The Meta Quest 3S was the most affordable standalone consumer-oriented VR headset at its original retail price of $299.99. And even after last year's price hike to $350, it's still the most affordable. At least this deal brings it back down to its original price point. It costs $200 less than the Quest 3 and yet retains most of its hardware and functionality, including the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 CPU, Touch Plus controllers with inside-out tracking, and mixed reality passthrough.

What you do miss out on is the Quest 3's superior optics. The Quest 3S largely retains the Fresnel optics found on the original Quest 2. Although obviously not as good as the Quest 3, these lenses still offer an immersive visual experience that is sure to impress. I myself logged in hundreds of hours on the Quest 2 before I moved on to the Quest 3.

For newcomers who want to try out VR gaming without investing tons of money, or for people who want to give this as a gift to someone who's never tried VR, I would recommend the Quest 3S over the Quest, especially at this price.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.