Even at a Lower Cost, It Still Left Me Feeling Queasy

It’s been some time since I last donned a mixed reality headset. I have the Quest 2 at home, but it hasn’t seen much use recently, largely because I do most of my computing on a foldable Android device these days. However, during a demonstration with the Meta Quest 3S at Meta Connect, I found myself reevaluating whether such experiences could carve out a place in my routine. I only wish it didn’t leave me feeling woozy.

Meta has now introduced the Quest 3S headset with a starting price of $300. It’s a bit more wallet-friendly compared to the regular Quest 3, and it runs on the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform. The trade-off for the lower price is a decrease in resolution and a slightly narrower field of view compared to its predecessors, the Quest and Quest 2. Yet, Meta seems to be targeting folks like me, who have set their headsets aside for a while but might be tempted to give them another whirl. The device offers a full-color mixed reality passthrough, making it easy to switch modes and move around during my demonstration.

Initially, as I started with the Meta Quest 3S, nostalgia struck—I really felt like I’d missed out on this kind of experience. But as time passed, I was reminded why I don’t reach for these headsets more often. Nausea crept in. I couldn’t quite pinpoint if it was the lack of food or the oppressive heat contributing to my discomfort, but roughly 32 minutes into the demo, I gracefully stepped out to catch my breath in the real world.

Horizon World’s Music Valley Experience was what tipped the scales for me. Featuring Sabrina Carpenter, whom I remember as a Disney Channel star, the experience is immersive. As you near her virtual “stage,” it feels oddly like you’re invading personal space—too close for comfort with Sabrina.

At one moment, another avatar joined in, dancing beside me. This friendly virtual companion took me on a tour around the digital play area. We approached a floating alien spaceship distributing music notes, and I struggled to grab them with the joystick controls, which was when my stomach began to protest.

Not everything left me queasy, though. I enjoyed the start of a Celine Dion special on Amazon Prime—her voice was stellar. I also immersed myself in an 8K, 3D YouTube video set in a field of daisies, which was wonderfully relaxing. I rearranged some virtual windows haphazardly just because I could. An attempt to play an Xbox game fell flat due to a malfunctioning demonstration controller. I hopped into Just Dance, but by then, my tolerance was wearing thin.

Horizon Worlds is where motion sickness really hit hard, lacking any stable horizon to focus on, like the kind that helps steady you on a turbulent boat. But I didn’t expect such a reaction while seated—sitting is probably all I’ll do next time I wear a headset. Meta may have found a way to cut the cost of the Quest, but they still need a solution for queasy users like me in the virtual and mixed reality space.

The new Meta Quest 3S starts at $300 for the 128GB model, with the price rising to $400 for the 256GB version. Preorders are available, and it’s set to hit the shelves on October 15.