Tariffs be damned, the Meta Quest 3S has never been cheaper

There might be talks of a trade war on the horizon, and there may be rumblings of a global recession in the air thanks to all the tariff drama going on right now. Because of all that, things aren't getting any cheaper. We've already heard news about some technology getting more expensive, and there aren't many discounted bits of gaming tech floating around as everyone collectively tightens their belts. But in spite of it all, one of the most coveted bits of gaming hardware is seeing a miraculous 10% discount.

The Meta Quest 3S at full price is already one of, if not the, best budget VR headset ever made, but its $299.99 price tag has taken a cut at Amazon, dropping the 128GB model to $269. The same is true of the 256GB SKU which is seeing the same $30 off. That brings it down to $369 (was $399.99) at Amazon. Since its launch in October last year, the Quest 3S has never dropped in price by this degree. It had a few tiny discounts over the Christmas Holiday, but it has never been cheaper than it is right now.

I first spotted the Quest 3S's price take a tumble right before I clocked off on Friday evening, but it was only seeing a discount in the UK. Given all of the goings on in the world, I didn't expect that price cut to make its way over the Atlantic, but here we are, talking about the fact you can get one of the best VR headsets for cheaper right now. It's safe to say we're in a pretty unpredictable place economically at the moment, so don't expect this discount to last for long.

Meta Quest 3S 128GB | $299.99 $269.99 at Amazon
Save $30 - Perhaps the best part about this discount is that the Quest 3S is still rocking its launch bundle which gets you a free copy of Batman Arkham Shadow along with your headset. Who knows how long that's going to last, let alone this price?

Buy it if:

✅ You want to try out VR gaming without a heavy investment
✅ You want mixed-reality features
✅ You only play VR games every now and again

Don't buy it if:

❌ You play VR games all the time (get the Quest 3 instead)
❌ You own a PS5 already

256GB model: $369 at Amazon

UK: 346 at Amazon

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Should you buy the Meta Quest 3S?

It's difficult to find a reason not to recommend the Meta Quest 3S, in all honesty. This is a headset so strong that it actually calls into question who should spend the extra cash on a full-fat Meta Quest 3. For most users, this is all the VR headset they'll need to enjoy fully immersive gaming and a few bits of spatial computing. If you aren't mainlining VR as your primary gaming platform, the Quest 3S gets you almost all of the same specs and features for much cheaper.

There are two caveats to that. Firstly, if you ask me, the biggest win for the Quest 3 over the 3S is the pancake lenses. It's amazing how much of a difference they make, and if you can afford to put down the extra cash for them, I'd argue they're worth it. Again, that's really only going to be true if you play a lot of VR games, whether that's standalone or through a linked gaming PC. If you usually play with just the power of the headset, the Quest 3 and 3S both harness the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, so you're not going to notice a big difference in terms of power being kicked into your eyeballs.

Speaking of that processor, I'd use it as an excuse to justify this purchase here and now. Qualcomm's outsourced manufacturing happens in Taiwan, elsewhere in Asia, and other territories, so I'd fully expect this to be a rare discount for 2025, should the USA's disruptive Tariffs continue into the year.

The second caveat is that if you already own a PS5, I'd spend money on a PSVR 2 instead. Admittedly, you're not going to get the same standalone experience of spatial computing capabilities, but if you only plan to use a VR headset for gaming, be it on a PS5 or PC, Sony's headset is going to give you a better time of it.

For more, check out the best Meta Quest accessories, the best gaming laptops, and the best RAM for gaming.