldn't run properly on the Quest 2 hardware.
Upcoming mixed-reality games like Laser Dance are Quest 3 exclusives as well; although some MR games technically work on the Quest 2, the low-res, black-and-white passthrough is so uncomfortable that they may as well be Quest 3S-exclusive.
Otherwise, you'll find many Quest 2 games with Quest 3S enhancements like higher refresh rates, improved textures, better lighting, and other improvements. The Quest 2's lightweight CPU hampered the developers, but the Quest 3S unleashes them to add missing details and extra objects, like larger zombie hordes in Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.
Not every game has a Quest 3 patch, but enough do to make this a real incentive. Otherwise, many VR games have a mixed-reality passthrough mode that only works on the Quest 3 and 3S. Your front view will be all virtual, but your sides and behind will show your real-world, full-color living room so you can check your surroundings.
Affordable upgrade
Choose the Meta Quest 3S if you want the power, game library, and mixed-reality passthrough of the Quest 3 for a lower price. Don't choose it if you dislike the Quest 2's visual experience and want something truly next-gen.
