Xbox’s Meta Quest 3S Leaves a Big Box Unchecked

Since late 2024, Microsoft and Xbox have strived to broaden Xbox’s playability beyond the mere constraints of stationary Xbox consoles. For most of Xbox’s near 25-year-long history, Xbox games and products could only be played on Xbox consoles such as the Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, or Windows-capable PCs. This all changed with Xbox’s ‘This is an Xbox’ campaign, which started allowing numerous devices to stream Xbox games and services via the Xbox app. While this campaign is seemingly culminating with the upcoming handheld ROG Xbox Ally, Xbox is finally truly stepping into the realm of virtual reality with the recent launch of the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition. However, this Xbox VR set is missing one critical feature: a standout Xbox-exclusive VR game.

Microsoft Reveals Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition Headset and Controllers

Microsoft shadow-drops an Xbox-branded limited edition of the Meta Quest 3S VR headset, with the bundle including lots more goodies too.

Xbox and Meta recently announced the launch of the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition as part of the two brands’ ongoing partnership. Made to celebrate the expansion of Xbox Cloud Gaming on Meta Quest headsets, the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is essentially a Carbon Black and Velocity Green version of the standard Meta Quest 3S equipped with Xbox’s signature modern logo. When people purchase the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition, the bundle will come with several features, including:

Limited Edition Meta Quest 3S 128 GB Headset

Meta Quest Elite Strap

Two Meta Quest Touch Plus Controllers

Limited Edition Black and Green Xbox Wireless Controller

3-Month Subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

3-Month Subscription to Meta Horizon+

The Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is currently available for a limited time for $399.99 USD, $100 more than the standard Meta Quest 3S headset. Xbox’s app, along with access to Xbox Games Pass, first debuted on Meta Quest 3 systems in late 2023, but this Xbox Meta Quest is designed to “… empower more people to play their favorite games whenever and wherever they want.” Here, players can instantly stream select Xbox Cloud Gaming-playable games such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and Avowed. Cross-play and cross-progression support is available on the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition, and players can seamlessly continue their games from the headset to other platforms such as an Xbox Series S, PC, smartphone, and more.
Xbox’s Lack of Exclusive and VR Titles

While the launch of the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is exciting, as it shows Xbox increasing interest in VR gaming, the debut of this Xbox headset is a bit underwhelming without an Xbox exclusive or at least an Xbox Game Studios-produced game to go alongside it. Exclusive games are historically known to move sales, such as Mario Kart World playing a good part in the Nintendo Switch 2’s record-breaking sales, or Halo arguably being the main reason for the original Xbox’s initial success. While the Meta Quest 3S is still relatively new, VR gaming is a niche genre of gaming, and many fans of the Meta Quest likely already have a 3S or are unlikely to spend $100 more for an Xbox-branded one. An Xbox-produced and Meta Quest exclusive could have helped increase sales of not just the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition but of Meta Quest headsets overall. For example, when PlayStation launched PS VR in 2016 as a part of the PS4 platform, Sony made sure to launch several exclusive games for the headset to entice potential buyers, such as PlayStation VR Worlds and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. Sony continued to develop what would come to be critically acclaimed exclusive VR games on the PS4, such as 2018’s Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Moss, to ensure PS VR’s continued success. This trend continued with the debut of 2023’s PS5 PSVR 2, which launched with numerous enticing exclusive games such as Horizon Call of the Mountain.
Potential Future Xbox Exclusive VR Games

If Xbox continues to collaborate with Meta or even launches its next Xbox console with direct VR compatibility similar to the PS5’s PSVR 2, Xbox should strive to develop its own exclusive VR games. While many Xbox games can be played in VR, they’re not to the degree of truly VR-dedicated games, akin to Astro Bot or Moss, as many Meta Quest-capable Xbox games were not designed to be played primarily in VR. Microsoft has worked on VR games based on their exclusive franchises before, such as 2017’s Halo Recruit for Windows MR headsets, but games like Recruit were essentially just tech demos. Xbox would have a better chance of standing out in the VR field if it created true VR game experiences based on Halo, Gears of War, Forza, Fable, and other Xbox franchises. Many VR games are already focused on racing, so a VR Forza game would likely do very well in VR markets. Similarly, a VR horror game set in the Gears of War universe, allowing players to slice through Locust in first-person with the chainsaw lancer, would be a thrilling VR experience. Xbox could even resurrect some old Kinect titles, such as Kinectimals and The Gunstringer, to adapt them for modern VR experiences.

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