When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Meta Quest 3 and controllers
The Meta Quest 3 brings mixed reality in a mainstream VR headset.

The Meta Quest 3 is poised to be one of the most highly requested gaming platforms this holiday season. It's the sequel to the insanely popular Oculus Quest 2, which made waves with its ability to deliver a quality VR gaming experience in a standalone design at an approachable price point.

The Meta Quest 3 deals we'e seeing right now don't shave much off the retail price, but some retailers are throwing in freebies to get you in the door. Read on for the best Meta Quest 3 bundles and offers you can shop today.

Best Meta Quest 3 deals

No matter where you buy the Meta Quest 3, each purchase comes with a copy of the game Asgard's Wrath 2, an action RPG that has you wielding the power of the Gods. That will be available to download in December and would normally cost you $59.99 separately. Most retailers also include six months of Meta Quest+ free if you buy the 512GB model, which throws an extra $150 premium atop the base model's MSRP.

If you purchase through Newegg, you'll get a $15 Meta Quest gift card with your purchase, which is good toward any game or app in the Meta Quest Store.

Best Buy is also offering an exclusive incentive for buying the Meta Quest 3 right now. You can get a free 1-month trial to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with your purchase. Game Pass Ultimate includes freely downloadable games on both Xbox and PC, plus a number of Quest 3 games.

You can purchase accessories alongside your Meta Quest 3. Those include a charging station ($130), two new versions of the more comfortable Elite Strap ($70 without an extended battery, $130 with battery), Active Straps for the controller ($40), a Silicone Facial Interface ($40), a hardshell carrying case ($70), and the official Quest Link Cable ($80). These links point you to Amazon, but you'll find them all at Best Buy and a handful at other retailers.

Meta Quest 3: What's new?

The Meta Quest 3 builds on the standalone, wire-free accessibility of the second-generation headset with advanced features pulled from the enthusiast-level Meta Quest Pro. Meta iterated on the design with subtle comfort improvements, including lens depth customization to better accommodate those wearing glasses and a more comfortable head strap with easier adjustability.

Powering the Meta Quest 3 is an upgraded Snapdragon XR Gen 2 chip, offering enough power (doubling the Quest 2's capabilities) to push more pixels to the higher-resolution display. Meta calls it a 4K+ Infinite Display, which boasts 2064x2208 for each display, one per eye. Even with the added burden of pushing more pixels directly into your eyeballs, the new processor offers enough overhead to power high-fidelity graphics.

There are also new experiences to enjoy, thanks to the mixed reality nature of this headset. The Meta Quest 3 adds two outward-facing RGB color cameras to show your immediate environment with much better clarity than the Quest 2 can (which only has monochromatic passthrough cameras for utilities like setting and detecting play boundaries). Early use cases include watching, playing, and browsing on a virtual, repositionable, and resizable screen that you can view directly within your real-world environment. There are also games specially designed to play in mixed-reality environments.

In addition, Meta says the Quest 3's speakers are 40% louder and support 3D audio effects, and the controllers are redesigned for better ergonomics and include haptic feedback for even more immersive gameplay. 

Meta Quest 3 release date and price

The Meta Quest 3 arrived at retailers on October 10 and starts at $499.99 for the base 128GB model. You can also purchase a 512GB model for $650, which comes with six months of Meta Quest+ for free (usually $60 per year).

Read the original article on Business Insider