The newMeta Quest3S (starting at $299) delivers a premium VR experience at an affordable cost.
Like theMeta Quest 3, this gear has excellent AR capabilities that overlay virtual elements over your surroundings.
It also gives you access to the hundreds of games and apps available for the Quest 3.
Fruit Ninja is a blast to play on the Meta Quest 3S.
For what it offers, its one of thebest VR headsetsyou can buy.
Because of that, the new headset has excellent performance when playing video games.
And thanks to the variable 90 to 120Hz refresh rate, everything you see runs buttery smooth.
Performance-wise, theres no apparent difference between the Quest 3S and Quest 3.
So what makes the Quest 3S different from the Quest 3?
It has the same fresnel lenses as theMeta Quest 2instead of the Quest 3s pancake lenses.
Because of that, the new headset has a smaller field of view and a lower resolution.
Its also bulkier and heavier than the Quest 3.
Find out more in my full review.
Thanks to its light 1.1-pound weight, I had no trouble carrying it around in my backpack.
This is great if you want to take this headset with youon a 15-hour flight, for example.
The new headset also lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, which I’ll discuss later on.
Sharp resolution
The Meta Quest 3S utilizes fresnel instead of pancake lenses like the Quest 3.
The variable 90 to 120Hz refresh rate also ensures that things move smoothly across the screen.
Yes, youre basically getting the same viewing experience as the Quest 2, but this didnt bother me.
The controllers are great to hold and using them feels intuitive.
TruTouch Haptics lets you feel resistance when using the controllers, which provides better feedback and immersion.
The haptics are strong enough that youre aware of them but not strong enough to become annoying.
Fruit Ninja is a blast to play on the Meta Quest 3S.
Naturally, the controllers are great for navigating through menus or moving screens around.
As before, youre given two options for operating in VR: Roomscale and Stationary.
Youll see a virtual mesh of polygons covering your surroundings during all of this, which is pretty cool-looking.
Again, all of this is super easy.
Though I dont have benchmark testing to back up my anecdotal experience, I found the gear very responsive.
Because there was no lag or stuttering, I felt as if I was truly on this extraterrestrial world.
FruitNinja, which requires fast controller swipes to simulate sword strikes also performs wonderfully.
While this is certainly a budget headset, you wont get budget gaming experiences.
The game drops on October 22, which is why I wasn’t able to test it.
Red Matter on the Meta Quest 3S is a visual marvel.
Out of the box, you get access to hundreds of games and apps.
I mentioned games, so lets talk about productivity apps like Virtual Desktop.
For instance, you’re able to have multiple screens floating before you to simulate a multi-monitor setup.
This is great if you cant afford multiple monitors or dont have enough physical space for them.
I also enjoy watchingYouTubeon the Meta Quest 3S.
Meta also has more immersive YouTube videos with a 360-degree view of environments.
However, it has some flaws that could make you consider getting the Quest 3 instead.
Its heavier than the Quest 3, which means you wont forget youre wearing a headset.
I also found that it presses on your face more.
While loosening the straps helps alleviate this issue, it can begin sagging because of its weight.
The Quest 3S can become uncomfortable to wear for long periods.
However, due to its relatively short battery life, this might not be a major problem.
In my testing, I found that the VR headsets battery life generally lasts around two hours.
You wont get caught unaware, as youll receive a warning message when its at 33% battery life.
