A cheaper version of the Meta Quest 3 is apparently on the way, and early specs have been leaked.

X user Lunayian claims to have talked to “several people familiar with the device,” which has a “preliminary” name of the Meta Quest 3s.

This headset is not as good as the Meta Quest 3, nor is it meant to be. In some senses the experience of using it will be similar to a Meta Quest 2.

However, this upcoming headset should have the interest of original Meta Quest users who are disappointed their much-loved headset has been resigned to the VR graveyard.

Meta Quest 3s vs Quest 2

The biggest disappointment for big VR fans is the Quest 3s reportedly keeps the same core optical specs as the Quest 2.

That means 1832 x 1920 pixels per eye with a “fast-switch” LCD panel capable of refresh rates of up to 120Hz.

Fresnel lenses are back too. The Quest 3 uses pancake lenses, which help keep content in your peripheral vision looking sharper. Having used both the Quest 3 and Quest 2, this lens switch is probably my favourite upgrade of the lot — not what I expected before having tried the two.

The leak says the Quest 3s will have a “Meta Quest 2 Style glasses spacer,” which makes it sound like the design may share core components with the old version.

There are still major changes, though.

Meta Quest 3s features

The Quest 3s will reportedly use the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, just like the Quest 3. It’s has more than double the graphics power of the XR2 of the Quest 2.

This could, oddly enough, mean some games actually run better on thee Quest 3s than the Quest 3, thanks to the lower native resolution.

The Meta Quest 3s will also have 4MP colour passthrough cameras with depth perception, rather than basic black and white, to allow for proper mixed reality experiences. This matches the Quest 3, and would be a crucial element in making the creation of mixed reality experiences more compelling for developers.

It also uses the Quest 3 controllers, which ditch the sensor ring of the Quest 2’s design. Some have complained this causes significant issues in apps and games where quite large and fast arm movements are required. The newer style still has the same style of sensors, but they are easier to obscure, making the controllers more reliant on internal motion sensors.

Is the Quest 3s a good idea for Meta? There are questions about how much it will cost, and whether it’s gong to feel like a significant-enough upgrade for current Quest 2 owners.

This is who Meta really needs to charm. Meta has sold an estimated 20 million Quest 2 headsets, which isn’t that far off the recent estimate of 27 million combined sales of the Xbox Series X and Series S. It’s the one mega hit VR has had to date, and it’s hard to imagine another of that scale right now.