Quest 3S Is Official: XR2 Gen 2 Chipset, Blended Actuality And Fresnel Lenses For $300

September 30, 2024

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Meta simply formally introduced and opened preorders for Quest 3S.

The reveal in the present day at Meta Join 2024 comes after many months of leaks revealing the headset’s design, specs, and value prematurely.

Quest 3S is out there in two storage fashions, 128GB for $300 or 256GB for $400. Each fashions include the identical Contact Plus controllers included with Quest 3.

Alternatively, folks within the US can get a Quest 3S from $20/month for 128GB ($25/month for 256GB) over two years, which incorporates the Meta Quest+ video games subscription service and Meta Guarantee Plus.

All Quest 3S purchases till Might include Batman: Arkham Shadow without spending a dime, usually $50, in addition to three free months of Meta Quest+.

	Quest 3	Quest 3S	Quest 2
Lens Sort	Pancake	Fresnel	Fresnel
Discipline of View	110° × 96°	89-96° × 96°	89-96° × 96°
Lens Separation	Steady 58–70mm	3-Step 58/63/68mm	3-Step 58/63/68mm
Supported IPDs	53–75mm	56-60mm 61-65mm 66-70mm	56-60mm 61-65mm 66-70mm
Glasses Assist	Eye Reduction Alter	Spacer	Spacer
Show Sort	Twin LCD	Single LCD	Single LCD
Pixels Per Eye	2064×2208	~1680×1870 (est)	~1680×1870 (est)
Angular Decision	25 PPD	20 PPD	20 PPD
Max Refresh Fee	120Hz	120Hz	120Hz
Chipset	Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 (4nm)	Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 (4nm)	Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 (7nm)
RAM	8GB	8GB	6GB
Default Render Decision	1680×1760	1680×1760	1440×1584
6GHz Wi-Fi 6E	✅	✅	❌
Physique Monitoring	Higher Physique	Higher Physique	❌
Passthrough	True Shade 18 PPD	True Shade 18 PPD	Black & White 4 PPD
IR Emitters	Depth Projector	2x Flood LEDs	❌
Scene Meshing	✅	✅	❌
Visor Thickness	62.3mm	73.9mm	93.1mm
Complete Weight	515 grams	514 grams	503 grams
Headphone Jack	✅	❌	✅
Battery Life	2.2 hours (common)	2.5 hours (common)	1.5-2.5 hours
Controllers	Contact Plus (Ringless) TruTouch Haptics	Contact Plus (Ringless) TruTouch Haptics	Contact (With Rings) Primary Haptics
Pricing	$500 (512GB)	$300 (128GB) $400 (256GB)	$200 (128GB)

Quest 3S has the identical Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset and shade passthrough combined actuality capabilities as Quest 3, however makes use of the outdated fresnel lenses and stuck single panel from Quest 2 to realize its cheaper price.

Using fresnel lenses means Quest 3S has inferior lens readability in comparison with Quest 3 and a thicker design.

XR2 Gen 2: Quest 3’s New GPU Extra Than Twice As Highly effective

Quest 3 is the primary headset to function Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, with as much as 2.5x extra GPU efficiency and 8x AI efficiency. Extra particulars right here:

There are different extra minor variations between Quest 3S and Quest 3.

Quest 3S does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack, however it does have a brand new Motion Button that toggles between passthrough and immersive VR, changing the double faucet gesture from earlier Meta Quest headsets.

Quest 3S additionally does not have a depth projector, which Quest 3 makes use of to enhance the standard of its room meshing capabilities used throughout combined actuality setup. However it does have two IR flood illuminators, which Meta says offers “Illumination and extra dependable hand interactions throughout environments and lighting circumstances”.

Quest 3S is suitable with most official Quest 3 equipment, together with each Elite Straps and carrying instances. However it lacks pogo pins, so it is not suitable with the Quest 3 Charging Dock. Meta is releasing a brand new Compact Charging Dock with wi-fi charging for the Contact Plus controllers and an prolonged USB-C cable for the Quest 3S headset.

Because it makes use of the identical lenses as Quest 2, Quest 3S is suitable with Quest 2 prescription lens inserts. Zenni is once more the official Meta associate for prescription lens inserts. If you wish to use your glasses as an alternative, Quest 3S features a glasses spacer, as Quest 2 did.

Moreover, Quest 3S is getting an unique “Breathable” Facial Interface, which makes the tradeoff of not being totally opaque to “enable you to preserve cool whereas figuring out or taking part in intense video games”.

Quest 3S Breathable Facial Interface (left) and Compact Charging Dock (proper).

Successfully, Quest 3S is a less expensive Quest 3 with a bulkier design, inferior lens readability, and decrease decision. A decrease high quality machine, however with the identical content material, options, and capabilities. It ought to let extra folks take pleasure in Quest 3 VR graphics, and vastly increase the room-aware combined actuality market too.

You may preorder Quest 3S now in all 23 nations Meta sells its headsets in, and it’ll begin delivery on October 15, slightly below three weeks from now.