At today’s Connect conference, Meta officially unveiled the Quest 3S headset, a more affordable version of last year’s Quest 3. The new spin-off device will be available in stores on October 15 for a starting price of $300 (for 128GB of storage).
That lower price of the Quest 3S comes with some compromises compared to its predecessor. The biggest is the display, an LCD panel that matches the 1832×1920 resolution per eye of 2020’s Quest 2. That should be a noticeable downgrade from the Quest 3’s two 2064×2208 pixel LCDs. The 3S also mirrors the Quest 2’s use of Fresnel lenses, a downgrade from the Quest 3’s pancake lenses that allowed for improved clarity and a less bulky lens housing.
The Quest 3S also promises a horizontal field of view of just 96 degrees, compared to 110 degrees on the Quest 3, and a vertical field of view of 90 degrees, compared to 96 degrees on the Quest 3. That should make for a noticeable relative “tunnel vision” effect that requires a lot more head movement to center an object in your VR view.
Inside, the Quest 3S packs the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR Gen 2 processor as the Quest 3, meaning it should be able to run the same games and programs. The new headset also uses the same hand-tracking Touch Plus controllers, which are included in the box along with a code for next month's launch. Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month trial of Meta’s Quest+ subscription service. A $400 bundle with 256GB of internal storage will also be available.
An array of external sensors on the front of the Quest 3S gives it the same “high-resolution, full-color streaming” video capabilities as the Quest 3. Meta promises users should get 2.5 hours of average battery life from the 4,324 mAH battery. That compares to an average of 2.2 hours from a 5,060 mAH battery for the Quest 3.
Along with the Quest 3S announcement, Meta also announced that it will be discontinuing both the Quest 2 and Quest Pro, “selling our remaining headsets through the end of the year or until they sell out, whichever comes first,” according to a blog post. The 128GB version of the Quest 3 will also be discontinued at a new, lower price of $430, while the 512GB Quest 3 will be available now for $500.
This piece has been updated with additional information from Meta's store page.