Black Friday might be over, but most of the best deals (especially in gaming) are still available. Amazon is offering this sweet deal on the Meta Quest 3 512GB VR headset. You can get it for the retail price of $499.99, but Amazon is also throwing in a bonus $75 in Amazon digital credit. This is very similar to the super popular Meta Quest 3S VR headset deal that has been floating around since the beginning of the week. I am not complaining, because it was less than two months go that Meta dropped the official retail price from $649.99 to $499.99. The bonus $75 credit is just icing on the cake. I expect this deal to last through Cyber Monday (which lands on December 2).
Meta Quest 3 VR Headset with Batman: Arkham Shadow
Bonus $75 Amazon Digital Credit
The Meta Quest 3 is the best standalone consumer-oriented VR headset you can get right now. It continues Meta’s legacy of offering a cost-effective headset that doesn’t require an expensive gaming PC, but can still benefit from one if you have it. That’s a unique feature that sets it apart from almost every other VR headset out there, other than its own predecessors. It's not the best value for a VR headset. That title goes to the Meta Quest 3S. However, the Quest 3 has enough features under its belt to make it the better purchase for experienced VR enthusiasts who want a better visual experience.
What really sets this deal above all other VR deals (like the PlayStation VR2) is that the Meta Quest 3 can be played completely untethered. That means you can play games like Beat Saber or Pistol Whip without having to own a powerful gaming PC or a PlayStation 5 console. Try to find another standalone VR headset at this price and you'll come up empty.
To sweeten the pot even more, every Quest 3 purchased this month comes bundled with the Batman: Arkham Shadow VR game and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+. In IGN's 8/10 review, Dan Stapleton wrote that "Batman: Arkham Shadow makes most of the Arkham series' defining gameplay work respectably well in VR, and its mystery story pays off."
Cheaper Alternative: Meta Quest 3S VR Headset
Bonus $75 Amazon Digital Credit
The Quest 3S is an improvement over the original Quest 2 in every way and, amazingly, without a price increase. It adopts many of the same features of the Quest 3, like the new Touch controllers, the upgraded SnapDragon APU, and full color AR passthrough. In IGN's 9/10 Quest 3S review, Gabriel Moss wrote that "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.
How Is the Quest 3S Different from the Quest 3?
The Quest 3 costs $200 more than the Quest 3S. That's not a small amount, considering that price difference is 40% of the cost of the Quest 3S, but in my opinion it's worth it. The spec comparisons are listed below:
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 (1832×1920 vs 2064×2208)
- Fresnel lens vs. pancake lens
- Lower FOV (96°/90° vs 104°/96°)
- Smaller storage capacity (128GB vs 512GB)
- Longer battery life (2.5hrs vs 2.2hrs)
In essence, the Quest 3S has very similar internals, and the same Touch controllers, but with downgraded optics. That's more significant than it reads on paper. How much enjoyment you get from VR headset is largely determined by the visual quality of the display. If the image that you see is blurry, or distorted, it takes you out of the immersion.
In his Quest 3 review, Eric Song (yes that's me!) wrote that "The Quest 3 continues Meta’s legacy of offering a cost-effective headset that doesn’t require an expensive gaming PC, but can still benefit from one if you have it. That’s a unique feature that sets it apart from almost every other VR headset out there, other than its own predecessors. The sheer amount of upgrades are well worth the $200 generational price increase. For everyone else is willing to make the splurge, the Quest 3 sets the new standard for VR and mixed reality gaming."
Will the Deals Change for Cyber Monday?
In my experience, many of the same deals we saw on Black Friday will return for Cyber Monday 2024, including deals that were sold out or expired. Retailers usually release their hottest selling items in batches so that every sale event has at least some inventory reserved. That said, I also expect plenty of new, never before seen deals. Traditionally, Black Friday was known as the "retail holiday," where the best deals were found in-store, and Cyber Monday was known as the "online holiday," where the best deals were online only. Although today the lines have blurred, it is still true that many online only retailers still consider Cyber Monday the sale event of the year instead of Black Friday. Expect some amazing sales to come out of online-only sites like Amazon, Newegg, Dell, HP, Lenovo and several online-only deals from traditional retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. In fact, Amazon has taken the preemptive and already switched over to Cyber Monday.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
