Christmas came early for me this year when I was given the chance to try the new Meta Quest 3S. As a highly-sought gadget, our team of tech and shopping writers ran a draw to see who would get the privilege of reviewing it, with the random generator landing on me – Merry Christmas.
I’ve been a big gamer for most of my life since the very first PlayStation, but have yet to really try any virtual reality gaming – other than a very short sample on a recent stag do. As such, VR isn’t something I’m overly familiar with and with the high price points of devices like the Meta Quest 3, it’s not something I’d really considered exploring.
But when Meta launched a new budget-friendly edition of their mixed reality headset, the Meta Quest 3, the lure of VR became much more enticing. The 3S was released this October and retails from £279 at retailers including EE, Amazon and Very, compared to the standard 3 which is £468.48 at Amazon.
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It offers HD gaming with a resolution of 1832×1920 pixels per eye and 128GB of storage compared to the 3’s 4K resolution and 512GB, but it has the same Qualcomm processor and white shell as the 3, making it a more affordable option than its predecessor if you’re looking for a Christmas gift for a gamer – or for yourself – that won’t break the bank. So when it finally arrived I was eager to give it a go and right from the off it was clear that this is a fancy piece of kit.
The Meta Quest 3S is a more affordable gateway into virtual reality gaming.
You can pick one up from retailers including EE, Amazon and Very with prices ranging from £279 to £289.99.
Setup
As a child of the 90s, having grown up around huge advancements in technology, I consider myself fairly tech savvy. But even if I wasn’t, I feel like setting up the Meta Quest would be straightforward as it guides you through each step with clear instructions, from setting up your Meta account, pairing up the device with your smartphone, and setting a room boundary to prevent you walking into the walls.
That’s not to say I was instantly an expert – it’s such a new experience that it does take a bit of getting used to and a little tinkering to get settled in this new virtual world, but even something dull like adjusting the settings on a menu screen that’s floating in your front room is just so impressive. As for the headset itself, that also takes a little trial and error to make it fit comfortably over your eyes with a couple of simple straps.
It also has a neat little plastic separator that can extend its distance from your eyes should you need to play while wearing glasses. Admittedly, it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world and it can get a little sore around the eyes if playing for longer periods, but despite this, it’s been without a doubt one of my best-ever gaming experiences.
Gaming
I’ve had the Meta Quest 3S for a week now and the novelty is yet to wear off. I’ve spent most of my time playing the new Batman: Arkham Shadow game, which is available to download for free after you get the Meta Quest set up.
I’ve loved Batman since I was a little kid and was blown away by the game, to be able to fight my way through Gotham City as the Dark Knight himself really is something to behold. I spent the first 10 minutes just looking down at my hands – but they weren’t my hands, they were Batman’s hands.
The Quest headset and its two lightweight controllers are so accurate and responsive that every little move you make, whether that’s twitching your finger or even crouching down, the character mimics it completely, to the point that I often found myself creeping around the room or leaning around a corner that wasn’t really there. But everything about the game and the Quest itself, from the clear graphics, smooth gameplay and overall experience, has me completely hooked.
It can also be pretty exhausting – who knew running around Gotham dressed like a bat and fighting hordes of thugs was so much work? It’s not ideal for playing in smaller spaces, as even with the virtual boundary making it clear when you’re nearing the edge, I often find myself bumping into the sofa or – when playing as Batman – punching a lightshade.
You can play sitting down, but having tried this myself, I feel you really want to be standing for the best experience, at least while playing games where your character is walking around. Aside from Batman, there’s plenty of other games to choose from, whether you’re into sports or horror – there’s even a few Star Wars games on there.
It’s also worth checking out Richie’s Plank Experience, in which you take an elevator to the top of a skyscraper, where you then walk the plank hanging over the edge, before stepping off and falling to the street below. I’m not a fan of heights at the best of times, but this is just virtual reality, so how bad can it be?
Turns out pretty bad – but in a good way. I was sweating and my stomach was turning as I walked the plank as it really did feel like I was standing hundreds of feet in the air. After I stepped off and hit the ground below, I almost fell over.
This may not sound all that appealing, but it’s worth mentioning as it’s a testament to just how realistic and immersive the Meta Quest really is, and how your brain tricks you into feeling like you really are in the game. It also offers much more than VR gaming; I had a quick look at the new Sabrina Carpenter VR concert which, while not exactly my cup of tea, felt like I was watching a personal performance right there in my room, while watching the football highlights on YouTube projected on a virtual cinema screen beat watching on a real TV.
Battery
I really have been impressed with everything about the Meta Quest 3S, but I did find the one thing that lets it down is its battery life. Meta says it can run for an average of 2.5 hours depending on what you’re doing, but while playing a game it seems to only last for around two hours, so you can’t really enjoy a long gaming session like you can with a console that’s plugged into the mains.
That may be enough time for some people, and it’s probably recommended that you do take a break every couple of hours, but for me, once I get really into a game I could play for hours, something that’s just not possible with the 3S. It takes roughly another 2.5 hours to fully charge it, which isn’t too long, but what’s frustrating is that its charging cable is so short you can’t keep playing while it’s plugged in.
Luckily, it uses a standard USB-C cable, so I was able to swap it for the much longer cable that charges my laptop, but this still doesn’t offer the same freedom as playing it wirelessly. You can buy Meta’s Elite strap with battery, which makes the headset more comfortable and offers an extra two hours of run time thanks to a built-in battery pack, but this costs an additional £129.99.
The Verdict
Is the Meta Quest 3S worth the money? Even with the disappointing battery life, absolutely.
The graphics may not be as good as a PS5, the choice of games may not be as broad as an Xbox, but the overall, futuristic experience is in a completely different league to any console in which you feel as if you’re inside the game as opposed to just sitting back and twiddling your thumbs.
It’s also cheaper than both the PS5 and Xbox Series S, and is almost £200 less than the standard Meta Quest 3, but still offers high performance and impressive visuals. The fact that you can get a free full Batman game also means you don’t have to fork out extra for any games, you can dive in straight out of the box, but even the games available to buy on the Horizon store aren’t as expensive as console games – the Star Wars, ‘Vader Immortal’ games for example, are £7.99 each.
For anyone wanting to get into virtual reality gaming, or considering buying one as a Christmas present, but don’t fancy paying over the odds, this is definitely worth considering as an alternative to the more expensive model. It’s also worth taking a look at Sony’s rival gadget, the PlayStation VR2, if you an avid PS5 gamer, which is down to £339 at Amazon and has a selection of PS5 games in VR like Gran Turismo 7 and No Man’s Sky.