Meta Quest 3S Hits $249.99 in Early Black Friday Deals

As Black Friday approaches, retailers including Amazon and Walmart have launched early promotions on the Meta Quest 3S, reducing the price of the entry-level virtual reality headset to $249.99 from its standard $299.99, a 17 percent discount on the 128GB model. The deal, available in the United States and extending to similar reductions in the United Kingdom and Australia, includes bundled content such as exclusive items for the game Gorilla Tag and access to over 40 titles through a three-month Meta Horizon subscription.

The Meta Quest 3S, released earlier this year as a more budget-friendly alternative to the flagship Quest 3, operates as a standalone device powered by the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, the same chip found in its higher-end sibling. This enables smooth performance for gaming, fitness apps, and mixed-reality experiences without requiring a connection to a PC, though users can opt for tethered play with a compatible computer for enhanced graphics. The headset features a resolution of 1,832 by 1,920 pixels per eye, a 120Hz refresh rate, and color passthrough cameras for blending virtual elements with the real world. Its battery provides up to 2.5 hours of use,...