August 26, 2024 – According to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Meta is poised to introduce a more budget-friendly version of its Meta Quest 3 headset in September, dubbed the Quest 3S. This simplified iteration of the Quest 3 is expected to retail between 300and400, offering a significantly lower price point compared to the $499 (for the 128GB model) of the standard Quest 3.
Gurman suggests that Meta may attempt to reduce costs for the Quest 3S by offering the controllers separately. However, this strategy might cause inconvenience for consumers, as controllers are often essential for a fully immersive VR experience. If the controllers are priced at $100, the combined cost of the headset and controllers could potentially approach that of the standard Quest 3, which might question the practicality of introducing the Quest 3S in the first place.
Meta is scheduled to host its Connect developer conference on September 25th and 26th, where the company is anticipated to officially unveil the Quest 3S. Gurman further indicates that Meta might also debut a new pair of AR glasses, similar to Google Glass, under the codename “Orion.” These glasses are expected to differ from the popular Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, albeit sharing a similar concept.
