If you've been eyeing VR gaming but the price has kept you on the sidelines, the first great Meta Quest deal of 2025 might be your chance to dive in. Amazon is currently offering a $50 discount on the Meta Quest 3S 256GB VR headset, bringing the price down to just $349. This is only $50 more than the base 128GB model, making it an excellent choice for those looking to store more games for uninterrupted, untethered play. This direct discount is even more appealing than the Black Friday deals, which often came with strings like digital credit or store-specific gift cards.
To make this deal even sweeter, it includes a copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow VR game and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+. In IGN's 8/10 review, Dan Stapleton praised the game, stating, "Batman: Arkham Shadow makes most of the Arkham series' defining gameplay work respectably well in VR, and its mystery story pays off."
$399.99 save 13%
$349.00 at Amazon
The Quest 3S is a significant upgrade from the Quest 2, offering improvements across the board without increasing the price. It incorporates many features from the pricier Quest 3, such as the enhanced Touch controllers, the upgraded SnapDragon APU, and support for full-color AR passthrough. In IGN's 9/10 review of the Quest 3S, Gabriel Moss noted, "Raw processing power, full-color passthrough, and snappy Touch Plus controllers make the Quest 3S a fantastic standalone VR headset that also brings entry-level mixed-reality gaming to the masses for – arguably – the very first time."
What sets this deal apart from other VR offers is the ability to play the Quest 3S **completely untethered**. This means you can enjoy games like Beat Saber or Pistol Whip without needing a powerful gaming PC or a PlayStation 5 console. It's hard to find another standalone VR headset at this competitive price.
Even at its full retail price, the Quest 3S is $200, or 40% cheaper than the $500 Quest 3. To achieve this price, certain compromises were made. Here's how they compare:
In essence, the Quest 3S shares many features with the Quest 3 but has downgraded optics. However, since both use the same processor, the lower resolution can ease the load on the APU, potentially improving game performance and contributing to the increased battery life.
For the price, the Quest 3S offers a much better value than the Quest 3, making it a more suitable choice for most gamers, especially if the Quest 3 was out of your budget. Compared to the Quest 2, the decision becomes even clearer.
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