Meta Quest 3S 128GB Headset

A great development and a nice sponsorship to end 2024. As an early adopter of these affordable and easy-to-set-up VR technologies, I started with the Samsung box on my Galaxy S8 and discovered and pre-ordered the original Oculus Quest. For work, I was able to use the Meta Quest 2 a bit. And for months, I'd been eyeing the Quest 3 for its XR (mixed reality) capabilities, but its price still seemed high. With the release of the 3s, its price has dropped considerably since mid-October. So, I bought a Quest 3 and barely a week later, a 3s. This was for two reasons. The first is that I'm naturally curious, and I wanted to compare the capabilities of the two products. But above all, VR or XR is more fun with others. And I wanted to share these moments with my children. So, I bought a Quest 3 for €529 and a 3s for €329 to have a primary headset for all our games and a secondary one for games I want to use collaboratively. Hardware-wise: What's advertised is exactly what's there in reality. The 3 has a sharpness that the 3s lacks. But the 3s has nothing to be ashamed of. Its display quality is on par with the Quest 1 and 2. Let's just say that if you don't have the 3 to compare, its quality is very good. In terms of responsiveness, there's no difference between the 3 and 3s. Both are very responsive. The 3s might be slightly more responsive at times. I sometimes lose controller tracking on my Quest 3, whereas this never happened on the 3s. The 3s has a simpler face interface (same as the Quest 1 and 2), but for me, it's more effective when wearing glasses (it's wider and deeper with the spacer). On the Quest 3, the more elaborate system often gets stuck (I've noticed this on mine and a colleague's) and is less wide. Therefore, it's not suitable for my glasses. Regarding the strap, it absolutely needs to be changed on both models because it doesn't hold the headset properly in place. An "Elite"-style strap with a battery is, in my opinion, the right setup. If possible, with a removable battery. The battery is necessary for two reasons. The battery life of both headsets is relatively short, even very short for the Quest 3. The 3s lasts slightly longer. The second reason is that the battery's counterweight contributes to the headset's comfort. Without the battery, the headset presses unevenly on the face, just like the standard strap. With the battery, the balance is much more comfortable. In short, on the 3s, you need to change the strap to an Elite-type model with a removable battery, if possible. Personally, I also added a silicone cover to the face interface for comfort and to block the light around my nose. For the 3, if you wear glasses, there's a good chance you'll need to change the entire face interface and the strap as well. There are also straps for the controllers. Quite a few models are available at good prices and, most importantly, integrate well with the controller. This eliminates the stress of constantly holding the controllers. With this type of accessory, the controllers are held in your hands. So, less stress and more freedom. Easy to put on and take off. Usage-wise: My Quest 1 was only for VR. No pass-through (view through). Even though it was incredibly well-designed for its time, every time you put on the headset you're "trapped" in it. The XR and pass-through features of the Quest 3 and 3s give us much more freedom. While the virtual startup areas of the Quest 1 are very nice, it's great to have the menus floating in the middle of your living room and be able to move around them. The same goes for XR games. You end up with holes in the walls and creatures popping out. For less intrusive options, you have elements that appear before your eyes while you continue watching TV. Or even game boards placed on the living room table for two or more players. Account Levels: I have my "historical" account with all my games as the main account on my Quest 3. For my Quest 3s, I created a second main account for collaborative use. Apparently, it's necessary to have two completely separate accounts for collaborative play. I think it's necessary for games that use Horizon for collaborative play, but for games that use a simple code to join the game room, there's a good chance that two accounts aren't needed. However, I haven't verified this last case. With the €60 referral bonus, I got some free games for my second account, which I wanted to use for collaborative play with my children. Additionally, on my 3s, I set up my "historical" account as a secondary account, where I have all the games I've purchased. This allows me to log in with a specific account for collaborative play while using the other account to play all the purchased games on my second headset. I read that you can't use the same game on two headsets with the same account. The other night my son and I were playing the same game (Ghostbusters Complete Edition) on the same account without any problems (without collaborative play). In short, a great improvement at a reasonable price. XR that no longer confines us like VR, and the joy of playing with others.