How I’d Spend The $75 Gift Card That Comes With Quest 3S For Black Friday
You can extend the capabilities of the Meta Quest 3S with some low-cost accessories, with a list of items here that we’ve tested that can help point Black Friday buyers with an Amazon or Target that includes a $75 gift card.
David Heaney
All prices are as of publication in the United States and rounded up to consider taxes, totaling around $72 for the products linked below.
Shoulder Bag ($27)
This shoulder bag fits Quest 3S fine with straps in the central cushion to hold controllers. There’s a pouch inside that’s unfortunately not zipped for more secure storage, but it offers plenty of space for a USB hub or charger.
You can store a battery pack in the bag during play and run a cord through the zipper to your headset to stay in VR as long as you like without any added weight on your head. If you’re looking to work in VR there are other accessories to think about, but a shoulder bag will protect anyone’s headset both at home and away, while also making the headset easier to transport.
USB Hub With Power Delivery ($22)
This hub receives power through the USB-C port on the far end and sends it up to the Quest 3S through its two-foot cord at the other end. The cord is long enough for seated play for it to sit next to you comfortably, but if you want more active play with this hub you’ll want to put it inside the bag and get an extension for the 2-foot cord.
With this hub connected, your Quest 3S has four USB-C ports to use with a variety of accessories. Possibilities include a USB capture card for Quest HDMI link, USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter for wired headphones, or a USB-C to USB-A adapter with a 2.4 GHz receiver for a gamepad, but there are many other possibilities to consider well in a range of configurations we haven’t tested.
USB-C Extension Cable ($15)
Finding the right USB cable for your VR headset to do what you need it to do can be a real challenge. We’ve had success with this USB-C extension cable for bringing power and data from a capture card or USB hub through to your headset. Depending on your setup, the cord could be long enough to put your other accessories on the floor or inside your bag.
Microfiber Cloth ($8)
Hang one of the microfiber cloths from this 6-pack on the shoulder bag, another bag or on belt loop and you’ll have quick-access to a cloth you can use to wipe away smudges on your VR headset’s lenses.
Extras
The accessories above total roughly $72, coming in just under the total offered during the Black Friday 2024 offering. There are plenty of other accessories to consider, like adapters to change a USB-C port to USB-A, or a headphone cord extension, but you can also add something like the iClever folding pocket keyboard and, if you’re an iPhone owner, you could secure an AirTag inside the bag with a TagVault so that you always know where your headset is.
If you already own a Quest headset and have an accessory you’ve tested that might be a nice addition, let us know about it in the comments below.
