The Meta Quest 2 was a huge success for VR gaming, reportedly counting for the majority of Meta's 20 million Quest headset sales as of March 2023, and is Steam's most popular VR headset, being used by over 36% of all PCVR gamers on the platform.
Having released just over four years ago, the Quest 2 still offers a lot in terms of entertainment potential. However, today marks the release of this headset's true successor: the Meta Quest 3S.
While Meta's flagship Quest 3 headset has been with us since October 2023, it's the Quest 3S that will likely be most appealing to many Quest 2 owners — offering a clear performance boost at a very familiar price.
If you're a Quest 2 owner, or even new to VR/AR entirely, the Quest 3S stands as the most affordable way to jump into a new generation of mixed reality gaming, entertainment, and even spatial computing style productivity.
There's never been a better time to make a leap to the next generation of Meta's Quest headsets, and here are three reasons why it's time to say goodbye to your Quest 2 and say hello to the Meta Quest 3S.
3 reasons why it's time to say goodbye to the Meta Quest 2 (and hello to the Quest 3S)
Goodbyes are never easy, especially when it comes to your favorite tech-cessories. However, an upgrade to the Meta Quest 3S should be one of the easiest you'll encounter and is one of the best ways for those only just hopping aboard the VR/AR wagon to get started. Let's explore a few reasons why.
3. The games
Gaming on Meta Quest headsets is incredibly fun, but the Horizon Store's line-up has often lacked a certain level of star power. While familiar franchises like The Walking Dead and Ghostbusters have done well to offer impressively fun and immersive experiences to players, titles like Assassin's Creed Nexus have kickstarted a new wave of AAA titles that will be arriving on Meta's third-generation headsets in the near future.
If you buy a Quest 3S headset today, you'll already be guaranteed a copy of the latest title from the Batman: Arkham series, a full VR sequel to 2013's Batman: Arkham Origins, Batman: Arkham Shadow. However, there are still plenty of excellent titles in the pipeline for 2024 including Alien: Rogue Incursion, Metro Awakening, Skydance's Behemoth, Zombie Army VR, Starship Troopers: Continuum, and Square Enix's fan-favorite tactical RPG, Triangle Strategy — all of which will be natively playable on the Quest 3 and Quest 3S.
Not only that, you'll still have access to all of your Quest 2 content, with several games even offering improved visual fidelity on Meta's latest headsets thanks to the Quest 3 and 3S' Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor. This means you not only get to retain your former game library but that many of them will look better than ever, too.
2. Improved tracking
The Quest 2's passthrough was a grainy, black-and-white eyesore that felt a little too much like you were watching low-quality security camera footage of your surroundings. As such, a lot of the headset's mixed reality potential was squandered. But that's not the case with the Meta Quest 3 and 3S.
Both of Meta's third-generation headsets feature a new RGB passthrough mode that is much clearer and crisper than the Quest 2's offerings, and there are already plenty of apps making great use of this new, more accessible mixed reality mode.
The Quest 3S even offers dual IR illuminators, as opposed to the Quest 3's singular IR line projector, which results in improved low-light head and hand tracking, giving it a decent leg up on the deluxe model.
1. The price
Seriously, let's talk about that price. For $299 you're essentially getting the same performance and general VR/AR experience as Meta's flagship Quest 3 headset at a greatly reduced asking price.
Part of that cheaper price is due to the Meta Quest 3S retaining the same Fresnel optics as the Quest 2, and missing out on some other more premium elements of the Quest 3 like an expanded resolution, a fine-tunable IPD wheel, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
However, much of what the Quest 3S offers will be instantly familiar to Quest 2 owners already, and its Fresnel lenses will mean you'll be able to re-use any lens inserts you already own right out of the box.
Outlook
At such an exceptionally affordable price, the Quest 3S is practically a golden ticket to a new generation of mixed reality games and applications.
These are just three main reasons to make the jump to Meta's new Quest 3S headset, but we don't even touch on other impressive features, such as Meta AI integration, the new Touch Plus controllers, or the immersive 3D audio from the redesigned temple-housed speakers.
All of which further propel the Quest 3S' impressive value for money. If you're interested in learning more about the Meta Quest 3S, catch our hands-on impressions with the headset, see how Meta's new headset compares to the Quest 3 directly, or catch listings around the net starting from $299 at Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart today.
More from Laptop Mag
