Price hikes have been felt across the entire tech industry lately, and the Meta Quest 3 mixed reality headset is the next piece of premium hardware that’s about to get more expensive. Meta has announced that its Quest 3 headset will increase from $500 to $600 for the 512GB model, while anyone looking to grab the entry-level Quest 3S headset can expect to pay an extra $50 for the 128GB and 256GB models when the new prices kick in on April 19.
Meta says that the current global memory shortage has led to price increases, but accessories will remain at their current prices. “We’re making this change because the cost of building high-performance VR hardware has risen significantly,” Meta said in a statement. “The global surge in the price of critical components–specifically memory chips–is impacting almost every category of consumer electronics, including VR. To keep delivering the quality of hardware, software, and support you expect from the Quest platform, we need to adjust our pricing.”
If you’re looking to grab a Quest 3 or 3S headset before it becomes more expensive, you can check our list below for the models currently on sale.
Meta Quest 3 headsets: New Prices as of April 19
- Meta Quest 3S (128GB) — $400 (was $350)
- Meta Quest 3S (256GB) — $450 (was $400)
- Meta Quest 3 (512GB) — $600 (was $500)
The Meta Quest 3S is a great wireless headset for anyone looking to experience virtual and augmented reality without spending too much. Featuring a lightweight design, the unit is a modified version of the more powerful–and more expensive–Quest 3. Like its bigger brother, the Quest 3S comes equipped with 8GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chipset, allowing it to smoothly play games like Batman: Arkham Shadow, Asgard’s Wrath, and Marvel’s Deadpool. You also get two wireless Touch Plus controllers, so you won’t have to worry about tripping over any cables during a frantic session of Beat Saber.
For internal storage, you can choose between a 128GB or a 256GB model, but there are no options to expand that capacity. The big difference between the Quest 3S and the Quest 3 are the lenses, as the Quest 3 provides a sharper, clearer image. The LCD screen features a 120Hz refresh rate and 2064 x 2208 per-eye resolution, while the Quest 3S uses 1832 x 1920 Fresnel lenses, similar to those in the lower-specced Quest 2.
Both units work well as standalone devices, but you can also plug them into a PC to get a boost in processing power. We’d also note that the Quest 3S has slightly better battery life than the Quest 3, but you can always get the official Meta Quest battery pack to beef up the playtime on that headset.
