Even If It’s Budget-Friendly, It Still Made Me Uneasy

It’s been quite some time since I last strapped on a virtual—or should I say mixed reality—headset. Although I have the Quest 2 at home, it’s mostly been collecting dust as I’ve shifted most of my digital endeavors to a nifty foldable Android device. But my recent experience with the Meta Quest 3S during the Meta Connect event has got me thinking about bringing this kind of immersive entertainment back into my routine. If only it didn’t leave me feeling a bit queasy.

Meta has unveiled the Quest 3S, starting at a cool $300. It’s a tad more budget-friendly than its regular Quest 3 counterpart, running on the familiar Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform. However, that price cut means a hit in the resolution department, offering a narrower field of view than the Quest 3. Yet, it’s still a step up from the Quest and Quest 2. Meta seems to be targeting folks like me—those who’ve let their headsets gather dust and might be on the fence about a potential upgrade. The full-color mixed reality passthrough feature impressed me; I could navigate my demo space with just a flip to that mode.

Initially, as I began exploring with the Meta Quest 3S, I was reminded of how much I missed this kind of experience. But eventually, I remembered why I wasn’t using my headset more often—the nausea. Whether it was because I hadn’t eaten or the room was overly warm, about halfway through my demo, I had to politely excuse myself to take a break and breathe in the more forgiving real world.

The tipping point for my queasiness was the Horizon World’s Music Valley Experience. It features Sabrina Carpenter, who feels like a Disney Channel alum to me, singing in the backdrop. Getting up close to her virtual stage blurred the lines between digital and real space, and it got a little too intense for my liking.

Then there was the moment another avatar waltzed into the scene and started grooving with me—this virtual buddy kindly showed me around the digital space. We ended up by a floating UFO that dished out music notes. That’s where things started going south for my stomach, as grabbing those music notes using the joystick controls was a struggle.

Despite the dizzy spell, I did enjoy other parts of the Meta Quest 3S’s lineup. I began watching a Celine Dion special on Amazon Prime, where her voice was crystal clear. There was a serene clip of an 8K, 3D daisy field on YouTube that was delightful. I played around with moving windows all over, a bit carelessly for fun. Attempted some Xbox gaming, but alas, the controller wasn’t cooperating that day. I tried my hand at Just Dance, but by then, my endurance was running thin.

Horizon Worlds hit hardest on my balance, lacking a stable horizon—a visual anchor you rely on, like staring at the skyline to steady yourself on a boat. I didn’t anticipate feeling like this while seated, which is likely all I’ll manage next time I dive into virtual reality. Yes, Meta has managed to bring down the price with the Quest 3S, but they still need to find a solution for queasy stomachs like mine when it comes to mixed reality.

The new Meta Quest 3S is set at $300 for the 128GB version and stretches up to $400 for the 256GB model. It’s available for preorder now, with the official release slated for October 15.