An excellent budget VR headset

In some ways, the Meta Quest 3S is the true successor to the Quest 2. While the latter made a big splash during the Covid pandemic, offering players a way to connect with their friends in a more immersive way, the Meta Quest 3 didn’t receive similar luck. Better internal hardware and a more comfortable headset, as well as the introduction of full mixed reality, meant a high price, and many weren’t eager to upgrade.

However, the Meta Quest 3S should be much more tempting, bringing the chipset found in one of the best VR headsets and practically putting it into the Quest 2’s shell. While that does mean the Quest 3S shares plenty of familiar issues, it also means you can play some of the best VR games on the market, and that’s worth the asking price alone.

Specs

Unsurprisingly, the Meta Quest 3S successfully bridges the gap between the more expensive Quest 3, and the older Quest 2. The Quest 3S features the same chipset and RAM as the Quest 3, meaning you get a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 CPU and 8GB of memory respectively, while the rest of the specs are practically the same as those of the Quest 2, for better and worse.

Admittedly, the experience with the Quest 3S feels much more comfortable than the Quest 2, thanks to a better weight distribution (as opposed to the front-heavy nature of the older Quest headset), and the better-performing chipset means frame rates are much smoother this time around. However, the Fresnel lenses return from the 2020 headset, and after using a headset with pancake lenses, the clarity of the latter is much better for VR gaming.

Meanwhile, the resolution and field of view are the same as the specs found on the Quest 2. Considering the price of the device is only $299.99 (£289.99) for the 128GB model, that’s still decent enough, but after using the continuous interpupillary distance (IPD) found on the Quest 3, it’s hard to use the stepped IPD on the Quest 3S, which is once again the same system found in the Quest 2.

Features

The Meta Quest 3S’ biggest selling point, besides the improved chipset, is the fact that it’s a full mixed reality headset, offering better hand tracking and full-color passthrough as opposed to the Quest 2’s black-and-white passthrough. Using hands and controllers in mixed reality is comfortable and, surprisingly, feels very natural, even if the Fresnel lenses lose some of the clarity that the premium version offers.

Fortunately, the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 grants Quest 3S players the same exclusive experiences as Quest 3 owners. As more VR games rely on the more powerful chipset, with more graphically demanding games arriving as the months go on, this gives potential Quest 2 players the opportunity to upgrade for a cheaper cost, allowing you to enjoy games that won’t work on the older headset.

One area where the Quest 3S massively improves over the Quest 3 is with the introduction of its new action button. In the more expensive headset, you can double-tap the side of the device to jump between virtual reality and passthrough, and it can be quite frustrating sometimes, seemingly having a life of its own. The action button is a one-tap solution to this problem, quickly switching you between VR experiences and reality without any issues. Meta, please, make the action button available on Quest 4, I’m begging you.

Sadly, there’s no headphone jack here, which is a feature you can find on both the Quest 3 and Quest 2. It’s a disappointing move, and while you can still use the built-in speakers or connect the best gaming headset with Bluetooth, it’s always a bonus to have a headphone jack for those who prefer wired headphones. Personally, it’s not a huge complaint for me, as I typically use the speakers, but I can see why others may be disappointed.

Design and comfort

The Meta Quest 3S is much bulkier than the Quest 3, being roughly the same size as the Quest 2 while having a similar weight to the 2023 headset at 514g. On the surface, that sounds fairly disappointing, but while the Quest 3 is the most comfortable VR headset I’ve ever used, the new 3S feels much more comfortable than the Quest 2, thanks to better weight distribution within the device itself.

Arguably the worst part of the Quest 3S’ comfort, which is a recurring theme in all of the Quest headsets, is the headstrap. While the Quest 3’s stock strap was arguably the best of the lot, they’re all pretty bad, and the Quest 3S has a similar one to that found with the Quest 2. It feels like it never hits the sweet spot between tight and loose, and causes pain after even small play sessions. Add around $50 / £50 to your budget, as you’ll definitely want to grab some accessories and go for a premium head strap. I recommend Kiwi Design straps, as they’ve been some of the best for me.

For the actual design, I much prefer the simple camera array found on the Quest 3S over the bulky triple-camera array on the Quest 3, but that’s nothing more than a superficial opinion. I find the array on Quest 3 looks more vulnerable and could be easier to scratch (something that hasn’t happened during my year of owning it, mind you), while the cluster on the Quest 3S looks smaller and much harder to damage.

Unfortunately, though, the Quest 3S brings the return of the dreaded glasses spacer, a feature that’s built-in on the standard Quest 3. It doesn’t seem as awkward or frustrating to install or take out compared to the Quest 2, but I still prefer the no-installation-required method of the premium option in the Quest 3 family.

One huge improvement over the older headset is the fact that the Quest 3S comes with a padded fabric facial interface rather than the awful, uncomfortable, sweat-inducing silicon interface found in the Quest 2. This is a major improvement overall, and it adds value to the Quest 3S, even if it may have cost more for Meta to manufacture.

Performance

As the Quest 3S uses the same chipset found within the Quest 3, performance is in the same ballpark. However, anyone upgrading from the Pico 4 or the Quest 2 will see a massive improvement, with the new Snapdragon chip allowing you to play much more graphically intense games or even titles that feature more physics-based models in standalone gaming.

Admittedly, there’s still a lack of Quest 3 exclusive experiences, with games such as Metro Awakening being available on the older headset. However, Batman Arkham Shadow’s detailed environments and intense rhythm-style action feel great on the Quest 3S, running smoothly and without problems. Add in experiences such as Hello, Dot, which offers excellent mixed reality games to enjoy, and you have a great VR headset that allows you to enjoy some titles and apps that the Quest 2 won’t let you enjoy to their fullest, if at all.

I’m hoping that the launch and (hopefully) the success of the Quest 3S will allow more developers to move away from the aging hardware and develop games on the new XR2 Gen 2 chipset, in an attempt to get 100% out of the performance of the Quest 3 family. Batman Arkham Shadow looks as great as a flatscreen game while offering the same level of intense action and engaging narrative, so it’s a promising sign for the future.

However, that’s not to say that the Quest 3S doesn’t have any benefits over the Quest 2 outside of Quest 3 exclusives. Plenty of games, from The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners to Into the Radius, have received updates to increase the graphical fidelity with the improved chipset. In general, the greater performance of the XR2 Gen 2 also allows for smoother frame rates across the board, avoiding the nausea-inducing problems that stutters could cause on the Quest 2.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of the Quest Touch Plus controllers over the ringed Quest Touch V2 peripherals is excellent. Tracking feels much better with the new and improved controllers and the haptics are improved over the very basic rumble found in the Quest 2’s included options. While they’re not as immersive as the ones found with the PSVR 2, due to the Sony controllers offering haptic feedback as well as adaptive triggers, it’s an improvement overall.

As for PC gaming, you can enjoy a variety of VR games running on the best gaming PCs by using Quest Link, Steam Link, or Virtual Desktop apps to remote play from your desktop. You’ll need a decent internet connection, but I’ve had very little issue enjoying PC VR titles running via Steam Link. In fact, during my countless hours of playing Blade and Sorcery, I’ve experienced less lag and performance issues than when using Meta’s own software.

Battery life

Unfortunately, the battery life isn’t outstanding, unless you’re willing to spend out on accessories. The Meta Quest 3S lasts for around two to two-and-a-half hours, depending on what you’re playing or doing, which is slightly worse than the Quest 3 from my experience. Since the Quest 3’s launch, I’ve been using battery-powered head straps to increase my playtime, and I recommend doing the same with the 3S.

Price

The Meta Quest 3S will set you back $299.99 (£289.99) for the 128GB model, and $399 ( (£379.99) for the 256GB model, which is a great price to start your experience with virtual reality or upgrade from older headsets, such as the Quest 2 or Pico 4.

Some games may take up a decent chunk of storage, but you can get quite a few games onto the 128GB model, so if you have fast internet for re-downloading games, I’d just go with the cheaper option. You could use the extra cash for the accessories I mentioned earlier.

The Meta Quest 3S is readily available at major retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Very (UK), Currys UK, and the Meta store itself.

Alternatives

If the Meta Quest 3S doesn’t sound like the VR headset for you, here are some excellent alternatives we recommend:

Meta Quest 3

If you know and love VR already, the Meta Quest 3 is certainly worth the higher asking price. The Quest 3 uses pancake lenses, which have more clarity, a smaller form factor for a more comfortable experience, and a higher resolution. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t have the excellent action button.

Read our full Meta Quest 3 review.

 

Valve Index

If you’re looking for dedicated PC VR gaming, then you can’t go wrong with the Valve Index. Offering fantastic audio, dedicated Base Stations for accurate tracking, and a dedicated Steam experience, the Valve Index may not play standalone, but the overall package makes for a solid PC-exclusive VR headset.

Read our full Valve Index review.

Verdict

The Meta Quest 3S offers a brilliant VR gaming headset on a budget, providing the bridge between 2020’s Quest 2 and the more expensive Quest 3. With the improved chipset and 8GB of RAM offering more power for more graphically demanding games, the Quest 3S delivers a great performance, with the only letdowns being the disappointing return of Fresnel lenses, and this headset having the same resolution as the older Quest 2.