Meta Quest 3S released: modern VR on a budget

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Meta Quest 3S announcement
The time has finally come. After weeks of countless rumors and highly probable leaks, the Meta Quest 3S is now official. Mark Zuckerberg has just announced the cheapest standalone VR headset on the market. This announcement, of course, took place at the September 25 Meta Connect event which is currently live.

The Quest 3S is Meta’s attempt at lowering the barrier of entry into XR (Extended Reality) even further. It features the same chipset as the excellent Meta Quest 3 but makes compromises with the display resolution and lenses.

In simpler terms, it is a more lucrative option than the Meta Quest 2, which has now been all but discontinued. It also introduces a new action button for effortlessly transitioning between VR and MR, though the headphone jack has been removed.

The new headset starts at $299, which is a major price cut compared to the Quest 3 which starts at $499. Speaking of Quest 3, the 128 GB model has now reportedly been discontinued. Instead, the 512 GB variant has been permanently discounted to $499.

Also read: Quest 3S vs Quest 3: which VR headset to buy, and how much of a downgrade is the 3S?

Is the Quest 3S for you?


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Video credit — Meta

If you’ve been thinking about jumping into VR, you’ve probably asked yourself how much you’re willing to spend on it. Enthusiasts will happily fork over thousands of Dollars for the best VR headsets money can buy, because once you’ve gotten a taste of VR you’re left wanting more. But not everyone has that kind of cash to throw away at something they’re still unsure about.

This is where the Quest 3S comes in. People used to wonder whether they were better off getting a Quest 2 over a Quest 3, but the 3S eliminates that dilemma. The Quest 3S will support and run all the best VR games and apps that the Quest 3 can. This is crucial because modern apps on the Horizon Store have stopped supporting the Quest 2.

So if you’re okay with sacrificing a bit of visual immersion, the Quest 3S is perfect for you and saves you $200. If you’ve tried VR before and loved it, then you might be better off getting the Quest 3 anyway, just so you know you’re getting the best experience Meta can offer.

Meta Connect is also showing off other awesome technology we’ve been hearing about for so long. The company has finally demoed its AI-powered AR smart glasses, so stick around for more details on that.
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