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00:00Is good VR cheap now? This is the brand new MetaQuest 3S. It costs £290, $300, which
00:07makes it about 40% cheaper than last year's Quest 3, but we're getting the same processor,
00:13same mixed reality, passthrough camera, same controllers. So now this is suspiciously affordable,
00:19is it actually worth buying? Is it time to jump into VR?
00:25Okay, so as confusing as it may be, the Quest 3S isn't actually a new and improved Quest
00:313, it's actually a stripped back version. They've even brought back some features from
00:34the Quest 2 to get the price down. Think of it more as a Quest 3 Lite, although it does
00:40actually weigh exactly the same.
00:42Enemy neutralized.
00:46And so like the old Quest 2, this actually uses Fresnel lenses, which are slightly more
00:50of a narrow focus rather than the pancake lenses that you get on the regular Quest 3.
00:56They're cheaper to make, essentially. Also, they have to have a slightly different design
00:59in here. And so you've got a smaller, tighter focus sweet spot, and the edges, the periphery
01:04is just a little bit less sharp. And not only that, but they've basically reduced the pixels
01:09per eye, aka the resolution, by about 20% versus the Quest 3.
01:14They've also got rid of the audio jack, the hardware depth sensor, and also swapped this
01:18IPD wheel on the Quest 3, which adjusts how far your eyes are from the lenses and how
01:24you focus it, to a simple three focal point system like you get on the Quest 2.
01:29The battery is smaller as well, although Metarek and Battery Life should be similar at just
01:33over two hours, although I've been getting more like an hour and a half to two hours
01:36in games.
01:37Oh, so close.
01:41Doesn't sound great then, does it? Almost like a repackaged Quest 2. Well, in a way,
01:46yes, but also no. This is still a step up, but I'm not convinced this is actually worth
01:50buying when this is already available, especially because this has been out for a while and
01:55you can often get some pretty good deals on it.
01:57So is there any good news with the Quest 3S? Well, yes. We get the same Snapdragon XR2
02:02Gen 2 processor that we get with the full-fat Quest 3, which gives you double the graphics
02:07performance versus the Quest 2, the same 8 gigs of RAM, and the same color pass-through
02:11cameras, which are essential for good mixed reality, and a huge step up from the Quest
02:152's black and white pass-through.
02:17I can't even remember my own name.
02:19So in terms of the processor, the RAM, the color pass-through cameras, the performance
02:23generally, the 3S is the same as the 3. And we also get the same Quest Touch Plus controllers.
02:29But hang on, let's just take a step back for a second. What actually is a Quest? Why
02:32would you want to buy one of these things?
02:33The Quest 3S is a standalone virtual and mixed reality headset. VR being the totally immersive
02:39game and app environments, and MR, mixed reality, having graphics and game elements overlaid
02:44on your actual real-world environment that you can see via pass-through cameras.
02:48Oh, bullseye!
02:49And it is a really cool bit of tech. You can have a lot of fun with having a massive cinema
02:53screen, hovering wherever you want, or playing some really creative games, and also if you
02:58want, using it for work. At best, it's great fun and hilarious. At worst, you may feel
03:04a bit sick.
03:05And like the Quest 3, it's totally self-contained. With the Horizon OS storefront where you buy
03:09your games, you don't need anything else. Well, except for a phone to set it up with
03:13the MetaHorizon app.
03:15You can also plug it into your PC to use some PC VR games, or for just mirroring your desktop
03:20and mixed reality, wear a virtual monitor overlaid on your desk, or anywhere really.
03:24And you can also do this wirelessly through apps like Virtual Desktop.
03:28So that's the idea. Fun little games, VR, MR experiences, or indeed to play PC VR games
03:34or mirror your desktop. That's essentially what you're going to be doing with this.
03:37It is certainly not as high spec and fancy as an Apple Vision Pro, although this does
03:41cost 10 times more? 12 times more? It's a whole different category, really.
03:46The fact that this is just £290, or about $300, means that you don't feel guilty if
03:51you're not using it all the time. If you've got friends coming over, kids coming over,
03:53and you just want to have a bit of a VR session and have some fun, yeah, go for it. If you
03:58want to try some PC VR games, if you just want it as a Christmas present...
04:11And you've got three options. The 128GB Quest 3S is £299, $299. The 256GB is £379, or $399.
04:24Or you've got the regular Quest 3 with 512GB of storage, or $499.
04:29So broadly speaking, the Quest 3 is about £200, $200 more than the 3S. Although we
04:35are comparing a 128GB versus a 512GB model as well.
04:38As for context, originally the 512GB Quest 3 was $649, so now for $499 it actually feels
04:45like great value. And also the old entry-level model of the Quest 3 with 128GB has been discontinued,
04:50although you can still find some deals on refurb models. And as I say, they all feel
04:54like a bargain compared to the 3.5 grand Apple Vision Pro.
04:58Bear in mind though, that 128GB storage on the base model will fill up pretty quickly.
05:03Some games are 30-35GB in size, so maybe you could have two or three higher-end games,
05:09or half a dozen smaller ones. It really depends on the apps and games that you're using.
05:13And herein lies the problem, because I would encourage you to pay more for the 256GB, just
05:18so you don't have to uninstall games all the time. But then the price point gets a lot
05:23closer to the Quest 3, which has 512GB storage and the improved Oculus Vision stuff. It's
05:30tricky.
05:31Although, if you do buy a 3S at launch, you will get a copy of Batman Arkham Shadow and
05:353 Months of MetaQuest Plus for free.
05:37Although, bit of a sneaky hack that you can refund a lot of games if you haven't played
05:41it for more than 2 hours over a 2-week period. And since a lot of these VR games and apps
05:46are kind of tech-demo-y, or you can get an idea if you like them pretty quickly or if
05:50they make you feel sick, you can actually just try a lot of stuff and then refund it.
05:55Design-wise, it's not worlds apart from the Quest 3. Materials, overall finish very
06:00similar. It's plastic, of course. We have these new spider eyes on the front which include
06:06the cameras and sensors. We've also got the power button, volume rocker, USB-C port. They've
06:11got rid of the audio jack, though. There's a little button here. This is the new button
06:15that lets you switch from MR to VR. You don't get that on the Quest 3 and it is really nice.
06:21It's almost like a home button, because if you're a bit confused, something's happening
06:24around you, you can just press that and within 2 seconds you're back in the real world. Obviously,
06:29this isn't as sharp or clear as an Apple Vision Pro, but that costs 12 times as much
06:34and I wouldn't really want to read my phone or laptop, but I can see exactly where things
06:38are. I'm not going to trip over anything. I can talk to someone if they come in and
06:42then immediately jump back into VR. Now, one thing that hasn't changed between
06:47the Quest 3 and the 3S is this head strap, which it does the job, but it's not my favourite.
06:53And I would say because of the slightly different design that it feels a bit more front-heavy.
06:57A bit of pressure on the ridge of my nose and my forehead. And this is kind of the problem
07:01with any VR or MR headset. As nice as it is, you're still going to come out afterwards
07:06feeling a bit hot and bothered and have to adjust your hair. It's not always the most
07:10comfortable experience, particularly if you do get a bit queasy. And it all comes down
07:14to the apps you play and particularly the motion in the apps. Teleporting is much easier
07:17than actually moving around. So if you have tried VR before and you do feel sick from
07:21it, then this isn't going to be any different. Also, this facial area with its fabric material
07:25is the same as the Quest 3 and it can be a little rough and actually isn't the easiest
07:29to clean, which isn't ideal, particularly if your face gets a bit sweaty. So I would
07:32definitely recommend grabbing a silicone alternative, especially one with a section which reduces
07:37light leak from around your nose. The head strap arms with its speakers are identical
07:41as well. So the Quest 3's head straps are compatible. I've also been using the Quest
07:453 with this Bobo VR S3 Pro Super Strap. Fantastic name, but it has this halo design, which actually
07:52helps to spread the weight a bit more. And it's also just quick and easy to adjust.
07:55And it comes with a 10,000 mAh drop-in battery, which pretty much triples the runtime. Obviously,
08:01this does cost you extra, but if you want a more comfortable, longer-lasting experience,
08:05then it's definitely worth considering. So these are the Meta Touch Plus controllers,
08:10exactly the same as you get on the Quest 3. Nice and comfortable to use, fit in your palms
08:14nicely. You've got a couple of buttons underneath here, triggers, joystick on the top on each
08:19with a couple of buttons. As long as the cameras can see them, you're not going to have any
08:22issues. They're comfortable with responsive feeling inputs. Plus we get haptic feedback
08:27for that little bit extra immersion. It feels like you're actually touching a real object
08:30in the game world. And I get maybe three to four sessions of battery life from the controllers.
08:34And if I played more, I'd probably grab the official compact charging dock. This adds
08:38wirelessly rechargeable battery modules. So you just drop the controllers into these cradles
08:42to start charging with a type C cable for plugging in the headset. And there are tons
08:46of third-party extras and mods that should work on the Quest 3S as well. But on the official
08:50side, Meta offers things like the Elite Strap with and without a battery, link cables, and
08:55this compact carry case, which keeps everything nice and tidy.
08:58Okay, let's get technical for a second. And really the biggest downgrade, the biggest
09:01compromise versus the Quest 3 is the image quality. The lower pixel per eye resolution
09:06and also the use of the Fresnel lenses rather than the pancake lenses. As I mentioned earlier,
09:10Fresnel lenses have a smaller central sweet spot where you get the cleanest, most detailed
09:15image. Plus you're getting a lot more distortion and glare towards the edges, which means finding
09:20the correct IPD, which is the distance between your eyes, and then adjusting the head strap
09:25to keep your eyes level with the center is critical or else you're going to get a very
09:30blurry experience. It's important on the Quest 3 as well, of course, but with his pancake
09:34lenses, that sweet spot is much bigger. So it's a lot more forgiving in the setup and
09:38it gives you a clearer image without too much messing around. And together with that 20%
09:42reduction in the pixels per degree of vision, essentially the resolution, it means text
09:46and fine detail just look a little bit rougher and less sharp versus the Quest 3. And if
09:51I'm honest, it feels identical to using the Quest 2 in regular VR mode. And also like
09:55the Quest 2 and the Quest 3, these still use 120 hertz LCD panels, not OLED, which means
10:00blacks can still look a bit grayish. What has improved over time though, is the UI,
10:05the actual experience using it. Meta Horizons has been updated quite significantly since
10:10the Quest 3 came out last year. It's actually a pretty easy and nice experience. When you
10:14turn it on, you get this curated explore page. Along the bottom here, you have your quick
10:18settings, the store, recent apps and a share menu. And you can grab any window with your
10:22controller or even your hand and then move and position it any way you like. And this
10:26also works in mixed reality. And I actually found myself looking behind my sofa to see
10:30where I'd left my YouTube window, which is very weird. Setup is easy. Just create an
10:35account and then select fixed or room scale with the latter using its sensors to map your
10:39play area and then showing you a grid of your limits in game. Although the lack of
10:43a hardware depth sensor that we do have on the older Quest 3 did seem to slow the room
10:48mapping a little bit, but it's still pretty quick. And interestingly, earlier on this
10:51year, Meta announced that they'll be sharing Horizon OS with other manufacturers, other
10:55OEMs. And in fact, ASUS have teased an ROG performance gaming headset based on this software
11:01on Horizon OS. So these Quest headsets may be getting some competition. In terms of apps
11:06and games, I mean, there's absolutely loads to choose from. You've got Classics, Beat
11:10Saber, you've got Meta Horizon Worlds, which is kind of like the Rec Room. I mean, a lot
11:14of this stuff has come out a few years ago now, and it does maybe say something about
11:18the state of VR gaming, or at least meta VR gaming, that I Am Cat, which is actually kind
11:24of a fun POV game where you play a destructive cat, is the number one game right now on the
11:30store on this Horizon free store. Definitely worth playing with. I actually did feel a
11:34little bit queasy walking around, pawing around.
11:50Theatre Elsewhere is also a really creative theatre experience where you can watch beautifully
11:55rendered stories, either from a fixed position or in free movement mode. You've got Meta
11:59Horizon Worlds, which is Meta's own social game where you have loads of activities to
12:02jump into alongside other players, and I'm actually really looking forward to Batman
12:06Arkham Shadow and also Metro Awakening. Plus, you can stream full-fat Xbox Cloud games,
12:11which is like playing on a big TV, although not quite as sharp, and obviously you need
12:14to make sure you have a good Wi-Fi connection. I can also cast my MacBook screen on this
12:18to do some work, which is fine for an hour or two. It's not the sharpest experience,
12:22and I've kind of been spoiled by the Vision Pro. And also Netflix and Amazon Prime, YouTube
12:26all have apps, meaning you can watch movies or, you know, tech chat videos, whatever you
12:30fancy, in either a monitor-sized window or all the way up to a super-scale theatre, which
12:35is how tech chat videos should be viewed.
12:37Overall, I am very impressed with the Quest 3S. Maybe I haven't sounded that excited,
12:41but it's just because it's nothing that new versus the Quest 3, which came out last
12:45year. And also, I feel like maybe it will just get a bit lost in terms of pricing, because
12:51if you want more storage and you can find a good deal on a Quest 3, I'm not sure why
12:55you'd go for this. But then, you know, it's 60% of the price for, I'd say, 70-75% of the
13:00experience, and if this is what your budget can stretch to and you want a fun little VR
13:05treat for you and the family, then yeah, the 3S is definitely worth considering.
13:09Don't get me wrong, it's a solid VR headset. It plays everything and runs everything well.
13:12It's a lot of tech for your money. But the trouble is, because it's only 128GB of storage,
13:16I think it would be helpful to have a bit more. By the time you go for 256GB, you're
13:19only £100 off the Quest 3, with 512GB storage, better image quality. So if you can stretch
13:24your budget, I would still recommend trying to get yourself a Quest 3, particularly if
13:28you can find one on a good deal.
13:29We'll see about that.
13:32And if you do have an older Quest 2, then just go straight for the Quest 3. But really,
13:36what I'm most excited about is to see what these third-party headsets from the likes
13:40of Asus will end up being like.
13:42But what do you reckon? Are you going to pick one of these up? Would you go for the 3S or
13:45the 3, or none of the above? Let me know what you make of this in the comments below. If
13:48you've got any questions, drop a comment as well. If you enjoyed the video, a like and
13:52subscribe would be fantastic. And I'll see you next time, right here on The Tech Chap.