Meta Unveils $300 Quest 3S to Expand Mixed Reality Market
Meta introduces the Quest 3S, a $300 mixed reality headset that cuts costs by using older displays while retaining the Quest 3's powerful processor. The release comes alongside a price drop for the standard Quest 3 and a bundled game offer.
Meta reveals the Quest 3S, a new mixed reality headset that starts at $300 and undercuts the standard Quest 3 by a full $200. This aggressive pricing continues Meta's strategy of selling headsets as loss leaders to capture market share from competitors like HTC Vive. The company positions the device as an ideal entry point for users who are new to mixed reality or those looking to upgrade from older Quest models.
To achieve the lower price point, Meta makes several notable hardware compromises, most significantly downgrading the display to the same 1832x1920 resolution found in the older Quest 2. The new headset also features a reduced field of view and a base storage capacity of 128GB, though users have the option to upgrade to a 256GB model for an additional $100. Despite these cuts, Meta includes the same powerful Snapdragon XR Gen 2 chip and 8GB of RAM that power the higher-end Quest 3.
The announcement brings changes to the rest of the Meta headset lineup, as the company officially sunsets the Quest 2 and Quest Pro. The standard Quest 3 receives a price reduction, with the 512GB model dropping from $650 to $500. Furthermore, Meta bundles all new purchases of either the Quest 3 or 3S with the upcoming Batman: Arkham Shadow game and a three-month subscription to the Quest+ service.