Meta Connect 2024 is coming up – it starts on September 25 – and it seems almost certain that this will be the launch event for the new Meta Quest 3S. We already knew almost everything about the headset, and now a leaked ad may have confirmed the final detail: how much it’ll cost.
To bring you up to speed, the Quest 3S is a more affordable Meta Quest 3. It will have the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, but a lower-end display and a larger design – essentially combining elements from the Quest 3 and Quest 2.
It was hoped that this would mean the Quest 3S would cost around the same as the Meta Quest 2, which launched for $299.99 / £299.99 / AU$479.99. However, no leakers were forthcoming with any concrete information on this detail, suggesting it could land somewhere between that lower figure and $399.99 / £399.99 / AU$599.99 – which would still be cheaper than the Quest 3, but not quite such a dramatic price drop.
$299 Quest 3S 128GB Confirmed by Amazon Ad on Peacock by r/OculusQuest
Now it appears that a Reddit user has shared an ad from Amazon stating that Peacock has a price tag of $299.99.
If true, it would be a huge win for anyone hoping to see VR become more accessible again after the Quest 3 launched for $499 / £479 / AU$799. I love the headset, but it’s more expensive than what came before it (though that helps justify the cost increase) and that means it’s a little harder to play the best new VR experiences, like the Quest 3-exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow.
Now, we have to take this leak with a grain of salt. As much as I want it to be real, it’s hard to confirm the validity of the shaky partial phone recording of an ad — especially since it’s the only reported sighting of the ad so far — and the user has no track record for sharing leaks. Their public account page only shows this post and two comments as their activity history on the social media site.
While true, the ad doesn’t mention whether the $299.99 Quest 3S includes controllers. That was one theory about how Meta might match the Quest 2’s price with the new model.
That said, this ad really got me excited for Meta Connect 2024 and revived my hopes that we could expect the Quest 3S for a super low price, after convincing myself that might not be possible.