Meta Quest 3S photo leak throws up an interesting surprise

We're coming up to a year since the Meta Quest 3 was made available so now seems as good a time as any for a new headset, does it not? And better yet, how about a more affordable version that delivers some of the latest features but for a reduced price?

Well, friends, if that's been your wish to Santa, it might be about to come true. There have already been a couple of rumours surrounding what is being called the Meta Quest 3S after it appeared on certification body Dekra back in August, but now a full set of images have appeared, adding fuel to the fire. 

The images were published by Virtual Reality Channel – a South Korean forum site similar to Reddit – and were picked up by UploadVR. There's no information about where the images come from, though they do show off what is said to be the Meta Quest 3S from every angle, and there are a couple of details to note. 

The first is that there appears to be no 3.5mm headphone jack, which means you will need a USB-C audio solution to get low-latency, higher quality private audio and you also won't be able to charge the headset while you get that. 

Speaking of charging, one of the images also shows the headset's regulatory label, which in turn offers information on its battery capacity. It's detailed as 16.74Wh, which puts it in between the Meta Quest 2 and the Meta Quest 3 based on figures alone. 

Keep in mind however, that the Meta Quest 3S is expected to use more energy than the Quest 2 thanks to the higher resolution colour passthrough. It also shouldn't need as much brightness as the Quest 3 though, opting for Fresnel lenses over pancake lenses. All in all, there's a good chance the battery will be similar to the Meta Quest 3. 

For now, everything is speculation but Meta's next major event, Meta Connect 2024, is due to tale place in a couple of weeks – between 25 and 26 September – so keep your eyes peeled on that if the Meta Quest 3S is exciting to you.