It's been just over two years now since soon-to-depart CTO John Carmack told a Meta Connect audience about his vision for a super low-end VR headset that came in at $250 and 250 grams. "We're not building that headset today, but I keep trying," Carmack said at the time with some exasperation.

Meta's Quest 3S blends Quest 2 hardware with Quest 3 performance, offering an affordable yet powerful VR experience.

There's something to the old adage though, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". And thus, iFixit's breakdown of the Meta Quest 3S reveals some surprises—it's using a lot of the same parts as the Meta Quest 2.

The Meta Quest 3S contains many of the Quest 3’s signature features, including color passthrough, speedy performance, a compact design, and a robust app library — all for $299. Though it’s not as comfortable to wear and its battery life isn't the best, its low starting price makes it an enticing product for those curious about VR.

The Meta Quest 3S is a remarkable virtual reality headset that transports you to immersive digital worlds. However, to truly maximize your VR experience,

The Meta Quest 3S is a new budget VR console with impressive graphics, mixed reality capabilities, and thousands of games.