Meta Quest 3S Controversial Leak Suggests Lack of Headphone Jack

A controversial leak for the Meta Quest 3S virtual reality headset suggests that the device could lack a headphone jack.

The image seems to show that the virtual reality headset has no 3.5mm audio port. While this is the case for what can be immediately seen with the leaked images, no official details have been reported.

Meta Quest 3S Leak

The series of photographs were shared in a South Korean forum post that was recently spotted and shared online, according to TheVerge.

There have been previous rumors that claimed Meta Quest 3 would be getting a budget version that is cheaper than the base unit. The news recently became all but official when Meta forgot to delete mentions of Meta Quest 3 in support documentation.

The image leaks coincide with previous early renders of the virtual reality headset that made fans worry over the lack of a headphone jack. This is a design that left many people who use the port very disappointed.

While the virtual reality headset's speakers are very good, they sometimes fail to match the isolation and imaging detail of a good set of in-ear monitors (IEMs). This is important, especially for those who live in noisy environments.

On top of the lack of a headphone jack, the Meta Quest 3S leak suggests that it is still just as powerful as the base Meta Quest 3. However, it will have lower resolution, cheaper lenses, and other minor compromises, said PhoneArena.

Many people believe that Meta will officially announce the budget version of its virtual reality headset sometime this month. The Meta Quest 3S was designed to lower the barrier of entry into the virtual reality industry.

A Cheaper Virtual Reality Headset

There may even be a demo of Meta's AI-powered augmented reality smart glasses sometime in the near future. This is something that a lot of fans are eager to see. The Meta Quest 3 was described as a significant improvement over its predecessor when it comes to its technology.

Another feature that was recently leaked about the Meta Quest 3S is something known as the Action Button. This was supposedly designed to let players quickly shift between full virtual reality and passthrough modes.

It would probably replace the double-tap feature that the Meta Quest headsets used in the past. A separate support page temporarily revealed that the Meta Quest 3S will also get the bystander signaling light that the base version currently has, according to GameRant.