Meta has added a cheaper pair of VR glasses to its lineup. The Meta Quest 3S has everything of its bigger brother, but sacrifices on image quality.
This time last year, Meta launched the Quest 3 mixed reality glasses. You got great value for money, but at 549 euros you could hardly call it bargain-basement. For those looking for a more budget-friendly solution, the Meta Quest 3S is now available with a suggested retail price of 329 euros.
Despite the hefty price difference, both mixed reality glasses are very similar. Both have the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip on board and cameras to enable in-color mixed reality.
Where is the big difference between the two? The most important is image quality. Whereas the Meta Quest 3 still had a high resolution of 2,064 x 2,208 pixels per eye, the Meta Quest 3S has 1,832 x 1,920 pixels. That’s not coincidentally the same resolution as the Meta Quest 2, its predecessor without mixed reality.
The Meta Quest 3S also has slightly inferior lenses compared to the high-quality pancake lenses in the Quest 3, the latter providing a larger sweet spot and offering a wider field of view.
Pre-orders are available starting now. The Meta Quest 3S starts from 329 euros with 128 GB storage. The variant with 256 GB storage costs 439 euros. Both prices include VAT. It is unclear for now whether the Quest 3S will also be put into a business program with additional support, as is the case with the Quest 3 today.
read also
Meta launches cheaper Quest 3S mixed reality glasses
Orion prototype AR glasses
In addition to the Meta Quest 3S, the Facebook owner also announced its “Orion” smart glasses. These AR glasses show a very wide view of the real world through projectors in the frame. Whereas the Meta Quest mixed reality glasses show the world on a screen thanks to cameras, here you look at the world through traditional glass glasses.
The result, which you can see in detail here, looks impressive on a technological level. Only downside: Meta has no plans to release it commercially today. The price would be far too high today, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Meta did make a thousand copies for itself to further refine and demonstrate the technology.
Not coincidentally, Meta has renewed its partnership with Ray-Ban. The AR glasses fit perfectly into that plan. When the evolution of “Orion” will be in stores is anyone’s guess. We expect Meta will need a few more years to get everything right.