The long awaited Meta Quest 3S MR headset has officially been announced at Meta Connect 2024. The new headset arrives as a new budget-friendly option and a perfect device for those just trying out mixed reality or want to upgrade their Meta Quest or Meta Quest 2.

The Meta Quest 3S is powered by the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, the same chipset inside the more expensive Quest 3 headset (available on Amazon for $649). However, it doesn't get the pancake lenses of the Quest 3 but comes with Fresnel lenses and a narrower field of view. On the plus side, it does have the Quest 3's full color Passthrough capabilities with a dedicated button called the“Action Button” for switching between passthrough and immersive modes.

The Quest 3S has a resolution of1832 x 1920 and a 90Hz/120Hz refresh rate. Its field of view is 96° horizontal and 90° vertical. There's 8GB of RAM on board paired with 128GB or 256GB of storage. According to its spec sheet, it has a 4,324mAh battery. Despite being smaller than the Quest 3's 5,060mAh battery, it will provide up to 2.5 hours of use compared to the Quest 3's 2.2 hours of battery life.

Meta says the Quest 3S is compatible with some of the Quest 3's accessories such as the Elite Strap, Elite Strap with Battery, the Carrying Case and Compact Carrying Case, the Link cable, the controller-specific Charging Dock, and the Active Straps. However, it will get an exclusive Breathable Facial Interface to help keep cool during workouts or intense gaming sessions.

The Meta Quest 3S is available to pre-order now ahead of its October 15 release date. The 128GB version is priced at $299.99 while the 256GB version is $399.99, and both ship with a pair of Touch Plus controllers.

All orders of the Quest 3S from now until April 30, 2025 will get a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow, a game exclusive to the Quest 3 and Quest 3S releasing on October 22, 2024. Meta will also include a free 3-month subscription to Meta Quest .