The Meta Quest 3S also relies on the Quest 2’s fresnel lens system instead of the pancake lenses used by the Quest 3. I won’t get into the weeds of how these lenses differ technically, but know that fresnel lenses are bulkier and cause blurriness at the fringes of your field of view.

Meta’s latest play to get you into VR is a cheaper VR headset almost as capable as the $500 Quest 3. The Quest 3S brings some but not all of the top features of the more expensive headset. Compared to the Quest 2,

If you crave peace and limited distractions, consider investing in the Meta Quest 3S to achieve fitness goals in the privacy of your home.

It's by far the best value in VR. But the question is, should you upgrade to it or go with Meta's even better model?

Unlike the Meta Quest 3, the Quest 3S doesn't have a 3.5mm audio port. In other words, you won't be able to connect wired earbuds to the Quest 3S, but it's not necessary. The audio that emanates from the Quest 3S is crisp and sharp, and it gets sufficiently loud, too.

I reviewed Meta's Quest 3S, a budget VR headset with mixed reality and AI, to test its quality and value as an upgrade or a first headset.

Meta Quest 3S is the latest iteration in the Meta Quest series that first launched in 2019 as the Oculus Quest VR headset. Even though it is not a performance upgrade over the Meta Quest 3, the intention is to make VR and mixed-reality even more accessible.

The 3S is the latest ‘mixed reality’ headset from Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook. It costs £289.99, the cheapest Quest yet, but Meta insists it has very similar specs and performance to the £469.99 Meta Quest 3 that launched in October 2023.

The Meta Quest 3S is here, delivering Meta Quest 3 graphics and games at the magic $299 price. But is it any good? I've spent a week with it to let you know.