When Meta announced the Quest 3S, it also retired the original Meta Quest 3 128GB and made the Quest 3 512GB (originally $649) the default option for $499. Since it had some Quest 3 128GB stock left, it discounted it to $429 ($70 off) while supplies last.
Turns out that the supplies won't last long! The Quest 3 128GB has already sold out at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target, though you can buy a Renewed Quest 3 for $379 at Amazon — just $79 more than the brand-new Quest 3S with some major downgrades.
If you don't like buying used, we've found a few retailers still carrying the new Quest 3 128GB — for now. Unlike the other Prime Day deals guaranteed to last through the 9th, we have no way of knowing when the Quest 3 128GB will run out of stock for good, making now the only certain time to get a new headset before you have to pay for storage that most everyday VR users probably don't need.
Why buy the Quest 3 when the Quest 3S arrives in a week for $299, offering the same CPU, RAM, controllers, RGB cameras, and game library? It's a fair question, but my guide on the Meta Quest 3 vs. 3S will answer it.
Essentially, to save on costs, Meta upgraded the hardware but didn't upgrade the lenses or display. The Quest 3S uses last-gen Fresnel lenses that have the same "sweet spot" as the Quest 2 did, meaning things look blurry when you glance to the side. Plus, it has 445 fewer pixels per inch (PPI) or 5 pixels per degree (PPD) than the Quest 3.
If you buy the Quest 3, you not only receive that major resolution boost, but things also look significantly crisper from any eye angle thanks to their pancake lenses, which are more condensed so the headset design is less front heavy. Plus, you get a 3.5mm headphone jack (which the Quest 3S cut) and a more exact lens adjustment system so you're not looking cross-eyed at VR worlds.
Even though the Quest 3S runs the same enhanced Quest games and exclusives as the Quest 3, you won't feel quite as immersed in the action because it won't display the enhanced 4K textures and resolution boost as clearly. So spending that extra cash on the Quest 3 will make it truly feel like a next-gen headset instead of a Quest 2.5.
Your only question is whether to buy New or Renewed. While you may not like buying used, we typically recommend buying Quest 3 accessories for better comfort and battery life anyways, so you can use the saved money to swap out the used parts you would have thrown away from the newer headset regardless.
Either way, I don't think you'll regret picking up the Quest 3 instead of the Quest 3S, despite the extra cost!
