The Meta Quest 3 represents a significant price increase over the Quest 2. Thanks to the inclusion of full-color passthrough, increased storage, updated hardware, and a 40% reduction in siz🐻e, the Quest 3 is priced at $500, $200 over the asking price for the base model Quest 2 (if you ignore๊ last year’s absurd temporary price increase). That makes the Quest 3 competitively priced with the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but unlike other current-gen consoles, you’ll need to make quite a few add-on purchases if you really want to enjoy everything it has to offer.
I’m not just talking about VR games, which are getting more expensive lately. The Quest 3 has a 🍒hefty handful of optional accessories and upgrades that verge on mandatory if you actually plan to make use of the headset. And while console add-ons are as old as the NES Zapper (and as new as the $30 vertical stand for the new PS5), the Quest 3 has perhaps the most, and will be incomplete until you have most, if not all of these 🦩upgrades.
Delay It By 2 Months, And The Quest 3 Could Have Had The Greatest L🤪aunch Line-Up In Video Game Hi♋story
What an incredible line-up of games the Quest 3 will have... in Dꦺecember.
The first thing you’ll need to upgrade is the head strap. You might think this is an unnecessary luxury, but the first time you wear the Quest 3 for more than a few minutes you’ll realize how bad the included head strap is. There’s just no way this lousy piece of fabric is comfortable on your head. Either it's pulled down so far that it's rubbing on your ears, or the top strap is so tight that it’s lifting off your head and flapping around. The only way to get it on right is to make it so tight against your face that it puts an uncomfortable amount of pressure against your eyes. The head strap is not designed for long term use, and if you intend to spend dozens of hours with Assassin’s Creed Nexus and Asgard’s Wrath later this year, you’ll need to replace this as soon as possible.
Surprise surprise, Meta also sells the upgrade. The Quest 3 Elite Strap connects to the headset with two flexible plastic arms that can extend and retract by turning a knob on the back of♌ the strap. On the back of the strap is a big rubber pad that forms around your head, giving you a comfortable, secure fit. I’ve used the Quest 2 Elite Strap for years and it’s great, though I’m annoyed that the Quest 3 has been ever-so-slightly redesigned to ensure the old Elite Strap wonᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ’t fit. Apple really has ruined the tech industry.
There’s two versions of the elite strap, a basic $70 and a $120 version with a battery built into the back. You’re going to want the battery version for two reasons: one, the Quest 3 has atrocious battery life, and two, so that the charging port is in a more convenient position for charging while you play. It seems the always-on passthrough has cratered the battery life of the Quest 3. Mine is still new and needs a few power cycles before I get a really good idea of its battery life, but I’m consistently getting less thaℱn two hours of charge right now. I’m thinking about Asgard’s Wrath, a 60-hour game, and there’s no way I’m going to play ꦍover 30 sittings.
The Elite Strap should nearly double the Quest 3’s battery life, but more importantly, it moves the charging port behind your head. This way, you can plug it in wh𒀰ile you’re playing, either to the wall o𓄧r to a charging brick you keep in your pocket (another pseudo-required add-on), without worry about the cable interfering with your movement. I use a 40,000mAh power bank I got on Amazon for $30, which is five times the size of the Quest 3’s. That ought to do the trick.
After you get the head strap and portable battery, you’re also going to want toꦏ replace the padding, otherwise known as the facial interface. Even if you think the stock version is comfortable (I don’t) the oil and sweat from your skin is going to soak into it and wear it out eventually. Once again, Meta sells facial interfaces in fun colors, but there are other options. I’m partial to the brand VR Cover, which has provided all of the pads I used on the Quest 2, so I’ll definitely be picking up a few of theirs for the Quest 3 - at $30 each.
For glasses꧃ wearers, you’ll need some lens inserts. Your Quest 2 lenses won’t fit in the Quest 3, and isn’t it time to update your prescription anyway? I just ordered some new ones from VR Optician for $50. They made my Quest 2 lenses as well and th𓂃ey were great. For the Quest 3, they make a magnetic version that snaps into the headset and stays in place.
We’ve barely scratched the surface of Quest 3 accessori♈es. There’s a carrying case, the charging dock, lens covers, controller straps, wireless headphones, and various controller attachments like gun stocks and golf clubs. The only other things I would insist are actually mandatory are double-A batteries (my controllers had 30% charge out of the box) and a link cable for PC VR. Airlink works well if your network is strong enough, but you need a way to connect to your PC if you want to enjoy some of the best VR games ou🌠t there, like Half-Life: Alyx, Stormland, and the original Asgard’s Wrath.
The total for the accessories I consider essential for the Quest 3 comes out to about around $240, give or take a double-A. You can use the Quest 3 as is, I suppose, but if you actually want to enjoy the headset, and use it for more than an hour, consider the actual cost to be closer to $740, before tax. I can’t say for certain if it's worth it until some of the launch-window games finally come out, but I’m excited to see what this thing can do - even though you can buy a PS5 and Switch for the same price.