Meta's highly anticipated Quest 3S VR headset will likely be unveiled at Meta Connect 2024, the company's annual event showcasing new tech. Although the event is slated to kick off in just over a week — on September 25 to be exact — that hasn't stopped leakers from revealing early details.
Nine images of the Quest 3S popped up on the VR channel of Arcalive, a South Korean site similar to Reddit, showcasing the headset from every angle. These are the clearest images we've seen of the upcoming headset so far, and they distinctly show its lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack.
This will be Meta's first headset without a 3.5mm audio jack, but it's certainly not the only VR headset out there to lack one. Apple's Vision Pro and HTC's Vive Pro 2, for example, also ditched the 3.5mm jack.
If you opt for the Quest 3S and want low-latency, wired audio, you'll have to grab a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter (or headphones that connect via USB-C natively). Of course, this means you won't be able to charge while playing, but it's a worthy tradeoff for competitive games.
For those who've already adopted wireless versions of everything, this bit of info might be more interesting. Thanks to a photo of the Quest 3S's regulatory label, we know what its rated battery capacity is.
According to the photo, the Meta Quest 3S will have a rated battery capacity of 16.74Wh. This is right in the middle of the Quest 2's rated capacity of 14Wh and the Quest 3's rated capacity of 18.9Wh.
Considering this is meant to be a replacement for the Quest 2 in Meta's VR headset lineup, a 16.74Wh capacity makes total sense for the Quest 3S. Based on our Meta Quest 2 review and Meta Quest 3 review, the battery should hopefully last between 2 and 3 hours unplugged, depending on what you're using the headset for.
Because of its custom mix of hardware and features from both the Quest 2 and the Quest 3, it won't necessarily have better battery life than the Quest 2 or worse battery life than the Quest 3. For reference, the Quest 3S is expected to come equipped with the Quest 3's Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip and color passthrough MR capabilities, along with the Quest 2's fresnel lenses and single panel.
Although I'd love to see a budget-friendly headset with better battery life than the Quest 2, that's likely not feasible for Meta. Perhaps the future Quest 4S can make this happen.
When will the Meta Quest 3S come out?
Although it seems like we know a lot of specifics on Meta's Quest 3S headset, surely there's something that hasn't been leaked yet. We'll find out everything from Meta at the Meta Connect 2024 event.
It's not clear whether the headset will be available to pre-order as soon as it's announced or if Meta will announce a date to look forward to. Rest assured, Laptop Mag will be watching Meta Connect 2024, and we'll capture all the most important details for you to look through on the big day.
