I’m heading back to college for a second degree in Game Design and I’m diving into VR/AR/XR for the first time. The Meta Quest 3 caught my eye because it works on its own, comes with controllers, a head strap, and even a free game. But after a bit of research on the Meta store, it seems like there are extra add-ons—a better battery, upgraded head strap, a quality PC cable, and maybe some other accessories—that can really push the total cost way above the advertised $500. I plan to connect it directly to my gaming laptop too, and I just want to make sure I’m setting my budget right. Has anyone put together a breakdown of what these extra expenses might look like?
3 Answers
If you’re mainly playing in standalone mode or just testing the waters, the stock Quest 3 is plenty decent. Sure, the battery lasts about two hours and the default head strap might get a bit uncomfortable if you play for long, but you can easily fix that with a small upgrade—a decent battery pack (or even a power bank) and a third-party head strap that costs around $20. This way, you keep the overall cost low while still getting a better experience.
I actually grabbed a used Quest 3 for around $420 and then found a solid aftermarket head strap with an integrated battery for about $50. This approach kept my overall spend well under $500. The takeaway? Don’t feel compelled to buy the expensive Meta-branded accessories when there are plenty of third-party alternatives that work just as well—often for a lot less.
Smart move! It really pays to shop around and check reviews on third-party gear before spending extra on the official stuff.
For those who really want to get serious and enjoy longer sessions, I’d budget more like $750 to $800 in total. I ended up paying around $500 for the headset, then splurged on a high-quality head strap ($80-$90), an additional battery ($40), and a solid PC cable ($20). This extra cash pays off if you plan to use it a lot and want everything as comfortable and reliable as possible, especially when hooking it up to your gaming laptop.
That does add up, but it’s all about your style—if you’re just checking things out for a while, you might not need all those extras right off the bat.
Totally agree. It’s smart to start simple. Once you get a hang of it, you’ll know exactly which accessories you actually need to invest in.