The Meta Quest 2 (formerly the Oculus Quest 2) was a great showcase for consumer-level VR, packing everything neatly into a headset at a competitive price point and putting the brand, formerly known as Facebook, in plenty of living rooms around the world.
You can get a free $15 gift card at New Egg with a Meta Quest 3 (128GB), and a $25 gift card with the Meta Quest 3 (512GB), and get a copy of the game Asgard’s Wrath 2 free.
How do you follow up on such a formative device for a nascent medium? As it happens, the answer is to do it again but do it better. The Meta Quest 3 is leaps and bounds beyond its predecessor in very real, tangible ways; the resolution is dramatically sharper, there’s more storage at launch than the Quest 2 had when it arrived, and the internal Snapdragon processor is faster.
This all coalesces into a comfortable headset that helps mitigate the “screen door” effect of other headsets.
We only recently reviewed the Meta Quest 3, so you’re probably wondering why we’re hyping it up again. Black Friday is here, folks, and despite the latest headset being just weeks old, the first deals have arrived.
Newegg is offering the Meta Quest 3 (128GB) at its $499.99 MSRP, but it’s also got a couple of free gifts available for those ready to take the plunge.
Aside from a free copy of Asgard’s Wrath 2, a game expected to be Quest 3’s “killer app” when it launches next month, you’ll also get a $15 Meta Quest gift card sent via email, too, which you can use in the on-device store to pick up additional games and apps.
Better yet, that voucher jumps to $25 if you pick up the $649.99 512GB version, and you’ll also get 2 free games a month through a free six-month subscription to Meta Quest+.
The Meta Quest 3 comes with everything you need to get going out of the box, including the headset itself and a pair of Meta’s latest controllers.
Its secret superpower, however, is that you can plug it into a powerful PC and turn it into a PCVR headset, opening up the likes of critically acclaimed Half-Life: Alyx to play.
It’s also backward compatible, so your existing Meta Quest 2 games can all be found ready to go on the new headset, too.
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For more on the Meta Quest 3, be sure to check out our full review which we published last week. We’ve got a full rundown of the best VR headsets, too.
Key Specs: Works standalone, but can be used with a PC via USB-C or wirelessly using Air Link. Resolution of 2064×2208 pixels per eye with 110 degrees field of view and up to 120Hz refresh rate (experimental). Includes two controllers.
Consensus: The Meta Quest 3 is a fantastic headset with a growing number of experiences for users of all experience levels in VR. From walking alongside dinosaurs to skulking in the shadows of Renaissance-era Venice, there’s a Meta Quest 3 experience for just about anyone.
Buy if: You want to experience VR without a console or PC, or you’re looking for the best way to play Beat Saber.
Don’t buy if: You want the most impressive VR headset – the Valve Index and HTC Vive Pro remain some of the best in their field, albeit at a much higher price point.
Alternative models: If you already own a PlayStation 5, PlayStation VR 2 is worth a look, offering impressive exclusives like Horizon: Call of the Mountain. The Meta Quest Pro is also an option, but it’s significantly pricier and aimed at VR professionals.
Check out our Black Friday 2023 deals page for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.
