The Steam {Hardware} Survey information for November is out, however Quest 3S is not listed within the VR part in any respect. This is why.
The Steam {Hardware} & Software program Survey is obtainable to a random pattern of Steam’s consumer base every month. Should you settle for, it uploads a listing of your PC specs and peripherals to Valve, in addition to any headset used on SteamVR prior to now month.
On condition that Meta Quest 3S launched in mid October, we anticipated to see the headset present up within the November information, giving a sign of how properly it is promoting amongst PC VR customers. Nevertheless it’s not there in any respect.
What we do see in November’s information, nevertheless, is a major rise within the utilization share of ‘Quest 3’, in addition to a notable rise within the ‘Different’ class, which collates headsets not listed by identify.
On condition that the ‘Different’ class has been comparatively stagnant for years now and that is the strongest development we have seen for ‘Quest 3’ in virtually a yr, it appears extremely seemingly that Quest 3S utilization is buried inside these two labels.
Actually, Digital Desktop’s developer Man Godin confirmed to UploadVR that Quest 3S headsets utilizing his instrument report back to Steam as ‘Quest 3’. Additional, Godin says he has no plans to vary this, as a result of he sees “no motive” to take action. For builders, Quest 3 and Quest 3S are successfully the identical system. The distinction is barely on the wearer’s aspect, particularly the lenses.
For these utilizing Quest Hyperlink or Steam Hyperlink, the headset appears to report accurately as ‘Quest 3S’, pushing it into the ‘Different’ class.
We have seen anomalous will increase within the ‘Different’ class a number of occasions prior to now after a brand new headset launches. Every time, Valve provides a brand new class inside a number of days, or within the subsequent month’s information. However that will not embody Quest 3S Digital Desktop customers. They will nonetheless be counted as ‘Quest 3’.
Even given all this, it seems that Quest 3S is not being adopted by PC VR customers on the similar charge Quest 3 was. By this time final yr Quest 3 had already reached 5.2% of SteamVR utilization. Compared, even when we assume that 100% of the expansion within the newest information was from Quest 3S, it will solely be at 3.64%. And given Meta has been providing the 128GB mannequin of Quest 3 for $430 as a clearance sale (it was discontinued and the 512GB mannequin lower to its $500 value), a few of that ‘Quest 3’ development actually will embody Quest 3.
It is sensible for Quest 3S for use much less on PC than Quest 3, although. The clear and sharp exactly adjustable pancake lenses of Quest 3 attracts tech fanatic consumers, way more prone to personal a gaming PC, prepared to pay the upper value. In the meantime, the accessible entry value of Quest 3S attracts a extra informal viewers, extra prone to solely use the headset standalone.
We’ll preserve a detailed eye on the survey over the following few days for Valve including a Quest 3S class, whereas noting that it’ll give us an incomplete view of the headset’s adoption on PC thus far.
