Best Buy just dropped Meta's cheapest Quest 3S headset back to a record-low price

The front of the Meta Quest 3S — (Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

The Meta Quest 3S is already one of the cheapest VR headsets worth spending your cash on, which is why it rarely sees too many discounts of its own. You'd be lucky to find a few bucks off this affordable 128GB device day to day, but Best Buy has just returned it to its lowest price yet.

The cheaper model is currently available for $269.99 at Best Buy (was $299.99), a $30 saving and a return to a record-low. That's a fantastic rate for anyone looking to dip their toes in the world of virtual reality, but if you expect you'll need a little more storage there's an even larger saving on the 256GB version. That $399.99 headset has dropped $50 off its MSRP, coming in at just $349.99 for only the second time this year.

You're still getting the full Batman: Arkham Shadow bundle here, as well as a three month Meta Horizon+ free trial. That's not too shabby considering this is one of the best VR headsets we've tested so far.

Meta Quest 3S (128GB) | ~~$299.99~~ $269.99 at Best Buy
Save $30 - It sounds like a smaller saving, but this is the cheapest the Meta Quest 3S has ever been. The $299.99 headset has only dropped this low a few times since it was released late last year - and it took us a while to even get to the point of savings.

Buy it if:

✅ You're dabbling in the world of VR
✅ You don't need to spend more on higher quality lenses
✅ You don't have a PS5

Don't buy it if:

❌ You'd rather pick up a PSVR 2 for your PS5
❌ You want higher quality lenses

Should you buy the Meta Quest 3S?

The Meta Quest 3S next to the Meta Quest 2 — (Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

The Meta Quest 3S took over from the bottom-run of the Meta Quest 3 range late last year, and it does make some sacrifices to achieve its lower price point. Whereas the full-fat model comes with 512GB of storage as standard now as well as superior pancake lenses, the 3S opts for a more affordable set of Fresnels instead.

In real-world use, you may notice a reduced area of view (how much of your virtual screen you can actually see) that Duncan noted marked the largest downgrade from the more expensive model in his review. That narrow viewpoint does hurt gaming a little, and makes menu hopping slightly less free. This, plus the lower per-eye resolution on each panel, does give the Quest 3S a slightly lower quality feel overall - but first-time buyers are still going to have a great time here.

At the end of the day, the Meta Quest 3S is a fantastic standalone headset for those who still want a solid VR and mixed-reality experience without the price tag of an Apple or even slightly pricier Meta device. You're getting the processing power of a far more expensive headset for far less.

If you're already well-versed in premium VR headsets, you may need a little more juice than the Meta Quest 3S can provide. If, however, you're just starting out it's the best entry point there is.

We're also rounding up all the best Meta Quest accessories and more of the latest Meta Quest deals and bundles.

Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I've written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i'm focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.