Meta Quest 3 is a giant in the world of gaming headsets, but now it's popped out a mini-me: the Meta Quest 3S.

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This new device is the most affordable Meta Quest 3 to date; nearly £200 cheaper than the Meta Quest 3 and £600 less than the Meta Quest Pro.

The 3S has been designed as a budget-friendly solution for mixed-reality gaming, but that doesn't mean it's made major sacrifices in terms of design and specs.

With a higher max refresh rate than even the Pro, and 4.5 times the resolution and colour of the Meta Quest 2, the headset is bound to impress even the pickiest gamers.

The 3S also comes in a bundle with two Touch Plus controllers with wrist straps and AA batteries, a charging cable and power adapter. Plus, the new game Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+ are included in the price.

So, without further ado, here's what you need to know about the headset's release date, price and how to pre-order now.

Pre-order Meta Quest 3S from £289.99 at Amazon

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Meta Quest 3S UK release date

Meta Quest 3 headset with artwork for Batman Arkham Shadow in the background
Meta Quest 3. Meta

The Meta Quest 3S will go on sale on Tuesday 15th October. However, you can pre-order the headset from today.

Meta Quest 3S UK price

The Meta Quest 3S starts at £289.99 for the 128GB model and £379.99 for the 256GB model.

This is by far the cheapest Meta Quest around, with the Meta Quest 3 starting at £479.99 and the Meta Quest Pro at £999.99.

As we've said, the headset also comes with the new game Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+, which would normally cost £60.

Pre-order Meta Quest 3S from £289.99 at Amazon

Meta Quest 3S design: What does the new headset look like?

The Meta Quest 3S has the same white plastic body and a Y-shaped headstrap as the Meta Quest 3. But the pair differ on the design of the face. The Meta Quest 3S has swapped the three vertical cameras of the 3 for two triangular clusters on either side (which contain two cameras and one emitter).

This doesn't seem to have changed anything to do with vision or motion tracking, and appears to be purely cosmetic.

Meta Quest 3S specifications: What's the difference between the Meta Quest 3 and 3S?

The biggest change (and pro) for the Meta Quest 3S is that it has a higher refresh rate than the Meta Quest Pro. It has a 90-120Hz refresh rate, meaning graphics will be smoother and able to render between 90 and 120fps.

The Meta Quest 3S is also said to have a longer-lasting battery, at 2.5 hours.

Other than that, the 3S is fairly similar to the 3, with colour pass-through cameras with 4MP quality, the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor with 8GB of RAM and the same motion tracking controls.

Of course, as it's cheaper, the Meta Quest 3S does have to make some sacrifices. These come in the form of storage size – with the 3S only available in 128 or 256GB – and resolution – 1,832 by 1,920 compared to the 3's 2,064 by 2,208.

Where can I pre-order the Meta Quest 3S?

The Meta Quest 3 is available from Meta itself, or from other major UK retailers. The headset is available to pre-order now and will be available to buy outright from 15th October.

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