It’s been a while since I’ve ventured into the world of virtual or, should I say, mixed reality headsets. At home, I have the Quest 2, but I haven’t been using it much recently. Most of my tech activities are now handled on a foldable Android device. However, my experience with the Meta Quest 3S during the Meta Connect event made me contemplate if there’s still room for this kind of technology in my life. I just wish it didn’t leave me feeling queasy.
You can check it out at Best Buy or Amazon.
Meta recently launched the Quest 3S headset, starting at a price point of $300. It’s a bit more affordable compared to the standard Quest 3 but runs on the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform. The trade-off? A slightly reduced resolution, as the Quest 3S doesn’t offer as broad a field of view. However, it’s an improvement over the Quest/Quest 2. It seems aimed at people like me who haven’t used their headsets in a while and might consider upgrading. It features a full-color mixed reality passthrough, making navigation during my demo as simple as flipping to that mode.
Initially, as I donned the Meta Quest 3S, I thought I had missed this experience. Yet, by the time I wrapped up, I remembered the reason why I seldom use it. It makes me nauseous. Whether it was because I hadn’t eaten or due to the intense heat, around 32 minutes into my demo, I had to politely ask to take the headset off to get a breath of fresh air.
The part that got to me was Horizon World’s Music Valley Experience. Featuring Sabrina Carpenter, who I fondly remember as a Disney Channel star, singing in the distance. As you approach her virtual stage, it feels incredibly immersive—perhaps a bit too close for comfort, like you’re intruding on someone’s personal space.
In one instance, another avatar popped into the scene and started dancing with me. This person was kind enough to guide me around the virtual area. We ended up near a floating alien spaceship, where music notes were flying around. Grabbing them with the joysticks felt tricky, like using claws. That’s when I started to feel the motion sickness set in.
Despite that, there were parts of the Quest 3S experience I enjoyed. For instance, I watched the beginning of a Celine Dion special on Amazon Prime; she sounded fantastic. I also found myself sitting in a field of daisies in a vibrant 8K, 3D YouTube video—it was rather soothing. As for gaming, I tried to play an Xbox game, but the demo controller failed to cooperate. I did manage to jump into Just Dance, although I was nearing the threshold of my tolerance by then.
The queasiness hit hardest in Horizon Worlds, primarily because it lacked a stable horizon line—the kind of anchor point that helps stabilize you when you’re on a rocky boat. I didn’t anticipate that type of reaction while sitting in a chair. In the future, if I decide to use a headset again, staying seated might be the best approach. Although Meta has managed to lower the price with the Quest 3S, they still need to figure out how to accommodate those of us with sensitive stomachs when it comes to virtual and mixed reality.
The new Meta Quest 3S is available starting at $300 for 128GB of storage, with a 256GB option available for $400. You can preorder it now, but it officially hits the market on October 15.
Check it out at Best Buy or Amazon.
