The Meta Quest 3S doesn't officially go on sale until October 15, but I was able to try on the headset early to see how it fit, what it could do and how it compares to the pricier Meta Quest 3.
During the hands-on session, I got to play the new "Batman: Arkham Shadow" game, as well as sit back and enjoy some videos on YouTube and Peacock. Here's what I thought, and how it compares to some of the best VR headsets.
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Meta Quest 3S price and release date
The Meta Quest 3S goes on sale on October 15. The base model costs $299 and comes with 128GB of storage, while the 256GB version costs $399. The Meta Quest 3 costs $499.
You can pre-order the Meta Quest 3S right now on Meta's website, as well as other retailers like Amazon.
Meta Quest 3S design
The biggest outward difference between the Meta Quest 3S and the 3 is that the newer model has a squarer front face, and instead of three oval-shaped holes in the middle, there are three circles on either side, arranged much like the cameras you'd find on on an iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Inside, the Quest 3S uses fresnel, rather than pancake lenses, so you don't get as wide a field of view: 96 horizontal / 90 vertical compared to 110 horizontal / 96 vertical on the Quest 3. In practice, I really didn't notice the diminished FOV, but I did pick up a bit more of a distorted image around the periphery.
More noticeable was the lower resolution — 1832 x 1920 on the Quest 3S compared to 2064 x 2208 on the Quest 3. In fact, the Quest 3s' resolution is the same as the older-generation Quest 2.
Looking closer at the specs on Meta's page, you'll see that the difference between the Quest 3S and the Quest 2 is that the 3s has a newer processor (the same as in the Quest 3) and bigger storage options. Additionally, the 3s has color passthrough, the same controllers as the Quest 3, and increased RAM. (Here's a more complete look at the Meta Quest 3s vs Meta Quest 3).
Meta Quest 3: "Batman: Arkham Shadow"
As part of the launch, Meta is bundling "Batman: Arkham Shadow" with the Quest 3S (and the Quest 3 too), and gave me a chance to play a few minutes of the game.
There's definitely a bit of a learning curve. Fortunately, the game walks you through how to duck, punch, defend, grapple, and use all of Batman's wonderful toys. You'll want to make sure there's plenty of room, as your arms will be flailing around as you battle Gotham's criminal element.
I'd like to see how this game looks in the higher resolution of the Meta Quest 3, but on the Quest 3S, it was clean enough. More importantly, I didn't notice any lag or delays, even during more rigorous sessions where I had to face multiple baddies at once.
Meta Quest 3S hands-on: Videos
For those times when you don't feel like fighting crime, the Meta Quest 3S makes for a pretty good virtual entertainment center. Using either the controllers or your hands, you can resize windows to your liking, and reposition them in your virtual environment. A theater mode expands one of the windows to look like a massive, curved display, and dims everything around it — like you're in a movie theater.
Here, the 3S' lower resolution and field of view were more apparent, as I had more time to take in my surroundings than when playing "Batman." If I were using the headset primarily to watch movies, I'd probably want the higher resolution of the Quest 3.
Meta Quest 3S Outlook
I'll have to try out the Meta Quest 3S alongside the Meta Quest 3 to really spot the differences between the two headsets, but for those who have never used a VR headset, the Quest 3S is likely to be more than good enough.
Other than its novelty, one of the reasons the Meta Quest 2 was so popular when it launched was its price; given the Quest 3s is the same, it's enticing for those looking for a holiday gift. Stay tuned for our full review.
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