Meta Releases Quest 3S Xbox Edition for $400 with Controller & 3-Month Cloud Gaming Subscription

Sure thing. Here’s my take:

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So, let’s talk about this funky little gadget from Meta and Microsoft: the Quest 3S Xbox Edition. Yeah, it’s a mouthful. Honestly, I wasn’t, like, expecting a game-changer. It’s more of a snazzy coat of paint than a new toy — let’s be real here. They slapped some Xbox colors on the usual Quest 3S (128GB, if that means much to you) — Carbon Black and Velocity Green. Do those color names actually mean anything? Anyway, there’s a bit more to it than just a makeover.

Imagine handing over $399.99. What do you get? A funky pair of Touch Plus controllers for snazzy VR and MR escapades, a jazzy Xbox controller, and this limited edition Elite Strap (no extra battery, sorry folks). Oh, and a three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Kinda feels like they’re trying to lure you in with goodies, right?

There’s a picture in my head: all these fancy bits scattered on a table. If you went on a wild shopping spree to collect this stuff separately, you’d be looking at $490. Crazy talk? I scribbled down these prices somewhere… Quest 3S with controllers for $299, the Elite Strap for $69, a standard Xbox controller at $64, and then that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — bam! $60 for three months.

But, y’know, if you’ve already got an Xbox controller and a Game Pass, I don’t need to twist your arm, do I? Back in 2023, the whole Xbox cloud gaming thing with Meta got rolling. You can play over 400 games on Quest 2 and above. Feels like a buffet without the food coma.

Now, Horizon+ sneaks in. For three, glorious months, you get to try this shindig out — usually $8 a month, in case you’re counting pennies. It’s a key to 30+ Quest games, like Asgard’s Wrath 2, Red Matter, and Demeo — plus a couple of mystery games that switch up monthly.

Hey, while you’re on the fence, our review’s got deets on specs and all that jazz for the Quest 3S. Worth a peek?

Anybody remember the 2024 Connect? Yeah, that’s when they spilled the beans about this Quest 3S Xbox Edition. And — plot twist — there’s more schtick coming from Meta. They’ve roped in ASUS and Lenovo to crank out flashy new headsets with Horizon OS. Asus is heavy on performance — like, muscle car vibes. Lenovo? More about getting work done and kicking back.

Right now, if you’re itching to snag one, they’re popping up on meta.com, Best Buy in the US, and across the pond at Argos and EE in the UK. But hey, they say supplies are scarce. Blink and you’ll miss ’em.