Whether you’re looking for a few general tips to improve your daily puzzling or you’re hoping to find a shortcut to the world’s fastest Wordle win, you’ll find all that and more ready and waiting just below. There’s even a clue for the November 17 (1247) game written up and willing to help if you need a nudge.
A great start quickly led me to the good kind of sticking point—the sort where, if I thought about it, I could see that if that letter couldn’t go there then I’d have to put it there—a sort of happy snowball that only rolled towards today’s winning word. Brilliant.
Wordle today: A hint
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
Wordle today: A hint for Sunday, November 17
This is another way of describing a score, or an ongoing count of something. This could be someone’s goals in a sport, or simply an increasing quantity of something more mundane.
Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
Yes, there is a double letter in today’s Wordle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If you’ve decided to play Wordle but you’re not sure where to start, I’ll help set you on the path to your first winning streak. Make all your guesses count and become a Wordle winner with these quick tips:
A good opener has a mix of common vowels and consonants.
The answer could contain the same letter, repeated.
Avoid words that include letters you’ve already eliminated.
You’re not racing against the clock so there’s no reason to rush. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you’re coming up blank. Sometimes stepping away for a while means you can come back with a fresh perspective.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Future)
What is today’s Wordle answer?
Put your feet up, it’s Sunday. The answer to the November 17 (1247) Wordle is TALLY.
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Previous Wordle answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
Previous Wordle solutions can help to eliminate guesses for today’s Wordle, as the answer isn’t likely to be repeated. They can also give you some solid ideas for starting words that keep your daily puzzle-solving fresh.
Here are some recent Wordle answers:
November 16: VISOR
November 15: TACKY
November 14: UVULA
November 13: PRIMP
November 12: FLOWN
November 11: STOIC
November 10: INNER
November 9: SWELL
November 8: READY
November 7: EVENT
Learn more about Wordle
(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)
There are six rows of five boxes presented to you by Wordle each day, and you’ll need to work out which five-letter word is hiding among them to win the daily puzzle.
Start with a strong word like ALIVE—or any other word with a good mix of common consonants and multiple vowels. You should also avoid starting words with repeating letters, so you don’t waste the chance to confirm or eliminate an extra letter. Once you’ve typed your guess and hit Enter, you’ll see which letters you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
Your second guess should compliment the first, using another “good” word to cover any common letters you might have missed on the first row—just don’t forget to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer. After that, it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the correct word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words and don’t forget letters can repeat too (eg: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
A classic sci-fi raygun that sets people on fire, after which they explode, the Neo-Volkite pistol has been added to the loadouts of assault, bulwark, and vanguard marines in the PvE Operations mode, and will be added to PvP Eternal mode in a subsequent update.
Volkite weapons were the original weapon of choice for space marine legionaries back before the Horus Heresy, but by the time of Horus’s betrayal they’d been replaced by cheaper and easier-to-produce bolt guns. They’ve been brought back in Neo-Volkite form by Belisarius Cawl, the same tech-priest responsible for the Primaris marines.
Patch 4.5 also rebalances a variety of existing weapons in Operations mode, giving a scope to the oculus bolt carbine and increasing its bonus to headshot damage, increasing the maximum ammo of the auto bolt rifle, and adjusting the damage falloff curve for the bolt carbine (SMG), among other changes.
Among the bug fixes and tech improvements in the patch are a fix for DLC cosmetics you’d unlock being locked again after a restart, the sniper’s Targeted Shot perk not working after you swapped weapons, and various improvements to stability and connectivity.
The next major update, as well as adding the Neo-Volkite pistol to Eternal War mode, will bring a new enemy, a new map for Operations mode, and cosmetics based on the Dark Angels chapter of marines.
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https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/1731854071_Space-Marine-2s-latest-patch-adds-a-death-ray-laser.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2024-11-17 02:46:432024-11-17 02:46:43Space Marine 2’s latest patch adds a death ray laser pointer
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ESCAPE-FROM-TARKOV-3-MISSIONS-WITHOUT-ACTIVE-THEM-WTF.jpg7201280DecayeD20https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngDecayeD202024-11-16 18:24:352024-11-16 18:24:35ESCAPE FROM TARKOV #3 | MISSION’S WITHOUT ACTIVE THEM WTF!?
As part of Valve’s celebration of Half-Life 2’s 20th anniversary, the studio has announced that it will release an updated and expanded version of Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, a superb art book that covers the development of the legendary first person shooter.
“Nearly two decades since it first went out of print, Raising the Bar is set to return with an expanded second edition—offering a comprehensive look into the creation of Half-Life 2,” Valve wrote on the official 20th anniversary webpage. “Originally published in 2004, this book captured the story of Half-Life 2’s development but missed the episodic content that followed.
“This new edition concludes the Half-Life 2 development story, with never-before-seen concept art from Episode One and Episode Two, along with ideas and experiments for the third episode that never came to be.”
I had a copy of Raising the Bar back in the day, and I remember pouring over it for hours at a time, bringing it on roadtrips, and coming back to passages again and again in the hopes of better understanding this game that had captured my imagination.
There’s a section about Half-Life 1, and I remember loving Chuck Jones’ more cartoony, lighthearted designs for the game. One of the coolest bits was a collection of side-by-side photos of the real life face models Valve used in Half-Life 2 and their in-game counterparts. Even if you’ve never read Raising the Bar yourself, a lot of the collected knowledge about Half-Life 2’s development in the fan community has come from the book, and you’ve likely come across photos or snippets from it on one of the game’s many wikis or forums.
Which is also why the prospect of the Episodes getting the same treatment is so exciting: When the new Raising the Bar comes out, we’re set to have our knowledge of their development expanded in a big way. Valve has not yet indicated when in 2025 the new Raising the Bar will be released, nor where we’ll be able to purchase it—Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold would make sense, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Valve offer it directly through Steam in a similar way to the Steam Deck.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/1731781874_Valve-is-re-releasing-Half-Life-2s-Raising-the-Bar-art-book.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2024-11-16 18:21:272024-11-16 18:21:27Valve is re-releasing Half-Life 2’s ‘Raising the Bar’ art book after nearly 20 years out of print and adding new sections about all three HL2 episodes
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ESCAPE-FROM-TARKOV-3-GROUND-ZERO-2-DOWN.jpg7201280DecayeD20https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngDecayeD202024-11-16 15:16:242024-11-16 15:16:24ESCAPE FROM TARKOV #3 | GROUND ZERO 2 DOWN
Welcome to your first Wordle win of the weekend. Whether you use our hint for today’s puzzle to quickly get yourself on the right track, or decide you don’t want to stop scrolling until you’re looking straight at the answer for the November 16 (1246) Wordle, all you need is right here.
After the struggles I’ve had this week, today’s Wordle felt like I’d been given the day off. I wasn’t about to break any speed records for my performance today, but I did at least have a comfortable, uneventful, and successful trip down the board. Thank goodness for that.
Today’s Wordle hint
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
Wordle today: A hint for Saturday, November 16
In a car, this can be pulled down to protect your eyes from the sun. Also the name for the moveable bit at the front of a helmet.
Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
No, there are no double letters in today’s puzzle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
A good starting word can be the difference between victory and defeat with the daily puzzle, but once you’ve got the basics, it’s much easier to nail down those Wordle wins. And as there’s nothing quite like a small victory to set you up for the rest of the day, here are a few tips to help set you on the right path:
A good opening guess should contain a mix of unique consonants and vowels.
Narrow down the pool of letters quickly with a tactical second guess.
Watch out for letters appearing more than once in the answer.
There’s no racing against the clock with Wordle so you don’t need to rush for the answer. Treating the game like a casual newspaper crossword can be a good tactic; that way, you can come back to it later if you’re coming up blank. Stepping away for a while might mean the difference between a win and a line of grey squares.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Future)
What is today’s Wordle answer?
Here’s your win. The answer to the November 16 (1246) Wordle is VISOR.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Previous Wordle answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
Past Wordle answers can give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle-solving fresh. They are also a good way to eliminate guesses for today’s Wordle, as the answer is unlikely to be repeated.
Here are some recent Wordle answers:
November 15: TACKY
November 14: UVULA
November 13: PRIMP
November 12: FLOWN
November 11: STOIC
November 10: INNER
November 9: SWELL
November 8: READY
November 7: EVENT
November 6: TRULY
Learn more about Wordle
(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)
Wordle gives you six rows of five boxes each day, and you’ll need to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them to keep up your winning streak.
You should start with a strong word like ARISE, or any other word that contains a good mix of common consonants and multiple vowels. You’ll also want to avoid starting words with repeating letters, as you’re wasting the chance to potentially eliminate or confirm an extra letter. Once you hit Enter, you’ll see which ones you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
Your second guess should compliment the starting word, using another “good” word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer. With a bit of luck, you should have some coloured squares to work with and set you on the right path.
After that, it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there’s an E). Don’t forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
Earlier this week, Blizzard said 63% of all Diablo 4 players are spending their time with its newest class, the spiritborn. The other 37% of players who choose to play lesser classes are probably standing off to the side as their new sibling wipes out entire dungeons in seconds. It’s rough out there for non-spiritborn players, but the next patch will at least make life at the bottom of the meta a little more fun.
Next Tuesday, Diablo 4 will drop a patch with some meaty buffs for its weakest classes. Some of them seem targeted at builds that have either been popular with players before or have yet to be more than a novelty. Rogues, for example, will get to return to using Twisting Blades, a skill where you stick your blades in monsters and have them return to you after a short delay, killing everything in their path. And sorcerers who have been patiently waiting for fire skills to have their time in the spotlight will be delighted to see huge improvements to Meteor and Incinerate.
None of the changes will boost the classes up enough to start dealing quadrillions of damage like the spiritborn can. Blizzard is leaving the bugs fueling the new class mostly untouched until the next season so players who have invested time into gearing their spiritborn won’t feel robbed.
Here’s what next week’s patch will look like for the other classes:
Barbarians will be stronger overall, especially using their new Mighty Throw ranged skill
Rogues will also be stronger overall, but most notably for close-range Twisting Blades builds and mid-range Rapid Fire builds
Sorcerers will do significantly more damage across the board and might finally be able to make fire skills like Meteor and Incinerate work
Druids will have some new build options with buffs to most of their important passive skills, but will largely play the same way
Necromancers were already the top class aside from the ridiculously OP spiritborn, so they only have a few small improvements to their basic skills
As far as midseason patches go, this is actually a fairly light one. In past seasons, Blizzard would use midseason patches to make major changes to the season’s new systems. A lot of those changes already happened with the release of the expansion. Even the balance changes are mostly number increases—vital ones, but nothing world-shattering.
Next week, Blizzard will detail what to expect in season 7, which it says will have some major new features. There were hints in the recent stream that one of them could finally allow you to swap between builds using a system similar to Diablo 3’s armory. As someone who can’t stop themselves from playing several builds and classes every season, I’m both excited and a little scared for what that’ll do to my free time.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/1731709742_Diablo-4s-next-patch-hands-out-courtesy-buffs-to-the.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2024-11-15 22:04:372024-11-15 22:04:37Diablo 4’s next patch hands out courtesy buffs to the poor fools who aren’t playing its overpowered new class
Every time I check out the new system requirements for an upcoming release these days, I hold my breath as I scroll down to the storage requirement.
Stalker 2 wants a massive 160 GB. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 demanded 102 GB (at least, depending on how much COD you wanted to download). And God of War: Ragnarok? A truly gigantic 190 GB of precious SSD space.
Obsidian’s upcoming first-person RPG slash-and-magic-athon, Avowed, however, seems rather light by comparison. According to the Steam page, you’ll need 75 GB of free storage space, and there’s no current mention of an SSD requirement—although I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that you really, really should be running your games on one these days regardless.
I’d hazard a guess that’s for 30 fps 1080p low settings. There’s no mention of whether upscaling is factored in, although a teaser video has already confirmed that DLSS 3 will be supported from launch.
Looking at all the Lumen lighting and ray-traced reflections, I’d say its likely to be needed with all the settings turned up for a super-smooth framerate, as Unreal Engine 5 can be quite the demanding engine with all the visual gubbins set to kill.
There’s also been no mention of FSR support to date, so one can only hope there might be a choice of upscalers for those of us not running an Nvidia card.
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Speaking of turning the settings up, however, the recommended requirements are substantially chonkier. Obsidian reckons you’ll need a Ryzen 5 5600X or Core i7 10700K, in combination with 16 GB of RAM and either an RX 6800 XT or RTX 3080.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Avowed system requirements
Row 0 – Cell 0
Minimum
Recommended
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 / Intel Core i5 8400
AMD Ryzen 5 5600 X / Intel Core i7 10700K
Memory
16 GB
16 GB
GPU
AMD RX 5700 / Nvidia GTX 1070 / Intel Arc A580
AMD RX 6800 XT / Nvidia RTX 3080
DirectX
Version 12
Version 12
Storage
75 GB available space
75 GB available space
Those are still pretty beefy GPUs in this day and age, although again we’ve no idea if that’s for 1440p High, 4K Ultra, or anything in between. As expected though, UE5 strikes again with some fairly demanding hardware requirements with the shiny stuff engaged, although whether ray tracing is included in those recommended specs is unclear.
It’s also worth noting that the game has already caused a bit of controversy in the console community with the declaration from the devs that “you don’t necessarily need 60 frames” for a first-person single-player RPG, with 30 fps targeted for both the Xbox Series S and Series X.
Presumably, given the custom AMD GPUs at their hearts, that means we’ll be getting some sort of FSR upscaling involvement—even if 30 fps is the target. Time will tell, I guess.
Still, your SSD can breathe easy, at least. Should 75 GB be too much for those of you on a 512 GB model or less, this is the part where I shout out our cheap SSD deals page and its Black Friday SSD deals equivalent. Sure, prices have been up and down this year, but it’s still possible to find a good deal on something roomy.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/1731673715_Obsidian-quietly-adds-Avowed-system-requirements-to-the-Steam-listing.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2024-11-15 11:50:362024-11-15 11:50:36Obsidian quietly adds Avowed system requirements to the Steam listing and that 75 GB storage target seems downright reasonable
After years of development and beta-testing, Vermintide 2’s long-awaited versus mode is finally here. In this mode two teams of up to four players take it in turns to play as the heroes or the villainous Pactsworn. When it’s your turn to be the heroes you’ll be completing objectives to rack up points, and when it’s your turn to be the Pactsworn you’ll want to slow down the heroes or kill them off, with your scores being compared once both teams have had a turn.
The five Pactsworn Specials you can choose between—the ratling gunner, gutter runner, warpfire thrower, packmaster, and poison wind globadier—play quite differently from the furless manthings you’ll be used to controlling. They can’t dodge for starters, though they can climb to get into ambush positions. You’ll need to be careful when setting those up, because the Pactsworn Specials all make distinctive noises when moving, and are only silent when standing still.
Versus mode plays out on reimagined versions of the base game’s maps, familiar yet different. It also comes with a new progression system, with challenges you can complete in versus mode matches giving rewards you can show off in other modes as well.
For the next five weekends, Vermintide 2 will be host to a series of “versus spotlight” events to show off the new mode. The first one is devoted to highlighting Kerillian and the gutter runner, with a mini-season pass of rewards to unlock including in-game currency, portrait frames, skins, and weapon poses. You can earn those rewards even if you’re not playing versus mode, though doing so will let you contribute to a kill counter by doing in those pesky heroes, unlocking a gutter runner skin for all players if it gets filled in time.
Vermintide developers Fatshark announced that another free addition is on the way as well, a three-map expansion called Verminous Dreams. The first map will be added on December 9, with the ones after that coming out early in 2025.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/1731637662_Finally-I-can-be-a-gross-little-rat-guy-in.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2024-11-15 00:44:222024-11-15 00:44:22Finally, I can be a gross little rat guy in Vermintide 2’s 4v4 versus mode, which is out now
The first time I put the Quest 3S on my head, I was met with a familiar sight. “This is quite a lot like the Quest 2”, I thought to myself. My opinion hasn’t changed on that since I’ve got more familiar with Meta’s latest VR headset. Neither should it. Turns out, the Quest 3S and Quest 2 are practically the same when it comes to optics. But I have come to appreciate the rest of the Quest 3 package a whole lot more. It does a few things a lot better than the Quest 2.
The Quest 3S comes in two storage sizes: 128 GB and 256 GB. To get one, you’ll need to depart with $299/$400, depending on which model you go for.
I have the larger capacity for review and if you’re going to want to install a large library of games on the device itself, i.e. use it as a standalone headset, the larger capacity sure helps. Though I wouldn’t generally recommend the 256 GB model.
For reasons I’ll get to throughout this review, if you’re considering spending $400 on a Quest 3S, you instead should consider splurging on the $500 Quest 3. Further to that, more storage isn’t necessary if you’re using this primarily planning on tethering to the PC, nor if you have fast internet connection and don’t mind deleting and redownloading games on demand. VR games don’t usually require large file sizes—for example, the hot new ticket in town, Batman: Arkham Shadow, only requires 19 GB.
Quest 3S specs
(Image credit: Future)
Screen: LCD Resolution: 1832 x 1920 (per-eye) Refresh rate: 72Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz Field of view: 96 degrees horizontal, 90 degrees vertical Lens type: Fresnel IPD adjustment: 58, 63, 68 mm Processor: Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 RAM: 8 GB PC connectivity: Wireless or wired over Type-C Controllers: 2x included Weight (without strap): 464 grams Price: 128 GB: $299/£289 | 256 GB: $400/£379
Batman actually helps to explain one of the main improvements with the Quest 3S over the Quest 2. That’s the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor. You see, this is the same processor as within the Quest 3—the 3S and S even share the same 8 GB of RAM—and as a result, the Quest 3S has a lot more power available to it versus the older Quest 2. That means it is able to play games that might otherwise been Quest 3 exclusive, such as Batman: Arkham Shadow.
Now whether Batman could be made to run on a Quest 2—well, it can, people have done it—but it’s a Quest 3/3S exclusive whether it could or not. The Quest 3S is likely to see increasing support for software that takes advantage of that more powerful Qualcomm chip as time goes on.
This new processor feels like a pretty darn good quality of life upgrade, as it improves various aspects of the headset. Gaming through the built-in chip feels responsive and latency-free, which is key to avoiding vom-inducing visuals, but it also feels snappy outside of games when navigating through menus or entering your details on a login page. Speaking of logins, just a reminder that you don’t need a Facebook account to use a Quest, but you will have to make a broader Meta account. Whether you connect that to your Facebook profile is up to you.
(Image credit: Future)
The Quest 3S also features full-colour passthrough thanks to the improved cameras on its exterior—2 RGB cameras, 4 IR tracking cameras, and 2 IR illiminators—and this is one of the biggest upgrades that I felt when using the headset. It’s part the full-colour passthrough just illuminating the world around you and reducing the need to lift the headset off, then back on, your head. But it’s also the ‘action’ button added to the headset beneath your right eye that lets me swiftly toggle between passthrough and full VR modes.
You can also tap the side of the headset to use passthrough, as with previous Quest models, but I find the action button more reliable.
I found the main benefit to this new and improved passthrough as a PC VR user is the ability to quickly switch between VR and actually seeing what’s happening on my computer screen. That’s pretty handy if you’re troubleshooting SteamVR or some PC VR game. Admittedly, these new cameras still aren’t anywhere near the sort of resolution required to actually use your PC adroitly and then flick back into VR without issue—it’s still a pretty grainy picture—but you can see much more of what’s going on than the Quest 2’s greyscale affair.
(Image credit: Future)
One good use case for this is when you’re setting up the Quest Link connection, which allows you to use the Quest 3S as a stand-in PC VR headset. This process requires downloading the app on your PC, logging in, and confirming some details about your headset. After that, enabling the Quest Link connection in your headset to discover your PC, which requires entering some codes on both devices. You can do all of this pretty comfortably from within the headset, using the passthrough to glance between devices.
Considering connecting a VR headset to a gaming PC was a fiddly job not all that long ago, Air Link—Meta’s built-in wireless protocol—is actually pretty easy to set-up. Not only that, VR games are playable without a cable. I booted up a couple of games via the fairly recently updated SteamVR UI and it’s pretty slick. I only ran into issues once my Steam started downloading a game in the background, which killed my network stability.
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(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
There are a few other options for streaming your PC over to your headset wirelessly: Virtual Desktop and Valve’s own Steam Link. I used to use Virtual Desktop a lot but I tend to stick with the built-in Air Link nowadays. Mostly just for ease of use—it’s right there in the Quest’s menu. The main thing is, while these wireless connections are quite good, I still prefer to use my extra long Type-C cable connection for a more reliable and snappy experience. And to keep some charge going back into the device.
Comparing the Quest 3S to the Quest 2, the newer headset is a similar size to the older one. The ‘arms’ that hold the strap are a little longer on the Quest 3S, however, which means straps intended for the Quest 2 aren’t compatible. Boo. Also the speakers within these ‘arms’ are downward facing on the Quest 3S, which, in theory, directs the audio more towards your ears. I say in theory just as I didn’t notice a massive difference in practice, but it seems like a good change nonetheless.
The Quest 3 (left) next to a Quest 2 (right). (Image credit: Future)
Though I’m yet to try it, the Quest 3S is also compatible with straps made for the Quest 3, including Meta’s own Elite Strap. Though they share the same standard strap in most ways, which is made of a white fabric and a little better than the one included on the Quest 2, there is one difference: the Quest 3S strap doesn’t come with a cut-out for a 3.5 mm audio jack. That’s because it doesn’t have one.
You’re stuck with the built-in speakers, using a set of USB headphones, Bluetooth, or an adapter on the Quest 3S. A lot of options, sure, but you have to consider you might already have the USB port occupied by a data cable for playing on the PC. I have found some USB Type-C adapters on the market that suggest they can be used for both charging and headphones at the same time, though I haven’t tried any out myself. As far as upgrades go, an adapter is a cheap one, though the Quest 3 includes a 3.5 mm port.
The Quest 3S, Quest 3, and Quest 2 are more or less the same weight. I measured all three without straps or extenders for glasses and they all were within four grams of one another.
Quest 2: 465 grams
Quest 3S: 464 grams
Quest 3: 461 grams
The Quest 3S appears the more trimmed model compared to the Quest 2, but it’s more of a style tweak than anything else. They both share practically the same Fresnel optics, which means they’re about as compact as they can be. The Quest 3, on the other hand, uses pancake lenses, which allow for a much reduced size.
The Quest 3S (left), Quest 2 (middle), and Quest 3 (right) without facial padding and straps. (Image credit: Future)
I wore all three headsets one after the other, turning my head left and right rapidly like a wild man, and I didn’t notice a massive difference between them. While the weights are similar across all models, the Quest 3S and Quest 2 are minutely more cumbersome for their larger profiles. But there’s not a huge amount in it.
The Quest 3S sticks with a plastic extender for people that wear glasses, which includes me. I tend to keep it installed most of the time, as it only marginally increases the profile of the headset, though the Quest 3S is one of the few headsets I’ve used where I can happily wear my glasses without hitting lenses against one another. The Quest 3S also blocks out a good amount of the light around your nose while wearing it and it’s just as effective as the Quest 3 in this regard.
(Image credit: Future)
As for the controllers included with the Quest 3S, they’re lightweight, responsive, and intuitive. That last bit matters for VR. Powered by a single AA battery, I recommend picking up some rechargeable batteries to save yourself going through heaps of single-use ones. They’re the same controllers that come with the Quest 3, too, so you’re not losing out on the latest gear here.
But at some point I have to deal with the elephant in the room. And not just one inserted into my office through the power of XR. The Quest 3 is $200 more than the Quest 3S but the pricier model is worth spending the extra to get, if you’re able.
It helps to compare a couple of key specifications between the Quest 3S and Quest 3.
The Quest 3 (left) and the Quest 3S (right). (Image credit: Future)
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Quest 3S versus Quest 3
Header Cell – Column 0
Quest 3S
Quest 3
LCD screens
One
Two
Resolution (per-eye)
1,832 × 1,920
2,064 × 2,208
Optics
Fresnel
Pancake
Field of view (horizontal)
96 degrees
110 degrees
Field of view (vertical)
90 degrees
96 degrees
IPD adjustment
58, 63, 68 mm
53 – 75 mm (any value between)
Price
128 GB: $299256 GB: $400
512 GB: $500(128 GB model phased out)
These numbers in a table make a big difference to the clarity and quality of the VR experience. When I first put the Quest 3S on, I noticed when you look to the extremities of the lenses the image is blurry and slightly distorted. It’s the same on the Quest 2. The Quest 3, on the other hand, is much clearer. You can look around to the top, bottom, and far left and right of the picture in the Quest 3 and it looks more or less the same as anywhere else.
Both Quest 3S and Quest 3 have a slight chromatic aberration effect when viewed through the extremities of the lenses, or when not correctly aligned with your eyes, though the Quest 3 is undeniably a much sharper image overall and its imperfections appear less noticeable as a result while gaming.
The Quest 3 (top) and Quest 3S (bottom) showing the two different lens types. (Image credit: Future)
Buy if…
✅ You want to try VR for the first time: There’s no simpler set-up than a Quest 3/S, thanks to solid inside-out tracking.
✅ You want to mix-and-match between playing standalone and on your PC: You can get play loads of great games without even a PC, thanks to the Qualcomm chip inside this headset. Quest Link and Air Link are easy ways to connect this headset to your PC, via a cable or Wi-Fi, when you’re ready.
Don’t buy if…
❌ You already own a Quest 2: While there are some Quest 3/S exclusives that won’t run on a Quest 2, the Quest 3S doesn’t offer such an improvement in key ways over its predecessor as to be worthy of upgrading. The Quest 3, however, does.
In comparing the Quest 3 to the Quest 3S, it’s in an entirely different class for VR headsets. Even in the finer details, such as the built in glasses adjustment, IPD scroller, or auto-wake functionality that the Quest 3S lacks, it’s a step above. The Quest 3 is up there with the latest generation of VR headsets, such as Sony’s PS VR2 I tested last year, whereas the Quest 3S feels older out of the box.
Sony’s PS VR2 now has a PC adapter, I should add, though it’s reportedly a bit of a flaky experience. Priced the same as a Quest 3 but without the standalone features or slick experience, its comfortable design and OLED screen is still largely wasted on PC gamers.
For someone looking to try VR for the first time or looking for a gift for a gamer, there’s absolutely value in the Quest 3S. It is more of a quality of life improvement over the Quest 2, and for that reason isn’t a worthy upgrade for owners of a Quest 2, but it’s nonetheless a fantastic one. The improved processor is a massive leap and the full-colour passthrough make set-up and finding where you placed your damned controller a breeze.
Considering the Quest 3S launches at the same price the Quest 2 was at for most of its life—the 128 GB Quest 2 was reduced to $199 briefly before it was sent to the scrapyard—it’s a simple swap-in as my pick for the best budget VR headset. Only the 128 GB model, however. If you’re thinking of buying the 256 GB model for $400, save up a little longer and buy a Quest 3. It’s worth it.
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