Meta Introduces Quest 3S Xbox Edition for $400, Bundled with Controller and 3 Months of Cloud Gaming

Okay, so here’s the deal: Meta and Microsoft just did this thing where they unleashed the Quest 3S Xbox Edition onto the world. Pretty fancy-sounding, right? Let me break it down.

First off, don’t get too excited thinking it’s the Xbox’s big VR reveal to take on PlayStation VR—because, spoilers, it’s not. Nah, this is more like a remix of the usual Quest 3S, but dressed in Xbox’s favorite colors: Carbon Black and Velocity Green. Which, honestly, kind of reminds me of my old racing car set. You get how color can evoke nostalgia, right?

Anyway, for around $400, you’re getting this headset with controllers. They’ve thrown in a limited edition Xbox controller and an Elite Strap. No, not the extended battery type. Oh, and there’s this three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate thing included. So, that’s something more, I guess?

Now, if you’re into crunching numbers and comparing prices, this bundle’s a pretty sweet gig. Buying everything separately would burn a hole of $490 in your pocket. Hmmmm…let’s do some quick math here: Helmet and controllers usually set you back $299, strap’s $69 (weird number, by the way), controller goes for $64, and three months of Xbox gaming glory? Sixty bucks there.

On the flip side, if you already own the controller and have that Game Pass Ultimate sorted, you probably don’t need to dive into this shiny set. Especially since cloud gaming on Quest already hit the scene in ’23, covering everything from Quest 2 onwards. Over 400 games, they say. My backlog weeps.

And oh, there’s a cherry on top: with the Xbox Edition, you snag three months of Horizon+ from Meta. For $8 a month, you’d normally access this library of 30+ goodies. Imagine titles like Asgard’s Wrath 2 or Red Matter just… there. Waiting.

Anyway — wait, was I off track? Yep, Meta dropped hints about this at Connect 2024. They’re brewing other headsets, with Asus and Lenovo jumping into the fray. Asus is gunning for performance — whatever that means to them — and Lenovo’s waving the flag for productivity and fun times.

For now, if you’re itching to snag the Quest 3S Xbox Edition, it’s up for grabs on meta.com, Best Buy in the US, and for my UK pals, that’s Argos and EE. But it’s one of those “while supplies last” deals. So once they’re snapped up, that’s it.

Who knew gaming gear could stir this much chaos in my brain?