Quest 3S doesn't seem to be making a big splash in the SteamVR stats yet
According to the latest SteamVR stats, Meta Quest 3S has had less of an impact on the PC VR landscape than Quest 3 did at launch last year.
Meta Quest 3S was released on 15 October 2024. As Valve's Steam Hardware and Software Survey is collected from most users at the beginning of the month, the initial impact of Meta Quest 3S should be reflected in the November statistics, which have just gone live.
Unfortunately, Valve does not yet list the Meta Quest 3S as a separate device. Its percentage could be included in that of the Quest 3 (+2.32% share), in the "Other" category (+1.32% share), or not included in the statistics at all, which would be very unusual. Hopefully, Valve will update the statistics in the coming days to break out Quest 3S's share.
Counting the shares as above, the impact on SteamVR statistics appears to be less than that of Quest 3, which was released a year before Quest 3S and saw an increase of 5% in last year's November statistics (back then Quest 3 was already listed as a separate device).
The smaller impact could be due to weaker launch sales. What we do know is that SteamVR is more popular with VR enthusiasts who switched to the higher-end Quest 3 immediately after its launch a year ago, while the Quest 3S's target audience primarily uses the headset in standalone mode (thus not showing up in SteamVR stats) and most probably buy a device during the Black Friday and holiday period. The impact of these sales won't show up in SteamVR stats until January and February.
SteamVR statistics of the most used PC VR headsets in November 2024. | Screenshot: MIXED
The November statistics also show that Valve Index lost a lot of ground (-2.28% share) and Pico 4 made some gains (+0.81% share). Please note that the Pico 4 Ultra (launched in September) is most likely included in the Pico 4 figure.
What are Valve's SteamVR statistics?
SteamVR is the largest PC VR platform.
The screenshot above is taken from Valve's monthly Steam hardware and software statistics. It includes all VR headsets that were connected to PCs with Steam installed during the month in question, and whose users participated in Valve's survey.
The statistics provide an indication of the relative distribution of PC VR headsets, but do not include devices that are used exclusively in standalone mode. Quest headsets can be used wirelessly on a PC via Air Link, Virtual Desktop and Steam Link - an option that a minority of users take advantage of.
Interested in VR and AR? Then follow us on Facebook or X or share your experience in the comments. For feedback, topic suggestions, or other ideas, please email us at hello@mixed-news.com.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
