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If you’ve been eyeing a VR headset but the price tag has held you back, now is the perfect time to take the plunge. For a limited time only, Amazon is offering $50 off the Meta Quest 3S 256GB VR headset, bringing the price down to just $349. That’s only $50 more than the base 128GB model and offers significantly more storage for keeping your favorite games installed without constantly swapping them out.
This instant discount is arguably better than what we saw during Black Friday, where most deals included store-specific gift cards or digital credit instead of direct price cuts. And that's not all—this offer also comes bundled with a free copy of *Batman: Arkham Shadow* and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+. In IGN’s 8/10 review, Dan Stapleton praised the game, saying, “Batman: Arkham Shadow makes most of the Arkham series' defining gameplay work respectably well in VR, and its mystery story pays off.”
Meta Quest 3S VR Headset with Batman: Arkham Shadow
Meta Quest 3S 256GB VR Headset
$399.99 save 13% $349.00 at Amazon
The Meta Quest 3S represents a clear upgrade over the original Quest 2 across the board—and impressively so without any increase in price. It inherits several key features from the pricier Quest 3, including next-gen Touch controllers, an upgraded Snapdragon APU, and full-color mixed reality passthrough support. As Gabriel Moss noted in IGN’s 9/10 review, “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 really sets this deal apart is the Quest 3S’s ability to be played **completely untethered**. That means you can jump into titles like *Beat Saber* or *Pistol Whip* without needing a high-end PC or PlayStation 5. Try finding another standalone VR headset at this price point—you won’t.
How Is the Quest 3S Different from the Quest 3?
Even at its lower price point, the Quest 3S still delivers a compelling experience. At $349, it’s $200 (or 40%) cheaper than the $500 Quest 3. Naturally, some compromises were made to reach that budget-friendly price, but they’re relatively minor compared to the value offered. Here's how the two stack up:
Quest 3S vs. Quest 3: Similarities
- Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 processor
- Touch Plus controllers
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Mixed reality passthrough (same cameras, different layout)
Quest 3S vs. Quest 3: Differences
- Lower per-eye resolution (1832x1920 vs. 2064×2208)
- Fresnel lens vs. pancake lens
- Narrower field of view (96°/90° vs. 104°/96°)
- Smaller storage capacity (128GB or 256GB vs. 512GB)
- Longer battery life (2.5hrs vs. 2.2hrs)
In short, the Quest 3S is essentially the same headset as the Quest 3, but with reduced display quality. However, thanks to both models sharing the same powerful processor, the lower resolution can actually reduce GPU load, potentially improving performance and extending battery life.
For most users, especially those who found the Quest 3 too expensive, the Quest 3S is the smarter buy. Compared to the older Quest 2, the decision becomes even clearer—it’s simply a much better option at the same price.
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