The Meta Quest 3S mixed reality headset was launched at the Connect event on Wednesday as an affordable option. It joins the Quest 3 in the company’s latest family of immersive experience devices and features features like a 4K Infinity+ display, full-color passthrough capabilities, and a rework of Meta Horizon OS for spatial computing. It also gets capabilities powered by artificial intelligence (AI), courtesy of Meta AI. Along with the Quest 3S, Meta also launched Orion augmented reality glasses, as well as announced a price drop for its Quest 3.
The Meta Quest 3S price starts at $299.99 (roughly Rs. 25,000) for the 128GB storage model. It also comes in a 256GB configuration priced at $399.99 (roughly Rs. 33,000). The headset is already available for pre-order, with deliveries starting on October 14th.
The box of contents includes the Meta Quest 3S headset, two Touch Plus controllers with wrist straps and AA batteries, a charging cable and a power adapter. Customers can upgrade to a 256GB storage model to get additional app and game storage. It will also come with a complimentary copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month Meta Quest+ subscription.
They can also purchase accessories separately, such as the Elite Strap, Elite Strap with Battery, and Meta Quest Carrying Case.
The Meta Quest 3S comes with a 4K+ Infinity display on top of a pancake lens, which has a resolution of 2064×2208 pixels per eye and wide field of view. It includes a spacer for users who wear glasses and also offers Zeni MR prescription lenses. The mixed reality headset is powered by a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM under the hood. It runs on Meta Horizon OS, which the company says has been reengineered for spatial computing, and improves on the Quest 3’s features by providing better spatial audio and better passthrough of contrast and color. Features like Dolby Atmos support and theater view are also available in it.
The Quest 3S also has better support for 2D apps like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Additionally, it can also be used in transit courtesy the inclusion of travel mode. This feature will also be expanded to work on trains in the future. Meta says the headset also supports its Meta AI assistant and it can be activated by simply saying “Hey Meta.”
The mixed reality headset supports Meta’s existing library of apps and games, and will also include exclusives like Batman: Arkham Shadow. Additionally, games developed specifically for the Quest 3 will also work on the new Quest 3S.
