The Meta Quest 3 is the third iteration of the Oculus Quest, which was the first standalone VR headset untethering you from a PC. With Meta at the reins, the VR space has grown as has their product improvements and refinements.

Having owned the original Oculus Quest and the successor the Meta Quest 2, I have spent countless hours playing various standalone virtual reality games and experiences. While I enjoyed those headsets, the novel experience wained and I found myself picking them up less and less. The Quest 3, originally released in 2023, iterated on the successful design, and on paper it didn’t seem like enough of an improvement for me to pick up at the increased price. Now a year later, Meta has reduced the starting price of the Quest 3 and introduced a cheaper alternative the Quest 3S.
With the Quest 3 being a year old, it may seem dated, but now is the time to buy what is currently the best value in VR.

To start, the optical stack of the Quest 3 is far superior to the previously used fresnel lens. The clarity was immediately noticeable as was the greatly improved sweet spot that lenses provide. The IPD adjustment is smooth, and can be easily adjusted between 58-70 with a dial on the bottom. This fine tuning combined with the pancake lenses of the Quest 3 is night and day compared to my Quest 2, though I may be overly sensitive to blur. I may have been drawn to the Quest 3 over the 3S due to the pancake lenses but after using the headset I realize I underestimated the benefit mixed reality (MR) brings to the table. Though the passthrough cameras are a little grainy, especially in low light, the quality improvement and addition of color makes it far more useable coming from the Quest 2. I find myself leaving passthrough on as my preferred environment as I feel it is a more comfortable experience and makes it feel more natural. It is still enjoyable to jump into an immersive VR game or experience, but I also now like using the browser or watching youtube in a passthrough environment over a virtual one.

Hand tracking is much improved and is now quite useable for navigating the device and using first party applications like the browser or applications that have been updated to support hand tracking. Naturally there are limitations and it will never replace controllers but I am pleasantly surprised the progress that they have maid so far. The included touch plus controllers are a better design now that Meta has integrated the tracking into the face of the controllers instead of relying on tracking rings. They still operate on a single AA battery each and have excellent battery life, unfortunately the headset itself still only manages a little over 2 hours depending on use. Fortunately the accessory market for the Quest 3 is flush with options now that the device is fairly mature, and there are numerous battery strap options. The included head strap is actually better than previous designs and fairly comfortable for short usage. I actually prefer the ease of slipping it on for a quick session and the soft strap design allows the Quest 3 to be fairly compact for storage. The facial interface now has four depth adjustments to accommodate different faces or glasses wearers and is also removable as well. Meta sells a variety of facial interfaces including a new open facial interface that improves the mixed reality experiences and offers better breathability.

Compared to my previous experience with Quest devices, the Quest 3 is by far the best so far. Meta has done a great job and improved upon their design while also branching more into MR which is an interesting look into the future. Even looking just at the VR segment, the Quest 3 is the most popular headset on the market. Though the hardware isn’t capable of PCVR yet, the overall experience Meta has fostered with the Quest is hard to deny.

This is an excellent all-in-one VR headset. It’s a good upgrade over the older Quest 2 and the color passthrough is top notch. The main sacrifice you make over the Quest 3 is in the display and it’s a meaningful difference, but if you don't want to make the extra investment in the Quest 3 the Quest 3S is in a class of its own.

The headset isn’t extremely heavy and feels comfortable on my face, though I definitely felt some fatigue about an hour into my play sessions with all of the weight on the front of my face. The included fabric strap is comfortable and pretty easy to adjust, but I think the Elite Strap or some similar 3rd party accessory is an essential purchase for this and really helps out with the long term comfort.

The Touch Plus controllers are similar to the ones that were included with the Quest Pro, though they do not have built-in batteries (they run on AA’s) and don’t have inbuilt tracking like the Quest Pro’s controllers did. They’re comfortable to hold though and I haven’t had any issues with tracking since I’ve been using them.

The display is the same as the one that was on the Quest 2. It doesn’t look bad, but having come from previously using pancake lenses on the Quest Pro I can definitely say the Fresnel lenses are of a noticeably lower quality by comparison and the sharpness falloff on the peripheral of my vision can be distracting at times. There are also only 3 fixed adjustments for the IPD and I feel like my ideal adjustment is somewhere in between them. If VR is a sometimes thing for you this is easy to live with, but if it’s going to be an everyday thing for you I think it’s worth investing in the higher end non-S model for the pancake lenses alone.

The color passthrough is excellent and I love that there is a button on the headset that will quickly switch you between VR and AR. I wouldn’t say it looks ‘natural’, but it’s much much better than what I’ve experienced on the Quest Pro and I’m able to walk around and do pretty much everything with it on, including looking at my phone and watching TV.

The general interface on the Quest 3S is easy to use and navigate using both my hands and the controllers. I really like how the sensors in the headsets can now automatically map out the room and define play areas so that no longer needs to be done manually. You don’t need a Facebook account to use the Quest, which is nice, but you will need to sign up for a Meta account.

Playing games so far has been a great experience. The bundle I got included Batman Arkham Shadow, which is not just an excellent VR game but an excellent Batman Arkham game. You’ve got all the classic hits like Beat Saber and you also get 6 months of Meta Quest+, which gives you access to even more games. The Snapdragon XR2 processor isn’t going to match for a dedicated PC for VR, but it delivers some pretty impressive experiences for an all-in-one headset and you can still use the Quest 3S with a PC via a dedicated cable or wireless link.

The headset has built-in speakers that sound pretty good, though they don’t quite measure up in the more immersive experiences and I’d recommend pairing some headphones. The Quest 3S doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio jack, but the USB-C port does support audio output and can use a 3.5mm adapter.

I’ve been getting around 2 hours of battery life using the Quest 3S and I’d consider that to be adequate since being in VR for much longer than that makes me a bit nauseous anyway. The Quest 3S does include a USB-C charging cable and adapter, though I do wish the included cable was a little bit longer - it’s only about 3ft long.

Overall I’m very happy with the Quest 3S. If you’re looking to get into VR for the first time and not sure if it’s going to be for you this is the one to get. For anyone more serious about VR the non-S model might be the better buy.

It's been a few years since I've tried a VR headset, dating all the way back to some poor experiences with the far forebearer of this Quest 3S headset, the Oculus Rift. At the time, the technology was cool but unweildy and not yet ready for prime time. But boy have things changed - this Meta Quest 3S is an ENTIRELY different experience - very polished and ready to bring VR to the masses. But is it for everyone? Is it for YOU? Read on to find out.

The first thing you notice when unboxing the Quest 3S is how well thought out the whole thing is. The packaging and guides (which, like most things these days, including a QR code to download the companion app on your phone - here's that essential) are all nicely done and do a graet job at getting you quickly up and moving. My headset came mostly charged, but I did take a bit of time to make sure it was fully charged before I first turned it on (a kiddo getting this for a present can immediately jump in without waiting for charging though if they want). The headset and controllers are very well made and everything seems to have great fit / finish and like it will last until well after the electronics inside are dated.

The setup experience was easy, I elected to not use my Facebook account and create a new Meta account and all went very smoothly. The headset boot up was quick and there was a short update before I was off and going. Likewise, pairing the controllers was quick and easy. I LOVE the menu experience in the 3S - it's super seamless since (1) using the external cameras, you can see the room around you so it appears that the menus are floating in your normal space and (2) the use of the controllers (which feel great in your hands) is very intuitive if you've used controllers for any previously length of time. You even get a multi "window" experience in the interface if that's what you want. The cameras have a fairly high resolution, so it really does feel like you're just looking at windows floating in your room.

With this package, you get the Batman: Arkham Shadow game you can redeem to your account and download to the headset along with a 3 month trial of the Meta Quest+ service - basically like a Game Pass services or PS+, you get 2 free to keep games per month and then free use during your subscription of many other games. It's a great way to jump in and try a bunch of different things and very easy to use, though I'm not sure if I'll renew past 3 months to keep the options open or focus on a few games that I've purchased.

That gets me to the next point - there are really sort of 4 primary use cases for this headset -

1. Gaming ON the headset itself - though it wouldn't have been possible even a few years ago, you really can have a SOLID VR gaming experience with just the headset and no external computer. The Batman game that's including the package and the Meta Quest+ service are based around just that, as are the hundreds of games you can buy in the Meta Store. I picked up a couple of games to try and had a great time racing a superbike in VR, slicing fruit and a few other experiences. Graphics vary, but generally the effect was quite good and immersive, though many of the games are a bit shorter. These games use the non-expandable 256GB storage on the device, but that's enough for plenty of games as they tend to be on the smaller side storage wise. Solid positive experience here and this is, to me, the biggest reason to buy the headset.

2. Gaming on your computer THROUGH the headset - much like that original Rift headset, you can connect this headset to your gaming PC (if it's powerful enough - the link cable is also not included / must be purchased separately) and use it as a VR headset for grander PC gaming. I was excited to try this out with some car racing games on my PC and it didn't disappoint, really cranking up the immersion factor of my driving sims. My PC (powered by an Nvidia 4070 Super) is plenty powerful enough to drive the headset and the experiences greatly exceeded through on the device itself. THAT SAID, you do end up tethered a bit for maximum performance (there's a wireless option, but I didn't try that yet so I'm not sure about the lag, etc.) and it requires a decently powerful gaming PC. This could be a great reason to pick up a headset, though most people will likely lean toward the on headset options first.

3. Productivity/Education - while I haven't had a virtual meeting in Workspaces yet, there are tons of options to add additional "virtual monitors" to your PC or even create entirely virutal PCs, interact with objects in 3 dimensions that you're modeling, visit places you've never been or learn about things in ways that a flat 2D image on a monitor or tablet just can't approach. When used right, I can certainly see this being a top use case and a great way to learn in a simulated / safer environments skills that you'll need to deploy in the real world.

4. Content consumption - while, yes, you can use the headset to simulate a GIANT 120"+ screen (or even multtiple screens at once) and either stream online media or play your own local media (with a USB-C capture card, it's even possible to do things like use the headset to play content from any HDMI source), this is the shakiest use case to me. It's novel and all that you can do so (particularly if you're sitting next to a family member that wants to watch something different) and it DOES work, it's a bit odd to sit and watch an entire movie on a fundamentally flat surface (virtual surface) with a weight strapped to your head. This is really the only time that the weight of the Quest 3S (which isn't a lot of weight) become a thing because in most other VR content, you're moving around and engaging, not trying to hold your head still and watch). Likewise, while it's a fairly compact headset, it's still a lot for the latest hyped use case of taking it on a plane to watch content there. It would certainly work, but might be a bit awkward. For these use cases, it might be better to buy a TV or tablet..

So there you sort of have it - I'd highly recommend the Quest 3S for gaming - on headset or linked to a gaming PC - or productivity / educational use if you have the right content / apps for it. Not sure I'd recommend it for content consumption, but your expereinces may differ. Beyond, that it's a super polished and well thought out and executed experience that is well-worth the price of admission. The advances in the last few years are simply amazing. So if you're interested in jumping into the VR fun, this is a GREAT way to get started. Give it a try today!

There are several Meta Quest models now, and version 3 is one of the top choices. This particular model offers a higher resolution LCD display of 2064 x 2208 pixels and 120Hz, as well as a lot more storage at 512 gigs, compared to lesser models. It also offers more sophisticated cameras on the front to track your hands/controllers as well as the environment around you when you are moving around while wearing the headset.

Setup is ok, but a little fiddly. The head strap “harness” has a few ways to adjust it on the top and back, and it can take a while to find the right fit to make the Quest 3 as comfortable as possible on your head. There’s a foam insert surrounding the face area that also has tiny buttons on each side of the inside with 4 levels you can use to pull it out a bit, and there are very fiddly to use – it’s easy to accidentally pull out the whole face insert! Though you can pop it back in easy enough. This is allegedly to allow you to be able to wear glasses while using the headset, but in my case, this didn’t work. More on that later.

If you have an existing Facebook account, you can sign in with that once you charge up the Quest 3 via the USB-C port on the left side, or create a new account in the phone app you’ll download as a companion to the device. It does take a bit and mine came almost completely drained, so charge it first before setting it up. The Quest 3 has to go through initial setup routines, download a software update, and connect the two hand controllers to it’s system, so expect to make an evening of it to get it all done. There were a couple of glitches in the app during setup where it couldn’t find a hand controller, but then it did, then not the other, then it did, lost the WiFi connection, then found it, etc. You get the idea – patience is a virtue during setup.

Once set up initially, the Quest 3 will want to create a map of the room you’re in so you won’t walk into things while using it. This can take a few minutes, and you turn your head in all direction to map things out (you can redo it whenever you want or to reorient things). Virtual screens hover in the air in front of you so you can adjust settings, create an Avatar that represents you when in the virtual world, shop the app store to download apps to use in the store, or use a browser to surf, or even watch shows on Youtube or Netflix. When needed, a keyboard can also pop up so you can enter your info. Now, you are supposed to be able to see virtual hands when you hold your hands out that you can use in place of the controllers for certain activities, but mine, so far, has been a bit buggy… mine will appear and begin to work, then disappear, causing me to fall back on the controllers. In a couple of cases, the controllers stop working, only to be replace by the hands. Ugh.

My big complaint is that even though they say you can use the Quest 3 if you wear glasses, this is not always the case. I use reading type glasses for various things, that can vary from 1.25 to 2.50 strengths depending on what I’m doing. I have those and a few other variations, and I tried EVERY one of them, and even fiddling with all 4 levels of adjustments and a wheel on the bottom of the headset that adults the “IPD (Interpupillary Distance) adjustment wheel”, that adjusts the width of the two inner lenses. It’s NOT a “focus” adjustment – it just varies the width, and did little good. In every case with every pair of glasses, everything ranges from bad to really bad in terms of clarity. I found that really, just not wearing glasses at all helped some, but as of the time of this writing, I still haven’t been able to get what I would call “sharp” clarity from the headset regardless of settings, controls, or apps. If you wear prescription lenses, you can order a set from Meta to replace what comes with the headset, at an additional cost, that may work depending on your eyesight circumstances.

Games and apps can vary from fully submersible, in which all you see is the activity in the app, to a pass-through where you can somewhat see the room you are in through the front cameras while a virtual environment plays on top of it, such as an initial game where you shoot fuzzy aliens as they seem to bust through your ceiling and walls. More elaborate games make you a part of them, such as the included (with mine) Batman Arkham Shadow game, which allows you to take on the roll of Batman as though you’re looking through his eyes, maneuvering around Gotham and battling villains. It can be disorienting until you get used to VR, and caution is needed when standing to play these games, but you do get the hang of it. You can of course seek out other things like tourism or nature apps that simply allow you to be someplace else. Search for free ones online because a lot of them via the store are pay apps and range in prices from as little as $1.99 each all the way to $49.99 and higher.

When fully charged, the battery indicator shows about 2 hours and 30 minutes charge (give or take). The more elaborate the app, the quicker it can drain the battery, though. The included charger takes a couple of hours or so to recharge the Quest 3. I wish they could have put a bigger battery in the device, being honest. Time runs out quickly when you get into it. I tried to use an extended cable and charge while I used it, but it seems to drain the battery faster than it can charge it that way.
The controllers are powered by AA batteries, and you can use rechargeable batteries if you prefer. They’re comfortable to hold and have wrist straps so you don’t sling them around the room when using them. You can do some tasks using just one, but many times both are required unless you enable hand tracking in the settings area, in which case you can use your virtual hands to control things (kind of hit and miss in my use). A charging dock (sold separately) will allow you to charge your Quest via 4 small pin connections, as well as the controllers if you use rechargeable batteries in them.

I can only speak about my experience with the Quest 3, as it has a huge following of people who love it. However, due to the incompatibility of my being able to use my reader type glasses with it and not being able to get a sharp viewing experience, I’m a bit disappointed with the performance of it. It still has it’s neat moments with some apps, and it can be entertaining, but much less so if you’re not able to get that sharp image you need. I think it would not be hard to put a TRUE dioptric type of focusing mechanism in a future version of this and not just a IPD wheel, so even people with glasses of any type could forego having to use them at all.

I would say if you have good vision and don’t mind a lot of pay apps to fully enjoy the Quest 3, you will find it entertaining. If you wear glasses, be aware of possible complications and incompatibility issues out of the box, or having to order prescription inserts at an additional cost, and perhaps wait for a more refined future model with better adjustment controls. So I would say that in my case, I’m a bit disappointed with the Quest 3 as my expectations were perhaps higher than the device, but your mileage may vary depending on your circumstances. I would recommend this, with reservations talked about above.