The big new VR headset news of the week is the grand unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy XR, but if the price tag of this $1,799.99 headset scares you off, a deal on the best VR headset for entry-level buyers seems timed perfectly to sway over budget-oriented VR fans.
Over at Meta's official store, the Meta Quest 3S at 256GB has been discounted down to $329.99, and we've never seen it go cheaper than this since its launch in December of last year. That's $1,470 less than the Galaxy VR's price, although of course the new Samsung headset does a lot that the Quest 3S isn't cut out for.
In the US, the 128GB model is also discounted by $50, down to $249.99, but in the UK such a reduction isn't available. No other retailers have the Meta Quest 3S discounted at the time of writing.
While this is the cheapest we've ever seen the Meta Quest 3s drop to, it's not actually the first time it's gone this low, with Prime Day earlier in October seeing Amazon offer the headset for the same prices.
However Meta offers a year-long warranty on your purchase if you buy from its own store, so you're protected in case you damage the headset. Amazon offers protection plans but they cost you extra, so this is a nice little perk.
Included with the headset, you get Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month trial to Meta Horizon+. The latter is a subscription service that has a catalog plus two specific titles each month, so you won't need to buy games for the headset straight away.
Should you buy the Meta Quest 3S?
I know that technically this isn't a new low price cut for the Meta Quest 3S, but the extra warranty could be enough of a sweetener to win over some safety-conscious buyers.
If you've been sitting on the fence, waiting for VR headsets to get cheap enough to justify buying one, then perhaps this is the discount you've been waiting for. The Quest 3S at this new price is substantially cheaper than the standard Meta Quest 3, as well as plenty of rival VR sets.
The one thing to give you pause should be Black Friday VR headset deals, which will kick off in the next month. It's hard to say for sure whether the Meta Quest 3S will get discounted to a lower price than its current one, but based on precedent, we'll probably see other headsets cut to within reach of the 3S.
Last year we saw deals on PSVR 2 bundles that came close to Quest 3S prices, and previous Quest models often get pretty hearty discounts too. If you're dead-set on buying a Meta headset, you can ignore all of this, but if you're keeping your options open, it may be worth waiting for the deals.
- See all VR headsets at Amazon
- Meta Quest 3S 128GB |
$299.99$249.99 at Meta Store - Meta Quest 3S 256GB |
$399.99$329.99 at Meta Store
Use our guide to prepare for the Black Friday gaming deals, peruse the best Meta Quest accessories, or learn what to expect with the Black Friday Meta Quest deals.
