And it’s gone: the discontinued Meta Quest 3 model is already sold out online
With the arrival of the Meta Quest 3S, we’ve learned that three Quest headsets are being discontinued, including the 128GB Meta Quest 3, to make room for the new and cheaper model. Less than a day after this announcement, the 128GB Meta Quest 3 has already sold out in the US and Australia – at the time of writing it is still available for purchase at Meta.com in Great Britain.
A quick look at third-party retailers shows that the 128GB Quest 3 – which now costs just $429.99 / £409.99 / AU$799.99 – isn’t fully available yet, but considering Meta.com dries up, I expect this won’t be the case. It could be a long time before the headset is gone for good.
So consider this your final clue to grab one while you can. Right now, the Meta Quest 3 is the VR headset I’d buy if I didn’t already have one, thanks to its combination of a fairly low price, great specs, and a comfortable design. Also for VR gaming, 128GB goes a long way as the app sizes are quite small so more storage isn’t a necessity.
The only negative is that you don’t get a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadowbut you can buy it separately if you’re desperate to play the VR superhero game when it launches in October.
It’s sold out, what should I do now?
If you’re reading this after the Meta Quest 3 128GB model is completely sold out in your country, what do I recommend you buy instead? Well, the 512GB Quest 3 model or the new 128GB Meta Quest 3S.
The Quest 3S isn’t a significant downgrade, but there are a few factors to consider when weighing your options.
The chipset and RAM are the same, but you’ll have to make do with a less bright 1832 x 1920 per eye display instead of the Quest 3’s 2064 x 2208 pixels per eye. And while it’s 1 gram lighter, is the Meta Quest 3S larger, as Meta says it is only 20% slimmer than the Quest 2, compared to 40% for the Quest 3 itself, which has an impact on comfort.
The 3S also loses the Quest 3’s depth sensor, meaning mixed reality experiences are slightly less accurate as the headset only has cameras and software to rely on.
But at just $299.99 / £289.99 / AU$499.99, the Quest 3S is a very tempting prospect despite its drawbacks. For more in-depth information on both the Quest 3 and Quest 3S, check out our Meta Quest 3 review and our hands-on Meta Quest 3S review.