The Meta Quest 3 is the go - to VR headset for those on the market in 2024 , extend a mellow - conclusion experience with high - re lenses , a powerful processor and innovative mixed reality capabilities , all for less than £ 500/$500 – but that ’s still a little pricy for those yet to try VR .
That ’s why Meta is bruit to be working on a cheaper version of theQuest 3to replace the outgoingQuest 2 , unofficially dub the Quest 3S. Despite its rumoured budget focus , the headset is rumour to pop the question like levels of processing might to the Quest 3 , although it might do away with bundled accountant to come to such a tempting price stage .
With all that in mind , here ’s everything we jazz so far about the Meta Quest 3S , previously dub the Meta Quest 3 Lite , from button date and pricing surmisal to the latest leaks and rumour about the budget - friendlyVR headset .
Meta Quest 3S or Meta Quest 3 Lite?
While most other rumour surround Meta ’s newfangled budget - favorable VR headset paint a picture that it ’d be called Meta Quest 3 Lite , more late rumours suggest it ’ll likely be knight the Meta Quest 3S.
The first evidence of the official stigmatization came via Reddit back in March , when an alleged screenshot of a Meta User Research Zoom encounter seemed to show both the Quest 3 and the yet - unheralded Quest 3S.
While that would ’ve been comparatively gentle to spoof , the second appearance of the branding is a piddling harder to ignore . That ’s because the Meta Quest 3S stigmatisation appear once again , this clip on the Meta Store . Yes , that ’s right , Meta ’s own app shopfront .
According toThe Verge , for a modified fourth dimension in former June 2024 , users were see the Quest 3S listed alongside the Meta Quest 3 , Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 2 as supported equipment in app listings . All mention has since been cancel from the storefront , but it seems the bozo is out of the bag .
This all but reassert that the budget - favorable Quest will be called the Meta Quest 3S and not the Quest 3 Lite as ab initio claimed .
When will the Meta Quest 3S be released?
The Verge published detailsof a leaked internal meeting at Meta in 2023 in which Vice President for VR , Mark Rabkin , claimed that a more “ accessible ” headset would make an appearance in 2024 . “ The goal for this headset is very simple : pack the biggest punch we can at the most attractive price level in the VR consumer market . ”
The leak did n’t get any more specific than that as to when in 2024 it should make its debut , but Meta has a somewhat tried - and - tested method for launching its VR ironware . It all focuses on Meta Connect , the fellowship ’s yearly VR - focalize display case that lean to take piazza in October .
It ’s a place for Meta to not only showcase young consumer computer hardware but tease succeeding concepts and technical school onward motion like AR glasses , which are also rumoured to make an visual aspect at this yr ’s Meta Connect sometime in October 2024 .
Given that Meta has used Connect to found not only the Quest 3 andQuest Probut also the Quest 2 and even the OG Quest , it ’s safe to assume that Meta will use this year ’s show to reveal the Quest 3S , so have a bun in the oven an October 2024 reveal and release a few week later .
If , however , we hear anything differently , we ’ll be certain to update this section .
How much will the Meta Quest 3S cost?
This is probablythebig interrogation surround the Meta Quest 3S. As the name suggests , the headset is intended to be a less feature - packed variance of the Quest 3 to save on price . Given that the Quest 2 currently retails for just £ 299/$299 , it ’s secure to say that Meta will desire to go cheap on this headset .
It ’s potential that it ’ll test to match the £ 299/$299 price tag of the Quest 2 or get as unaired to it as possible to invite consumers off from the now - aging Quest 2 headset as the go - to budget option .
If it gets much higher , say nearer to the £ 400/$400 price pointedness , it ’ll be a much harder sell considering the full - fatty Quest 3 is useable for £ 479/$499 , and it gets even cheaper during sale season like Black Friday .
That said , there are n’t any specific rumours about Meta Quest 3S pricing just yet , so we ’ll be sure to update this section once rumours and leak get down to come out .
Latest Meta Quest 3S leaks and rumours
Meta might not be ready to unveil the Meta Quest 3S just yet , but that has n’t terminate the budget - well-disposed VR headset from becoming the focussing of leaks and on-line rumours these past few calendar month .
While rumor of this variety are always worth taking with a touch of salt as they ’re exceedingly grueling to verify , they do supply some insight into what we could potentially expect from the Quest terzetto when it does finally make an appearing .
have ’s start withclaims from a Formosan analystwho has been on the money with previous VR - related predictions . agree to them , the Quest 3S will be a combination of the Quest 2 and Quest 3 , disport the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset as the Quest 3 but with old Fresnel lenses in seat of the slimmer , higher - quality flannel-cake lenses of the new headset .
The analyst also claims it ’ll sport a black - and - ashen passthrough like the Quest 2 to facilitate basic mixed reality capableness , leaving the colour passthrough exclusive to the agio Quest 3 headset .
That approach was backed up by an say screenshot of a Meta User Research Zoom meeting that seems to show a headset with front - face up photographic camera , presumptively both for tracking and passthrough potentiality . It also introduced us to the Meta Quest 3S branding for the first time before prematurely appearing on the Meta Store in early June 2024 .
Both Gurman and the Chinese analyst gibe that Meta is considering not including Quest control in the loge to hit the lower price head . This might sound ridiculous at a glance , but given that Meta has importantly ameliorate hand tracking since it was first introduce in beta sort with the original Quest back in 2019 , it makes sense .
There are also a bunch of apps that support deal trailing as well as comptroller input , though it ’s far from universal , so those who want the top VR experience will still need to invest in comptroller singly . But , for those more concerned in AR and using their deal to interact , this could potentially figure out as a with child way to save some hard currency .
While that sound like it ’s all but plant in stone , Twitter leaker @ZGFTECH deal render of the say Quest 3S , which throws a wrench in the plant .
If true , the leaked headset render looks like a blend of the Quest 2 and Quest 3 , sporting a similar design to the Quest 2 albeit with the same white plastic finishing of the new model . That backs up the claim of the use of Fresnel electron lens , as they take up more distance than the Pancake lenses of the Quest 3 .
However , the eagle - eyeball among you might remark there ’s one central divergence when compared to the Quest 3 – the deficiency of passthrough television camera . That goes immediately in the brass of title that the headset will indeed be a mixed - reality twist despite its garish focus .
Will Meta opt for a headset without mixed reality just month after ablog post fromMeta ’s Reality Labs Director of Engineering for XR Tech claiming that he ’s “ convinced that Passthrough and MR will be a standard feature on all future headsets ” ? It seems unlikely give that bodied web log usually align with interior companionship goals , but we ’ll have to waitress and see for now .
