Our favorite budget VR headset beats the old Quest 2 hands-down, and at $269 right now it's cheaper than it's ever been before

Once upon a time I wrote for a platform specific games mag—and, if you can believe it, I'm not actually dating myself that much. Anyway, the point of such an ission is only to say I've noodled with virtual reality before, outside of the immersive party goggles available on PC. Unfortunately, despite being impressed by the PlayStation VR2, I could simply never justify the expense.

Another $400 on top of Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three month Trial of Meta Quest+ thrown in for free to sweeten the deal.

Now, if you've already got a Meta Quest 3 (no S), then you can keep on scrolling—but if, like me, you've been looking for your first virtual reality headset at a somewhat reasonable price, this bundle is too compelling to ignore. Our Jacob rated the headset highly in his Meta Quest 3S review; whether you plan to play with the headset tethered or as a standalone device, the 128 GB is generally a good pick—especially as VR games don't tend to be massive s, with Batman: Arkham Shadow itself only being about 19 GB.

You could put down Meta Quest 3 instead.

So, if it's not the all-singing, all-dancing VR headset that, according to our James, best VR games list can attest. This more powerful chip keeps a lid on vom-inducing latency issues, delivering a responsive experience both in and out of games.

Now, one thing to note is that the 3S is still rocking fresnel lenses, like the 2 before it. That makes for a bulkier profile, but not masses more weight compared to the slimmer 3 and its pancake lenses; at worst, there are a few grams difference between each model. The fresnel lenses aren't massively lacking in image quality compared to the pancake lenses, but there is a definite blurriness around the edges of the frame on the Meta Quest 3S. It's not usually game breaking, but the image quality is simply much crisper on the more expensive Quest 3 headset.

In an attempt to shear down both the form factor and the price, the 3S also only comes with onboard speakers. These are by no means of terrible quality, but I personally feel a bit more secure with a sound source more directly attached to my ear—evidently, I've been spoiled by the PS VR2 and the surprisingly decent quality of its included ear buds. Still, even without bundle earbuds or headphones, this is a cracking deal at a cracking price.