This year Meta’s Quest app (called Meta Horizon) – which is required to set up the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S headsets – once again rocketed to the top spot of the App Store’s free app chart on Christmas day, and I’m hardly surprised the VR headsets were seemingly the top tech gift of 2024.
The Quest success was spotted by Upload VR who noted that this is the third time Meta has achieved this feat – with it doing so in 2021, 2023, and now 2024 (it missed out in 2022, with that being blamed on the controversial Meta Quest 2 price hike).
Adding to the Meta Quest 3 and 3S’ success are Amazon sales figures, with Amazon.com saying the Quest 3S was bought by over 100,000 people in the past month, and the Quest 3 was bought by over 50,000 Amazon shoppers (together, that’s well over the number of PS5, PS5 Pros, and Xbox Series S and X models sold in the same month combined); it seems shoppers took advantage of those excellent Black Friday Meta Quest deals we saw in the run up to Christmas.
But beyond sales making the VR headsets look like an even better deal than usual, I’m not surprised the Meta Quest 3 and 3S proved popular – and those of you without one should consider changing that and joining all those Christmas buyers.
VR is better than its ever been
In 2024, the biggest reason you should get a VR headset (specifically a Meta Quest 3 or 3S) is that the devices feel like they’ve truly come into their own. There’s a fantastic suite of games and apps across various genres and uses – you can become Batman, experience immersive simulators, watch TV and play non-VR games on massive virtual screens, and even use it for work with productivity tools.
And this is across both fully immersive VR, and the blended real and virtual experiences offered by mixed reality (MR); thanks to the decent-quality, full-color cameras on these Quest 3 headsets, booting up an MR app feels like a worthwhile experience rather than simply a novelty, as has been the case in the past.
Additionally, while I think the full-on Meta Quest 3 is worth the price bump, the Meta Quest 3S costing only $299.99 / £289.99 / AU$499.99 means it delivers superb bang for your buck. Yes, the displays aren’t as crisp and it’s bulkier, but the Quest 3S’ games and apps still run just as well as they would on the pricier system, and the price is much easier to justify to yourself – or your parents if you wanted it as a gift – when you’re looking to pick up a gadget.
Plus, as standalone headsets, these systems don’t require any extras like a PC or PS5 – unlike the PSVR 2 headset, for example. This makes it easier to set the systems up for newcomers to VR or gaming, and reduces the effective cost of the systems.
Oh, and that Batman experience I mentioned – which is titled Batman: Arkham Shadow – is being included with Quest 3 purchases for free until the end of April 2025. It’s a truly superb game, a must-play for Batman fans, and only goes to further sweeten the deal for anyone interested in picking up either the 3 or 3S.
If that’s you – or you’ve already snagged one – then I’d recommend also browsing my picks for my favorite VR games and apps of 2024 so you can download them and start your Meta Quest 3 journey off right.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
