Some of the best deals that pop up around sales events like Prime Day are discounts on virtual reality (VR) headsets, and that's the case this year, too. In fact, one available right now that anyone looking to get into VR needs to know about is a markdown that brings the Meta Quest 3S down to just $249 at Amazon.
Not only is that over $50 off the headset's regular $300 MSRP, but it's also over $150 cheaper than the recent limited edition $400 "Xbox Edition" of the Meta Quest 3S that Microsoft recently launched in partnership with Meta. And while there are reasons why you might still want that version, this deal on the original presents a great opportunity to save a nice chunk of change if they're not important to you.
Easily the best Meta Quest 3S deal I've ever seen
VR headsets allow you to dive into VR games and media made specifically for the hardware, and also let you play regular games and movies with a virtual screen (it works with PC and SteamVR, also). You'll be hard-pressed to find one that offers more bang for your buck than the Meta Quest 3S — last year's alternative to the Meta Quest 3. Despite being an entire $200 less expensive than the $500 Quest 3 at the entry level, the Quest 3S actually sports the exact same CPU, memory, and controllers, and also works with the same games and software.
The differences lie with storage, lenses, and display; the Quest 3 has 512GB of game storage, while the Quest 3S comes with either 128GB or 256GB. Additionally, the Quest 3's pancake lenses and 2064x2208 per-eye display resolution is sharper than the Quest 3S' older Fresnel lenses and 1832x1920 pixels per eye count.
As a result, the Quest 3S falls behind in terms of image quality and gives you a lot less file storage to work with, but it still looks and feels great to play — and with a starting price of $300 that's down to just $249 this Amazon Prime Day, it's undeniably one of if not the best entry-level VR headset to buy right now. As VR expert Nicholas Sutrich said in his review over on our sister site Android Central, "the Meta Quest 3S is a triumph in every regard."
It's worth noting that Meta also throws in three months of Meta Horizon+ with every Quest 3S. This subscription service ($7.99/month, or $59.99/year) gives you access to a catalog of VR games you can play at any time, with two curated titles added to it monthly.
- DEAL: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1-month memberships are $13.69 at CDKeys, giving you access to Microsoft's service for a cool discount
Interestingly, this huge Prime Day discount has come just two weeks after Microsoft and Meta partnered up to launch a limited edition Meta Quest 3S "Xbox Edition" headset; priced at $400, it's significantly more expensive than the baseline $300 (now $249) Quest 3S, but includes quite a bit. And while it's mostly sold out, you can still get it at Best Buy.
Beyond the Xbox-themed black colorway with green accents and the iconography of Microsoft's gaming brand, the 128GB "Xbox Edition" also comes with a Bluetooth-compatible Xbox Series Wireless Controller ($65), a Quest Elite Strap ($129.99) that adds an extra hour or two of playtime to the headset's 2-3 hour battery life, and three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($60; $20/month) so that you can use Xbox Cloud Gaming with the device right away.
That's $250 of value for just $100 more than the normal Quest 3S ($150, while the aforementioned deal lasts), which actually makes it a great deal — if you don't already have an active Xbox Game Pass subscription or an Xbox controller to use. If you already do, though? I'd say you're better off saving $150 and picking up the discounted standard Meta Quest 3S.
After all, there's nothing the "Xbox Edition" can do that the original can't, and you can always get the items it's bundled with at a later time if you want them. Notably, you can often find these on sale; standard Xbox controllers are selling for as little as $46.49 at Walmart at the moment, for example, and 1-month codes for Game Pass Ultimate are $13.69 at CDKeys.
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