Which headset is better for you?
The Meta Quest 3 is the best standalone consumer-oriented VR headset you can get right now and is obviousy superior to the Quest 3S, but that's why it also costs 40% more. The biggest differences between the two are the optics and storage capacity: the Quest 3 has a higher resolution, higher FOV pancake lens design with a much wider focused sweet spot for an overall more enjoyable viewing experience. The Quest 3 also has quadruple the on-board storage.
Other than that, both heasets share the same body design and dimensions, the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, and the same Touch Plus controllers with inside-out tracking. Like the Quest 3, the Quest 3S even supports mixed reality passthrough since it's equipped with the same cameras located at the front of the headset, albeit in a different layout.
For VR veterans who are already invested in the VR ecosystem and are sure to benefit from a better display, I would highly recommend the Quest 3. I own it myself (and I reviewed it for IGN) and have logged over a thousand hours in Beat Saber alone. However, for casual VR gamers who aren't ready to spend $350 or more on a headset, the Meta Quest 3S is more than good enough in all respects.
TL;DR:
- Quest 3 has sharper resolution (2064x2208 vs 1832x1920)
- Quest 3 has better lens array (pancake vs fresnel)
- Quest 3 has lower FOV (104°/96° vs 96°/90°)
- Quest 3 has higher storage capacity (512GB vs 128GB)
- Same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor
- Same Touch Plus controllers
- Same 120Hz refresh rate
- Same Mixed reality passthrough functionality
- Same tetherless and tethered functionality
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
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