Xbox has collaborated with Meta to launch the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition, a limited edition VR headset.
The device continues an ongoing partnership between the two companies, following the addition of Xbox cloud gaming to Meta headsets in 2022. This was followed by the release of Xbox Game Pass to Meta Quest 3 back in 2023, as Xbox expanded its cloud gaming offering.
The headset features an Xbox design of black and green, along with matching Touch Plus controllers and a limited-edition Xbox Wireless Controller. The package also includes three months of Meta Horizon+ and three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It’s out now, and costs £379.99. It is available directly from Meta or exclusively at Argos and EE in the UK.
US purchasers will find the headset at Best Buy for $399.99. Further details can be found on Xbox Wire.
Through the cloud, users will have access to Xbox Game Pass through the headset – though this won’t be fully VR versions of games. Instead, there are four display options, including one cinema-sized screen. Cross-play and cross-progression mean players can continue playing across the VR headset or their Xbox console or PC.
Back in 2019, CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer stated VR wasn’t a focus for the company’s then forthcoming Xbox Series X/S consoles.
“I have some issues with VR,” he said. “It’s isolating and I think of games as a communal, kind of together experience. We’re responding to what our customers are asking for and… nobody’s asking for VR.”
He added “nobody’s selling millions and millions” of VR units, before stating: “I think we might get there [eventually]. But yeah, that’s not where our focus is.”
Now, Microsoft is dipping its toes into VR with this collaboration, without developing its own VR system.
It mirrors the company’s recently announced handheld console, the Xbox branded ROG Ally from ASUS. As announced at the recent Xbox Games Showcase, the handheld will be released later this year.
It’s also in contrast to Sony’s PSVR2, which has not been well-supported since its release in 2023. Recently, Beat Studios ended support for Beat Saber on both PS4 and PS5.