After the release of the Meta✴ Quest 3S virtual reality headset on the market, there were suggestions that it was not something new, but an improved version of the Quest 2. Now iFixit specialists have disassembled the new product and confirmed this assumption.
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The first hint of the high level of similarity between the two headsets was the Fresnel lenses used in the Quest 3S, which, as it turns out, are fully compatible with the Quest 2 headset. The new product is also equipped with the same mechanism for adjusting the distance between the eyepieces that was used in the Quest 2. In addition, The headset uses a single LCD panel, rather than separate ones for each eye like the Quest 3.
In addition to the presence of older components, iFixit discovered that the Quest 3S has two IR sensors for detecting depth and creating a 3D map of the room, while the Quest 3 only uses one such sensor. This “rare iterative improvement over Quest 3” performed “exceptionally well in unlit environments.” The headset’s hardware is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 microprocessor, just like the Quest 3. The Quest 3S also includes support for the new Meta✴ Touch Plus controllers, which debuted with the Quest 3.
As iFixit noted, none of the above should be perceived as a bad thing by consumers. The use of older components and other changes have made the device more affordable, so the Quest 3S costs $300, and the Ques 3 is priced at $500. This also means that if any components fail, it will be easier for users to find replacement parts, since the Quest 2 headset has been on the market for four years.