Meta Connect 2024 is approaching – it kicks off on September 25 – and it looks all but certain that it’ll be the launch event for the new Meta Quest 3S. We knew almost everything about the headset already, and now a leaked ad might have confirmed the final detail: how much it’ll cost.
To catch you up, the Quest 3S is set to be a more affordable Meta Quest 3. It’ll boast the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, but have lower-quality displays and a bulkier design – basically combining elements of the Quest 3 with the Quest 2.
It was hoped that this would mean the Quest 3S would cost about the same as the Meta Quest 2, which launched at $299.99 / £299.99 / AU$479.99. However, no leakers had any concrete information on this detail, and were suggesting that it could be anywhere between that lower-end figure and $399.99 / £399.99 / AU$599.99 – which would still be cheaper than the Quest 3, but not as dramatic a price drop.
$299 Quest 3S 128GB Confirmed by Amazon Ad on Peacock from r/OculusQuest
Now a Reddit user has seemingly shared an Amazon ad they were served on Peacock that looks to confirm a price of $299.99.
If correct, this would be a major win for everyone hoping for VR to become more accessible again after the Quest 3 launched at $499 / £479 / AU$799. I love the headset, but it is pricier than what came before (even if it does justify this cost increase) and that means it’s a little harder to play the best new VR experiences – such as Quest 3-exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow.
Now we do have to take this leak with a pinch of salt. As much as I want it to be real, it’s hard to confirm the validity of the shaky partial phone recording of an ad – especially as it’s the only reported sighting of the advert so far – and the user hasn’t got a track record for sharing leaks. Their public account page only shows this post and two comments as their activity history on the social media site.
Even if it is correct, the advert doesn’t reveal if the $299.99 Quest 3S includes controllers – which was one proposed theory of how Meta could hit the Quest 2’s price point with the new model.
That said, this advert has got me really excited for Meta Connect 2024, and reignited my hopes that we might see the Quest 3S arrive at a super-low price after I had started to convince myself that it might not be possible.