The Meta Quest 3S is framed as a more affordable version of the full - fat Meta Quest 3 mixed world headset , but what ’s the difference between the two world - wobble gadgets ?
While wowing with itsMeta Orion ARglasses , the fellowship also chose the Meta Connect keynote to debut a newfangled , low - cost version of theMeta Quest 3headset – slapping an S on the end and dropping the price significantly .
“ Quest 3S is the best headset for those new to sundry realism and immersive experience and for those who might ’ve been waiting for a low - cost upgrade from Quest and Quest 2 , ” Meta say in a web log mail to declare the launch , which also spelt the end of the road for the Quest 2 .
There are plenty of similarities , include the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen2 processor with 8 GB of RAM , while full - gloss passthrough is also support . The design is exchangeable , all the Quest 3 experience will be playable , and the same accessories come as monetary standard .
Instead , there are only subtle deviation between the two that might not make a liberal impact on your VR / XR experience . Here ’s a abbreviated overview of what ’s unlike between the Quest 3 andQuest 3S.
Slightly different external design
The Quest 3 has three openings for tv camera lenses and sensors in the front of the presentation , while the Quest 3S offers six opening night at eye level . It ’s also slightly wooden-headed than the Meta Quest 3 , down to the take issue display technology , with a sizing more in line with the Quest 2 than the Quest 3 .
Meta Quest 3S has less capable displays
The Meta Quest 3 provide a brilliant exhibit experience with a 2064 × 2208 resolution per eye and 25 pixels per grade , which amounts to a 4K+ answer overall . The Meta Quest 3S defaults back to the Quest 2 resolution of 1832 x 1920 per eye with 20 pixel per level .
The pancake optics that made such a difference to the image quality in the Quest 3 and also decreased the physical footprint , are also missing from the Quest 3S , with Meta choose for the fresnel lenses that were present in the Quest 2 .
Our reviewer of the Quest 3 commented : “ That important size simplification is down to the inclusion of an upgraded hot cake lens system scheme , which is not only more thick than the fresnel - based system of its predecessor but deliver much clean-cut eye . ”
Quest 3S has slightly better battery life
Those less advanced displays are less power - athirst , it seems , because Meta says the Quest 3S will last for about 2.5 hour on a single charge , while the Quest 3 lasts for 2.2 hour on average .
Now it ’s also deserving noting that this will depend on what you ’re doing on the headset , as playing a exact VR plot will drain the battery faster than run a few 2D apps , but if you do find you want to drop more time in the virtual man than what the headsets can offer , you ’ve always got the option of investing in a first- or third - party battery clique to take things to the next level .
Quest 3S is much cheaper
The Quest 3S costs £ 289.99/ $ 299.99 with 128 GB of computer storage , while a 256 GB adaptation will set you back £ 379.99/$399.99 .
The cuts to the hardware make it a much cheaper option than the Quest 3 . It ’s £ 190/$200 cheaper than the original Quest 3 with 128 GB of storage . There ’s also a 51 GB version of the headset that retail for more at £ 619/$650 .
