Meta Quest 3S review: “Maybe the best entry-level VR device ever created”

I’m going to level with you and admit that, even for someone like me who has tried a number of different VR headsets through the years, it can be hard to tell the difference between the Meta Quest 3S and its full-fat sibling. Yes, there are a few obvious comparisons you can make, but for their respective prices, the Quest 3S does a very impressive imitation.

And that’s a good thing. A lot of the time an “S” device that comes in cheaper than a flagship model feels half-baked because the manufacturer really wants you to spend money on the more expensive version. The Quest 3 is one of the best VR headsets out there at the moment, but it didn’t exactly continue the Quest 2’s mission of making virtual reality technology affordable for all.

The Meta Quest 3S remedies that because it comes in two sizes (128GB and 256GB) and costs only $299.99 / £289.99 or $399.99 / £379. That lower MSRP is the same price as the Quest 2 before it was discontinued. Pandemic launch or not, that headset made a name for itself by making a mainstream VR device approachable, and the Quest 3S may see major success for the same reason.

Design

Not only does the Meta Quest 3S feel like the proper spiritual successor to the Quest 2, but it sort of looks like one too. It has the same rectangular look with sharper corners that make it look a bit more refined. If it weren’t for an upgraded frontal camera module, the Quest 3S would look eerily similar to the Meta Quest 2.

For a “Lite” model of the Meta Quest 3, it does make me laugh that Zuck’s engineers have only managed to shave one measly gram off the Quest 3’s weight. It’s the equivalent of taking a feather out of your inventory in Skyrim and suddenly not being over-encumbered, and it’s hilarious that Meta is actually marketing it for its “lightweight design”. Nice try.

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The Quest 3S comes with the same cleverly designed head strap as the Quest 3. It’s definitely a basic, stock option, but it does the job with a top velcro strap that can be adjusted to your head size, as well as some loops around the back to tighten or loosen the fit. Thankfully, the design of the Quest 3S has been thoughtfully executed, since the best Meta Quest accessories made for the original will fit either headset - no need to buy specially fitted ones for either device. Out of the box, the facial interfaces of both feel identical, with some fabric upholstery and quite plush cushioning for your cheeks and forehead.

It’s no surprise that the Quest 3S connects to a charger or gaming PC through USB-C, although it misses out on the Quest 3’s 3.5mm audio jack, which is a shame. I’m not sure this would cost too much more to add in 2024, and since budget buyers are far more likely to use it than wireless or Bluetooth headsets, it feels like a glaring omission. Thankfully, you get the additional onboard buttons for when your controllers inevitably run out of battery. Some volume adjustment keys and a handy action button lie on the headset’s underside, which should always be present on standalone headsets like this. There’s also the standard power button on the 3S’s left-hand side.

Features

Even when you’re looking at the spec sheets comparing the Quest 3 and 3S, you need a trained eye to figure out the differences, because, in truth, there aren’t many. Both feature the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, which is one of the biggest wins of this more affordable headset. It’d be all too easy for Meta to scale back on power for the lighter model, but with so much competition in the VR world at the moment, the use of this processor feels like they’re rolling up their sleeves. The Pico 4 Ultra also launched this year, touting that same APU but even more RAM than the Quest 3. Despite Meta’s financial footwork to get around it when the Quest 3S launched, the Pico 4 Ultra is still a serious rival in Europe, so this processor is more important than a lot of shoppers realize.

If you think about it, the Quest 3S gets you the processing power of the Quest 3, the Pico 4 Ultra, and even the new HTC Vive Focus Vision for undeniably cheaper than any of those devices. The latter will set you back $999 / £999, and although it’s designed to harness the power of the best graphics cards, that’s still a massive win for people buying the Quest 3S.

The biggest talking point for most is that the Quest 3’s pancake lenses are missing from the Quest 3S. For me, this is perhaps the most noticeable change when using either headset. The wider area of focus really does make a difference in gaming and mixed-reality menu hopping. Combine that with a lower per-eye resolution, and the Quest 3S does start to feel more like a budget option. Still, with the same 8GB of RAM, integrated spatial audio speakers, and variable refresh rate, the Quest 3S has more than enough to make first-time VR buyers swoon.

Another spec disparity of note is that the Quest 3 has an integrated depth sensor which can help with passthrough clarity as well as room tracking and mapping. The Quest 3S omits this, instead using a few InfaRed projectors to map out a room and your position in it. I didn’t notice less accurate tracking in my side-by-side tests of the 3 and 3S, but it might be worth taking into consideration if you play in a more sensitive area of your home with lots of breakable goodies near you. Similarly, if you play in darker rooms, the Quest 3’s depth sensor might be better for low-lighting conditions.

Battery life is technically better on the Quest 3S, despite its mAh being smaller. Depending on what you use either headset for in one session, you’ll get a similar 2-hour battery life without a pro headstrap. I’ve found just over 2 hours for either is an accurate statement, with gaming being the more intensive activity that brings it down closer to that baseline. Neither is particularly impressive in terms of lifespan because they’re just short enough to feel like an inconvenience. If you don’t charge up between uses, you’re probably going to be cutting your next Power Wash Sim session short.

What is constantly disappointing is that the controllers have an even worse battery life, and will often run out of charge between uses. For that reason, I can highly recommend charging docks to keep the controllers ready to go for your next session - unless you have an unlimited budget for AA batteries.

Performance

I want to state right now that the Quest 3S is a very impressive VR gaming device for the money. Most of the performance notes I have are about the few times I paid attention to the man behind the curtain, noticing where the Quest 3 does things better. That’s probably going to be the case for most “Lite” model reviews because it’s where the natural comparisons are going to sit. That said, it doesn’t mean the Quest 3S isn’t worth buying. I’m really looking for the nitty gritty details I’ll mention below, and I’ll admit that they were quite tricky to find. Normally, I wouldn’t actually compare two devices so closely when they have a two-hundred-dollar price disparity, but the fact I feel those comparisons are valid says a lot of good things about the Quest 3S on its own.

For the first few weeks of testing this headset, I wasn’t actually sure what I was going to say in this review. Unless I really looked for the slight differences between the 3 and 3S, I couldn’t find them. I could boot up a game and play for hours without any immersion-breaking performance hiccups to give away that I was using a “budget” device. Especially if you’re not used to playing VR games, this headset will be very capable of making your jaw drop. Like the Quest 2 before it, it can immerse you to a degree that you’ll come out of a longer session and need to take a second look at your real hands to know you’re out of the Matrix. The resolution per eye may be weaker than the Quest 3 512GB, but when it’s that close to your eyeballs you don’t need to suspend your disbelief like you might need to on a big TV these days. In truth, it took me diving into the same levels in both headsets to really understand the weak points of the 3S.

The Quest 3’s colors and display seem more vivid and colorful overall. Maybe this was the pancake lenses showing their worth, or the fact that two LCD displays are better than one. Perhaps it was a combination of these things and the Quest 3’s boosted resolution. Regardless, things just seem more focused, and colors appear clearer on Quest 3. The Quest 3S still does a great job though, making it easy to spot the tiny bits of grime that still needed washing away in Power Wash Sim.

I must say, both headsets come up a bit short in Blade & Sorcery Nomad when it comes to jaggy lines - something the Pico 4 Ultra has them both beat on. Doing more formalized tests really solidifies the value of extra RAM in that headset, especially because environments and details in surroundings pop in much more noticeably on the Quest 3S. Controller tracking is also a bit disappointing, which makes some weapons in the game unusable. The Pico 4 Ultra suffered similar issues, but I felt much more immersed in my sequences of fantasy mass murder on Pico’s headset than I do on the Quest 3S.

The increased resolution of the Quest 3 really shows its worth in Asgard’s Wrath 2, with even its softer, more illustrative art style appearing clearer on the flagship model. To a layman, these environments will still be plenty expressive on the 3S, but you definitely notice a difference with some beefed-up resolution and an extra display panel. The same great audio quality from the Quest 3 carries over to the 3S though, so I can’t make any complaints about how immersive and high-quality games sound.

I’m not one for mixed-reality spatial computing, but I did a bit more testing with this headset than I usually do. I can see it being a big draw for people who like the look of the Apple Vision Pro but are attracted to a much more affordable device. Hand tracking works fairly well for the most part, allowing me to pinch my fingers to interact, or get physically closer to a virtual menu and use them like I would a touch screen. The fact that Meta's Quest OS windows now operate within real spaces is pretty clever. Going upstairs in a friend’s house, then looking down at the ground, only to see the headset’s app library window still open through the floor was a bit wild, and something people are bound to get a kick out of.

Watching content on YouTube and streaming services was where I found the Quest 3 to be a much more versatile option because focus is such a priority for big virtual cinema-like screens. With Pancake lenses, you definitely get a wider area of a virtual cinema screen in clarity without needing to move your head. Similarly, the Quest 3S’s narrower FOV makes itself known in these instances where you aren’t fully immersed since it can be harder to zone out the black borders around your content. Either way, PSVR 2 and the detail and vivid colors its OLED displays can throw at your eyeballs is much better. Not least because the inky black surroundings of any virtual screen in cinematic mode help you to feel more immersed.

Should you buy the Meta Quest 3S?

Keep in mind that I’m making these comparisons from the point of someone who has tried lots of VR headsets and that I’ve really been looking for holes to pick in the 3S. Even five years ago, the idea of an “entry-level” VR headset was pretty alien. The idea of a headset under $450 with full-color passthrough, genuine standalone gaming power, and loads of mixed-reality potential was so out of reach that it was a fantasy. The Quest 3S has all of that, and the fact I can nitpick those features in a device at this price point is excellent.

If you haven’t yet owned a modern, standalone VR headset, this is a fantastic option that gets you so many of the Quest 3’s software tricks and lots of its internals for a decent price. Enthusiasts who have played a lot of VR games before, on either a Quest 2 or PC VR headset, will probably want more than the 3S can provide, so I’d be inclined to recommend the full-fat Quest 3, or the Pico 4 Ultra. If you do have more budget to play with, maybe consider a PC option like the HTV Vive Focus Vision - not least because my concerns with how Meta collects our data still make me hesitant to recommend its hardware (see my Meta Quest Pro review).

Still, this is maybe the best entry-level VR device ever created. Both in looks and spirit, it’s the spitting image of its father, the Meta Quest 2. However, with updated internals and software perks to its name, it’s potentially more worth a buy than its parent ever was.

How I tested the Meta Quest 3S

I tested the Meta Quest 3S for just over a month before writing this review. In that time I’ve used it for plenty of VR gaming, as well as watching some streaming content and general spatial computing tasks.

I played a lot of Blade & Sorcery Nomad, Power Wash Sim VR, and Asgard’s Wrath 2 on the Quest 3S to test its gaming potential. To compare it with the Quest 3, I loaded up the same levels in each game and played them one after the other to take notes.

For more on how we test the latest technology, check out the full 12DOVE Hardware Policy.

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