Alright, here’s my take on this:
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Okay, so here’s the deal—Meta and Microsoft just dropped this Quest 3S Xbox Edition thing, right? And yeah, it’s like a limited edition kinda vibe, packed with all you need for XR and Xbox cloud gaming. But don’t get too excited, it’s not like Xbox suddenly pulled a rabbit out of the hat with VR. Nope, it’s not some magical headset for Xbox VR games. It’s just basically the Quest 3S, 128GB, with this snazzy Xbox Carbon Black and Velocity Green skin.
But hang on, there’s more to it. For $399.99 (feels like they always pick the weirdest numbers), you get the whole gang: Touch Plus controllers, this fancy Xbox controller, an Elite Strap (not one with an extra life battery though, bummer) and a small taste—a three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gig.
You’re probably wondering—as if this is all worth it. Weirdly enough, it actually kind of is? Buying all these bits separately would set you back somewhere around $490. Math time: Quest 3S with controllers? $299. Elite Strap? $69. Standard Xbox controller? $64. And toss in that three-month Game Pass for $60, and you see what I’m getting at.
Anyway, this special edition Quest isn’t a must-have if you already rock the supported Xbox controller and Game Pass Ultimate. There’s this Xbox cloud gaming deal from late 2023 that works with Quest 2 and beyond, streaming over 400 games. Kind of a game-changer there—literally.
And hey, the Quest 3S Xbox Edition bundles in three months of Meta’s Horizon+ service. Okay, real talk—this lets you grab 30+ Quest games like Asgard’s Wrath 2 (2023), Red Matter (2018), and Demeo (2021). Plus, you get two new games each month. Keep ‘em as long as you don’t bail on the subscription. So if you’re teetering on the edge, maybe peek at the Quest 3S review to get the lowdown on specs and such.
Rolling back a sec, they actually announced this back at Connect 2024 last April. Nothing like reminiscing, right? Also, Meta’s cooking up a few more XR headsets we’re still in the dark about. They teamed up with ASUS Republic of Gamers and Lenovo, giving them free reins to craft new headsets strutting Horizon OS. ASUS is chasing performance, Lenovo’s gunning for productivity, learning, and fun times.
For the restless ones—Quest 3S Xbox Edition is up for grabs already on meta.com, Best Buy in the US, and Argos and EE in the UK. Quick tip: They said stock is “extremely limited,” so if you blink, you might miss it.
