Meta and Microsoft have officially launched a special edition of the Meta Quest 3S, dubbed the Xbox Edition, priced at $400 and available in limited quantities.
This exclusive black-and-green version of the Quest 3S features a pre-installed Elite Strap and comes bundled with an Xbox controller, three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and Meta’s Horizon+ subscription. It also includes the standard Touch controllers found with every Quest 3S unit. The bundle confirms last week’s rumors and marks a major step in the continued partnership between Meta and Microsoft.
You can purchase the bundle while supplies last through select outlets, including Meta’s official store and Best Buy in the U.S., as well as Argos and EE in the U.K. Meta notes that stock is limited: “Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Although it’s $100 more expensive than the base Quest 3S, this bundle offers considerable value. Buying all included components—the Elite Strap, Xbox controller, and Game Pass Ultimate—separately would cost roughly $500, making this a savings of around $100.
This release is the latest milestone in Meta and Microsoft’s ongoing XR collaboration, which began in 2022. That partnership brought Xbox Cloud Gaming to Quest devices in 2023 and more recently enabled seamless Windows 11 Remote Desktop experiences through the headset.
Interestingly, this move brings things full circle. When the original Oculus Rift launched in 2016, it shipped with an Xbox controller. Some iconic VR titles of the era, like The Climb, relied on gamepad input before Oculus Touch controllers were introduced later that same year.
Now, with an ecosystem that spans gesture-based hand tracking apps (Maestro, Jigsaw Night), controller-focused games (Batman: Arkham Shadow, Deadpool VR), and full access to the Xbox Cloud Gaming library, this bundle makes for an excellent entry point into the Quest platform. It’s a modern, more polished evolution of both the original Rift and Quest—albeit without the OLED screens that offered deep blacks and contrast in earlier models.
With the holiday season fast approaching—a period often marked by new hardware and steep discounts—the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition might be the year’s most compelling VR package. Meta is also expected to roll out more Horizon OS-powered headsets in collaboration with various partners, while Google and Samsung are teaming up on their own Android-based XR devices. Valve, meanwhile, continues to refine its next-gen VR hardware, and Meta is rumored to be developing an ultra-lightweight headset with a Vision Pro-style external compute puck.