Although Cheaper, It Still Made Me Feel Queasy

It had been a long time since I’d slipped on a mixed reality headset, aside from my Quest 2 that’s been gathering dust at home as I’ve shifted most of my computing to a foldable Android device. That changed, though, after a session with the Meta Quest 3S at Meta Connect. Suddenly, I started thinking maybe there’s room in my life for this kind of tech again. If only it didn’t make my stomach churn.

Meta is launching the Quest 3S at a starting price of $300, a touch cheaper than the regular Quest 3. It shares the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 as its sibling, but those savings come at the cost of resolution. Its field of view isn’t as expansive, although it still surpasses what we got with the Quest and Quest 2. It seems like Meta is nudging this release towards folks like me who’ve forgotten their headset in a dusty corner and are considering an upgrade. The full-color mixed reality passthrough was a highlight for me during the demo; a quick switch to this mode and I could easily navigate my surroundings.

Initially, I found myself swept up in the Quest 3S experience, almost as if I’d forgotten how much I missed it. But as my demo wrapped up, I was reminded why these gadgets often stay shelved – they made me queasy. Perhaps it was the lack of food or the sweltering heat playing a role, but around the 32-minute mark, I graciously asked to step back and remove the headset to catch my breath in the real world.

The breaking point for me arrived during Horizon World’s Music Valley Experience. Sabrina Carpenter, who I remember from her Disney Channel days, was performing off in the distance. Getting closer, it started to feel uncomfortably like I was intruding on her personal space. It got a bit too up-close and personal with Sabrina for my liking.

Adding to the surreal scenario, an avatar popped up next to me, dancing along and kindly guiding me through the virtual setup. We wandered over to a hovering alien spaceship dispensing musical notes. Trying to grab them using the joysticks felt clumsy, and somewhere amidst this activity, my stomach started to protest.

However, there were highlights in the Quest 3S experience too. Watching the start of a Celine Dion special on Amazon Prime revealed she still sounds amazing. An 8K, 3D YouTube video placed me in a tranquil daisy field. I even attempted stacking some windows just for kicks. An issue with the demonstration controller ruined my run at an Xbox game, but I did jump into Just Dance, although my endurance was waning by then.

Horizon Worlds, in particular, intensified my motion sickness. It lacked a steady horizon, the kind you’d fixate on to stabilize yourself aboard a swaying boat. Unexpectedly, this reaction struck while I was seated. Next time, you’ll find me parked in a chair if I don another headset. While Meta might’ve managed to trim down the Quest’s price tag, they still need to figure out how to offer a smoother ride for queasy users like me in the virtual and mixed reality realms.

The Meta Quest 3S is priced from $300 for the 128GB version, with a slightly higher cost of $400 for the 256GB variant. It’s available for preorder now and officially hits the shelves on October 15.