The Quest 3S, Meta’s latest blended actuality headset, might be out on this planet quickly. In the event you’re accustomed to the options Meta’s VR headsets at the moment provide, then the one factor in regards to the new {hardware} that can actually shock you is the worth. But it surely’s reverse sticker shock; the brand new Meta Quest 3S is a $300 headset that has almost all of the capabilities of the $500 Meta Quest 3. This way more modestly priced entry into the metaverse is offered for preorder at this time, and Meta says it is going to be out on October 15.
The Meta Quest 3S was introduced at this time at Meta Join, the corporate’s huge annual developer fete the place it usually additionally declares new merchandise. Within the keynote tackle, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out his imaginative and prescient for the corporate’s newest AR and VR units and the various, many updates to the unreal intelligence options being constructed into its platforms.
Just like the Quest 3, the Quest 3S is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform. It has full shade passthrough imaginative and prescient, so you possibly can pipe in a view of your speedy atmosphere (and navigate round your espresso desk) with out taking the goggles off. There’s even a brand new devoted button on the underside of the headset for this; press it everytime you need to see your actual life environment. The headset is appropriate with most Quest 3 equipment, however not all of them. The Quest 3S additionally options Meta’s Horizon OS, which permits for a desktop-like expertise the place you possibly can cycle via 2D apps and browser tabs after which seamlessly change to watching a film or taking part in a recreation. And sure, you possibly can play Wordle in it.
The bottom configuration of the Quest 3S comes with 128 GB of storage, and for an additional $100 you possibly can add as much as 256 GB (bringing the worth to $400). The one model of the older Quest 3 you’ll purchase is the 512 GB model, and the worth on that mannequin is dropping from $650 all the way down to $450. Meta will wind down manufacturing of its different headsets, too. The corporate says it can quickly cease promoting the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Professional.
These cheaper costs, together with a diminished emphasis on the premium fashions, are supposed to entice a broader swath of the VR curious. Meta is more likely to announce Quest headsets with beefier specs sooner or later, although for now that greater class of gadget faces an unsure destiny. Meta is clearly taking steerage from the underwhelming reception of Apple’s Vision Pro headset, and selecting to concentrate on units which might be cheaper and extra accessible.
Courtesy of Meta
Courtesy of Meta
The day earlier than the announcement, Meta supplied a 40-minute demo of the Meta Quest 3S at its headquarters in Silicon Valley. I performed a demo of the VR recreation Batman: Arkham Shadow, which comes put in on the Quest 3S in case you purchase it earlier than April 2025. (In the event you’ve ever wished to really feel what it’s prefer to crouch round in a sewer whereas dressed as Batman, it is a recreation for you.)
However in the end, the Meta blended actuality expertise felt like most different immersive headset experiences. Sprawling, bold, blurry, and sometimes disorienting. The headset is gentle and simple to put on, however nonetheless makes you sweat in case you maintain it in your head too lengthy. The apps it affords are enjoyable, however could be skilled extra comfortably on extra conventional units. (I’ll play Wordle on my cellphone, thanks.) Horizon Worlds, Meta’s digital assembly and hangout area, could possibly be a neat place to stream a live performance, however all of the totally different realms nonetheless really feel disconnected and unusually thrown collectively, like in case you might shove your head instantly right into a random subreddit.
Courtesy of Meta
Courtesy of Meta
That stated, the weirdness additionally makes for among the extra attention-grabbing moments. At one level throughout my Quest 3S demo, I navigated, to the chagrin of my Meta press handlers, to a user-created realm in Horizon Worlds referred to as MetDonalds. This turned out to be a VR rendering of a McDonalds restaurant that was completely operated by kids. Almost each particular person there was on mic, and each one in every of them gave the impression of a toddler. I attempted to order a digital Pleased Meal, and was instantly referred to as out. They requested me how outdated I used to be, and after I informed them my age there was an ideal refrain of laughter.
“You are 34?” One among them shouted, her tone a mix of teasing and astonishment. “What are you even doing right here?”
Good query, child. Good query.
Finally, the Meta Quest 3S is right here to serve up the identical sorts of VR options that its VR headsets have supplied for some time. The metaverse isn’t totally right here but, and Horizon Worlds nonetheless feels janky and disorienting. However hey, if these untamed experiences are your factor then at the very least the Quest 3S will decrease the price of entry. The toddlers operating the VR McDonalds in Horizon Worlds are having a blast, so perhaps that is actually simply their world now.
