With all the VR headsets available now, there’s a little something different offered by each. The terms “VR” and “AR” are being folded together into mixed reality, thanks to a wave of VR headsets that also have passthrough cameras to blend the virtual and real.

There’s one clear winner: the Meta Quest 3, which offers mixed reality and improved display resolution and optics, and costs $500, which is $3,000 less expensive than the Apple Vision Pro. However, the new Meta Quest 3S, a lower-cost version of the Quest 3 for $300, is an even better buy for entry-level VR adopters.

The Quest 3 and 3S have newer, faster Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processors that have better graphics and allow for higher-res color passthrough camera feeds than the Quest 2, and both have redesigned controllers. Both can create mixed-reality effects by blending what the cameras see with VR graphics that are overlaid in the headset to look like AR.

The Quest 3 has better lenses and a higher display resolution, but we prefer the Quest 3S eyepiece feel on our faces, and the 3S seems to also have slightly better hand tracking in low light. The Quest platform has plenty of side benefits: It has hundreds of games and creative/productivity apps, has several great fitness programs for effective cardio workouts, can connect to PCs and can even double as a work device if you have some patience.

The Apple Vision Pro is an amazing piece of tech and a bleeding-edge high-end mixed-reality headset that also runs iOS and thousands of iPad apps, works without controllers using eye and hand tracking, and can run multiple apps at the same time, along with being a virtual MacBook monitor. However, it’s way too expensive for anyone but XR professionals and early adopters. At its current price and software limits, you’re better off waiting and trying a free demo instead. The Quest 3 and 3S are far cheaper tickets to explore similar ideas in the meantime at a huge discount.

Read on for a capsule of each of these three examples of CNET’s choices for top-of-the-line mixed-reality hardware.

Best mixed-reality VR headset for $500: Meta Quest 3

Meta’s upgraded VR sequel to the Quest 2 feels like a notable revamp, with improvements across the board: a slightly smaller design; better, clearer lenses; a higher-res display; smaller controllers with better haptics; and higher-res color cameras that can mix the real world and the virtual together. This “mixed reality” is similar in spirit to what Apple’s Vision Pro will do but in a lower-res form for a lot less money.

Although the Quest 3 has great upgrades, it doesn’t really change the equation much on the general way the headset and software function. Quest apps and the OS are largely the same, and mixed reality is mostly a gimmick for the moment that’s only featured in a handful of new games and apps, although seeing your surroundings with the headset on (and even checking messages on your phone) is a lot easier now. The headset’s comfort level isn’t any better, and hand tracking still is fine but not perfect.

The Quest 3 is likely to be the best VR headset in its price class for the next few years, but the software still hasn’t caught up. For that reason, the Quest 2 is still probably good enough for most. Its excellent display quality and improved wireless connectivity could make it a good choice for PC VR gamers; it works as a connected PC headset just like other Quest models do.

The Best Affordable VR Headset: Meta Quest 3S

The Meta Quest 3S (Meta’s replacement to our longstanding Editor’s Choice headset, the Quest 2) is super-affordable at $300 and comes with updated graphics and color passthrough cameras that give the 3S the same gaming and mixed-reality powers as the Quest 3. It’s a fantastic budget buy, but Meta cut corners on the display and lens quality with the 3S, choosing to use the same fresnel lenses and LCD display as the Quest 2. It’s perfectly fine for general VR and gaming, but the more expensive Quest 3’s notably clearer lenses and crisper resolution are our favorite for all-day use and for reading text. The Quest 3S also comes with a free game, Batman: Arkham Shadow, adding to its value.

There is another unique advantage to the Quest 3S: Its hand tracking is better in lower light than the Quest 3. That might be something that makes some apps work better, especially for viewing movies and shows casually when traveling.

Best standalone VR/AR computer: Apple Vision Pro

Apple stands alone in the category of “standalone mixed-reality computer headset” because, really, nothing else out there does exactly what the Vision Pro does. Most VR headsets to date have focused on games and individual immersive creative and work apps to explore ideas in mixed reality. Apple’s Vision Pro takes a very different path by folding in almost all of iOS. Having familiar Apple services and thousands of iOS apps floating in virtual workspaces feels like a future where our existing devices and VR/AR finally dovetail.

The Vision Pro also has a phenomenal micro-OLED display that plays movies incredibly well. The hand/eye tracking feels futuristic too and, at its best, it’s far more of a mouse/trackpad replacement than Meta’s hand tracking on Quest. Its mixed-reality capabilities are the best we’ve ever seen, with passthrough cameras that are the best quality of any standalone device.

The Vision Pro needs more apps to make the most of its potential and lacks many of the games and fitness experiences that Quest offers. As a work device, once some of the early software quirks are ironed out, it’s got incredible promise — it can act as a surprisingly great virtual monitor for Macs, too.

As a fancy travel home theater for someone with $3,499 to spend, it’s also fascinating. At this price, no matter how stunning the experience can be, it’s a product most people should wait on or simply try a demo of first.

Keep in mind that the Vision Pro doesn’t work with glasses (you’ll need Zeiss prescription lens inserts, a separate $100 to $150 purchase), and the headset has its own tethered battery pack that has to be used along with the device, making it feel less self-contained than the Quest.

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