Meta has finally announced its latest headset, the Quest 3S. While it retains some of the Quest 2's flaws, it provides much-needed parity in power and features, and all at an unbeatable price.
Not only has the Quest 3S been officially announced, but it's right around the corner. Set to release on October 15, this $300 headset is the best place to start for VR newbies. Check out the Quest 3S announcement details and full spec list here.
Quest 3S Visual Experience
As a VR power user who's had the good fortune of using the best headsets, when I put the Quest 3S on, I felt like I was back in my Quest 2. And for good reason: The Quest 3S uses the same screen and the same lenses as the Quest 2.
There's no escaping the fact that the Fresnel lenses on the Quest 2 (and now the Quest 3S) are worse than the class-leading lenses on the Quest 3. The problem isn't the lower resolution, it's the flare and smaller sweet spot, which are almost non-existent on the Quest 3. It's visually very similar to the Quest 2. These artifacts really affect the clarity of the image coming off the screen.
Unfortunately, this means that basic operations performed within the Horizon OS interface (like browsing your app library, browsing the web, and playing videos) will look almost exactly the same on the Quest 3S as they do on the Quest 2.
Performance
It's a shame, but there's more to the overall visual experience than lenses and resolution; performance under the hood has a lot to do with how good immersive experiences can look under the hood, and that's where the Quest 3S has a big advantage over the Quest 2.
The Quest 3S has the same performance as the Quest 3; it uses the same processor, the same RAM, and can play the same games with the same graphics settings. So you might be getting a slightly lower resolution, more glare, and a smaller sweet spot compared to the Quest 3, but games will still be able to offer the same level of detail, object count, texture quality, etc. that you’ll see on the Quest 3.
Moving the Quest Population Forward
And that's exactly the point of the Quest 3S. The meta wants to create parity in both performance and features across the majority of the Quest population, so developers can shift their attention to creating content that makes better use of the company's latest hardware, rather than spending time optimizing for the nearly four-year-old Quest 2. And lowering the entry-level price is crucial to achieving that.
A key differentiator between the Quest 2 and Quest 3 wasn’t just performance, but the huge difference in mixed reality capabilities. The Quest 2 has a grainy black-and-white mixed reality view with a resolution of just 4 pixels per degree. The Quest 3S, on the other hand, has a full-color mixed reality view with a resolution of 18 pixels per degree—the same as the Quest 3.
At a basic level, the improved mixed reality view is a nice touch, because you have the option to look at the real world around you at a reasonable resolution when you put on the headset. It's a much nicer transition than putting on the headset and slipping into full VR, rather than feeling like you're blindfolded when you put on the headset.
Mixed reality content on Quest is mostly a convenience today. Even when it comes to mixed reality apps, most use mixed reality as a simple optional transition background or a small add-on mode. But there’s no ‘must-play’ mixed reality game yet.
But then again, that's partly because the Quest population is still heavily weighted toward the Quest 2. With its lack of mixed reality capabilities—but still a significant share of the overall user population—it's hard for developers to justify going all-in on apps built for mixed reality.
Value Proposition
Starting at $300, the Quest 3S has a real chance of changing that. It may lack some of the Quest 3’s standout improvements, but it’s an incredibly good value for what it offers. In fact, despite both launching at a $300 price point, the Quest 3S technically launches at a lower price point than the Quest 2 given the inflation that’s occurred over the last few years.
Not only has the price gone down, but the value has gone up—Horizon OS still has plenty of flaws, but it's much more capable than it was when the Quest 2 launched. And the breadth and quality of content in the Horizon OS store has also increased, giving VR newcomers a long list of valuable content to dig into.
And there are two other improvements over the Quest 2. First, the Touch Plus controllers that come with the 3S do away with the track rings, making them more compact and less likely to bump into each other. Second, the Quest 3S has the same audio stack as the Quest 3, which means a nice boost in sound quality compared to the Quest 2. The Quest 3S also supports many of the same accessories as the Quest 3.
– – – – –
At $300, the Quest 3S is an unbeatable value as an entry-level headset and an easy recommendation for new VR users or Quest 2 users who don't want to be left behind.
Explanation: Meta provided accommodations for a Road to VR reporter to attend Meta Connect 2024, where information was collected for this article.