You probably know the Meta Quest 3S has the same CPU as the Quest 3, but what else has changed from the Quest 2? Less than you'd think, but there are some key differences you might miss by looking at it.

With the Quest 3 and the Quest 3S, Meta has a strong lineup. Even though VR headsets remain relatively niche — and the company’s metaverse ambitions haven’t even come close to fruition — if you’re new to VR, Meta offers great hardware and a ton of VR experiences to get lost in. And perhaps best of all, you won’t have to pay $3,499 to get started.

The Meta Quest 3S is a great budget-priced VR headset, but not everyone likes the cloth head strap it ships with. Here are the alternative head straps you can expect to use with it.

While the Quest 3 and 3S share accessories, we doubt anyone will downgrade from one to the other. The Quest 2 and Quest 3S share fewer common accessories, but there are a couple of ways to save money.

Considering a Meta Quest 3S as an upgrade from your Quest 2? Here's what you miss out on (and gain) from picking it over the classic Quest 3.

The Meta Quest 3 is Meta's reigning champion for the best VR headset, but the Quest 3S is boasting much of the same specs and all of the same software and features at a cheaper price (though the rival model does have less storage, a bulkier frame, and less crisp displays)

Speaking of lenses, the Meta Quest 3S reverts to fresnel lenses. The Quest 3’s “pancake lenses” help make graphics in your peripheral vision look sharper, making the whole experience more immersive. Since this device has fresnel lenses like the Meta Quest 2, I expect the viewing experience will be largely similar.

With a $300 starting price, the Meta Quest 3S is a full $200 less expensive than the Quest 3. Clearly Meta’s strategy of flooding the market with devices is still in full effect with this one.

Learn more about Meta's new Quest 3S, a budget-priced mixed-reality headset with many of the best features of the $500 Quest 3.

The Meta Quest 3S goes on sale on October 15. The base model costs $299 and comes with 128GB of storage, while the 256GB version costs $399. The Meta Quest 3 costs $499. You can pre-order the Meta Quest 3S right now on Meta's website, as well as other retailers like Amazon.

In essence, the Quest 3S is nearly the same headset but with downgraded optics. On the plus side, since both headsets use the same processor, running at a lower resolution reduces the load on the APU, which could theoretically improve performance in games and also account for the increased battery life.