Transcript
by Josh Teder
Quest 3 Highlights
After spending well over 6 months with the Meta Quest 3 and now that I’ve had some time to compare it with the Quest 3S that I bought, I can help you decide which of these headsets you should buy. Let’s first start with the Quest 3 and its first advantage: its display technology. It uses new pancake lenses, which are significantly thinner and crisper than the Quest 3S’s Fresnel lenses, and those Fresnel lenses on the 3S were actually the same ones found on the Quest 2. With the Quest 3S’s Fresnel lenses, you need to carefully align your eyes within a relatively small sweet spot to see things clearly. The pancake lenses on the Quest 3 do not have this limitation, making everything look sharper across your entire field of view.
Speaking of field of view, that’s another huge advantage for the Quest 3. You get 110° horizontal and 96° vertical on the Quest 3, compared to just 96° both horizontally and vertically on the 3S. That wider field of view really helps with immersion. The Quest 3 also has higher resolution displays—when these displays are so close up against your eyes, you can definitely tell the difference.
Another advantage for the Quest 3 is its interpupillary distance adjustment. The Quest 3 can smoothly adjust between 53mm and 75mm, while the 3S is limited to just three fixed positions: 58mm, 63mm, and 68mm. This means that the Quest 3 can better accommodate different face shapes and eye spacing, which directly impacts image clarity.
When it comes to comfort, though, I’d say it’s probably a bit of a mixed bag. The Quest 3 is noticeably slimmer and doesn’t stick out as far from your face, which is why I’d probably still give it the advantage in this category because it’s just going to help with the weight distribution, and you’re also less likely to actually strike the headset itself with the controllers while you’re playing a game. However, it is about 24g heavier than the 3S, but with both of them on, because of that better weight distribution on the 3, that’s not something I’ve really noticed. One last small but important advantage of the Quest 3’s design is it actually includes a headphone jack, whereas the 3S doesn’t.
Quest 3S Highlights
Now let’s talk about the Quest 3S and its advantages. Its first and most obvious one is price. The 3S starts at just $299 for the 128GB model and $499 for the 512GB model, making it $200 cheaper than the Quest 3. Though one thing to keep in mind with these headsets is, depending on how many games you want to play and have installed on them at one time, it’s actually pretty easy to fill up 128GB worth of storage. Games like Batman Arkham Shadow are around 20GB in size, so for some, it might be worth it to step up that storage to 256GB, but then at that point, you’re only $100 away from the Quest 3’s price, and probably at that point, it’s just worth it to get the Quest 3.
To check and see if either one is on sale right now, I’ve put their links with live prices in our blog post at 6monthsl.net, as well as links to multiple retailers to make comparison shopping a bit easier—link to that in the description.
Another interesting thing about the Quest 3S, and I’d give it an advantage here, is that it actually uses the exact same processor that’s found in the Quest 3, which gets you better gaming performance and graphics compared to the Quest 2. Both also feature full color pass-through, letting you see your surroundings without taking off the headset. The quality between them is actually pretty equivalent.
Battery life is one area where the Quest 3S pulls ahead. Even though it actually has a smaller battery capacity, it’s powering a lower resolution display, which gives it about 2.5 hours of use compared to the Quest 3’s 2.2. Both headsets can also play the same games since they have the same processors, and both now have full color pass-through, so you can play AR games on them as well. If you buy either one of these headsets during the holiday season of 2024, both will come with the new Batman Arkham title.
The last big difference between these two headsets is with their built-in sound. Some are going to find the Quest 3S’s speakers sound better than the Quest 3 simply because they have a bit more bass and oomph to them, though at the same time, I’d say they border on almost sounding too muffled compared to the clearer sound that you get with the Quest 3.
Downsides
Now there are some downsides that affect both headsets. The controllers are one area where I’ve noticed some issues. Both use the same new controller design, but I’ve experienced occasional tracking problems with fast-paced games like Beat Saber. I can’t help but feel the older ring-style Quest 2 controllers were actually a bit more reliable for games like that. I’ve also noticed the Quest 3’s interface can sometimes feel a bit more janky than what I’ve experienced on the 3S so far. This is likely because it’s pushing more pixels with that higher resolution display. And yes, motion sickness is still something you can experience with both of these headsets, though it will vary from person to person.
Recommendation
So the big question: is the Quest 3 worth the extra $200? For me, generally yes, but there are some important caveats. The better displays, improved lenses, and slimmer design do make for a noticeably better experience, but before you spend that extra money, ask yourself this: do you already own a VR headset, and do you actually use it?
I’ll be honest—I found myself using my Quest headsets less and less over time. They tend to sit in my gaming cabinet more than I’d like to admit. Now, I’m just one person, and I’m also the type of gamer that plays very few games, but of the games I play, I play them a lot. My favorite thing to do in VR is still Beat Saber, but even that I play less frequently now, and I haven’t found many other games that keep me coming back regularly. Most of them have just been novel one-off types of experiences, though as far as those go, the new Batman game is quite good.
If you’re completely new to VR, I’d recommend going with the Quest 3S. It’s a less expensive way to figure out if VR is something you’re actually going to use and like before you put more money towards it. Now, if you’re looking to get a headset for your kids, especially if they’re tough on tech, here as well, I’d definitely get the less expensive headset. However, if you’re already into VR and know you’ll use it often, then yes, the Quest 3’s improved optics and displays are worth the extra cost. It really is a better headset all around, plus you’ll get way more storage for a ton of apps and games.
To check the current prices of both headsets and see if they’re on sale, check out our blog post at 6monthsl.net, where you can see live prices as well as links to a variety of retailers for easy comparison shopping. And to see my full review of the Meta Quest 3, you can click here to get to that, or click here to see my popular review of the Apple Vision Pro after 6 months.
And if you own either of these headsets, let me know what you think of them. Would you buy them again? Do you use them a lot, or are they just kind of collecting dust at this point? Let me know in the comments. For 6 Months Later, I’m Josh Tedar. Thanks for watching!
