Meta’s cheaper version of its VR headset has launched – here’s how to get yours

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Hold on to your headsets, mixed reality is about to get a whole lot cheaper. Last night, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the all-new Meta Quest 3S at Meta Connect – an all-new and more budget-friendly version of the Meta Quest 3.

While the Meta Quest 3S shares some of its hardware with the Meta Quest 2, the more affordable model is closer to the Quest 3 in terms of design, features and specs. It features the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen2 processor and full-colour passthrough, and it comes with the same Touch Plus controllers and hand-tracking functionality as the more expensive headset.

The major difference is that the Quest 3S features the same Fresnel lenses found on the Quest 2, rather than the slimmer pancake lenses on the Quest 3, and the displays aren’t quite as sharp, but you’ll still get things like Travel Mode and dynamic spatial audio. Meta is also promising official support for lying down mode and enhancements to Meta AI.

Meta has also discontinued the 128GB version of the Meta Quest 3, something that will be replaced by the 3S. Instead, it’s reducing the price of the 512GB model to just £469.99, a £150 price cut.

The Meta Quest 3S is available to pre-order now and comes in either 128GB or 256GB storage models. It will start shipping on 13 October. Here’s everything you need to know about the more affordable mixed reality headset.

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The Meta Quest 3S is the company’s latest budget mixed reality headset that will replace the Meta Quest 2 when it is discontinued at the end of the year. Featuring a similar design to the Meta Quest 3, it features the same button for switching between full virtual reality and full mixed reality modes.

As mentioned above, it features the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen2 processor, full-colour passthrough and 8GB of RAM as the Quest 3. You also get the same Touch Plus controllers and hand-tracking as the Quest 3. The mixed reality lenses are powered by two 4MP RGB, 18ppd lenses, providing more depth and clarity than the Quest 2, as well as four VGA sensors for inside out tracking of hands and controllers and two flood LEDs.

Where the Meta Quest 3S differs from the Quest 3 is the hardware. The headset sports Fresnel lenses instead of the slimmer pancake lenses found on the Quest 3, it has the same, smaller field of view as the Quest 2, and the displays aren’t quite as sharp.

It features a resolution of 1,832ppd x 1,920 20ppd resolution compared to the Quest 3’s 2064 x 2208 25ppd 4K resolution. And while it’s chunkier than the Quest 3, Meta says it’s 20 per cent slimmer than the Quest 2 at 73.9mm.  

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Weirdly, while the Quest 3S has a smaller 4,324mAh battery than the 5,060mAh battery found on the Quest 3, Meta says that you’ll get two and a half hours of average use compared to the Quest 3’s two hours and 20 minutes.

The Quest 3S is compatible with Meta’s full library of thousands of apps and games, and games that receive any Quest 3-specific performance updates will also work on Quest 3S from day one.

Available to pre-order now, the Meta Quest 3S comes in two storage sizes – a 128GB model that costs £289.99 and a 256GB model costing £379.99. The Meta Quest 3S will launch on 15 October and each purchase comes with a free copy of the new Batman: Arkham Shadow game when it launches on 22 October. It also comes with three months of Meta Quest+, Meta’s answer to Xbox Game Pass.

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Prefer the pancake lenses, design and bigger field of view? The Meta Quest 3 with 512GB of internal storage is now cheaper than ever with a permanent £150 price cut. “The Meta Quest 3 is an astounding virtual reality (now mixed reality) headset, and is arguably the best consumer device currently out there,” our writer said in their review. “With full-colour passthrough, a faster processor, a more comfortable and ergonomic fit, as well as better hand tracking and, of course, those sweet, sweet pancake lenses that make everything so much more stable, this is the VR headset to beat.”

For the latest discounts on games consoles and other tech, try the links below:

Can’t decide between the two? Read our full review of the Meta Quest 3