Comprehensive Meta Quest 3 Review After 1 Year!

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The Meta Quest 3 has been my go-to VR headset ever since I bought it over a year ago, but what many people might be wondering is: how well does it hold up over time, and does the novelty wear off easily? In this article, I share my Meta Quest 3 review after 1 year and ask: is the Meta Quest 3 still worth it in 2025?

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First Impressions & Setup

I found the headset to be very straightforward and intuitive to set up. After you get past the installs, software updates, and calibration, the main menu is very intuitive and feels natural to operate. The display feels rich thanks to the pancake lenses and if you’re like me, you’ll probably jump straight onto YouTube to test out the visual quality. The YouTube app on the Meta Quest 3 has a menu for 360-degree video.

I found it really fun to browse through the catalogue and test out the display, but it can be annoying if your internet doesn’t keep up. The 4K and 360 content can be quite demanding, so if you don’t have a great connection, you can expect pixelated playback and freezing, which eventually gets very frustrating.

Initially, I wondered how I would feel wearing the headset and if I’d get any headaches, muscle issues, or other discomfort. From my experience, wearing it doesn’t feel natural, especially with the standard headstrap. It weighs over 500 grams and although it’s more compact than the Quest 2, I still think there’s a long way to go to make these VR headsets more wearable, especially for daily use. Most people I spoke to also found some issues with comfort when using it for longer periods of time.

Personally, this was something I expected. There’s still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to comfort and wearability. A few key accessory purchases did help improve that, which I’ll go over below.

Regardless, I was really impressed with the Meta Quest 3 on first impressions. I found it hard to believe that you can get everything you really need to experience VR for the price it was going for. Not because I think it’s too affordable, but because of the competition, other headsets costing so much more. Around that time, the Apple Vision Pro had just come out with a very expensive price tag. So, considering you could get something similar in the Quest 3 for a much more affordable price really impressed me.

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What I Still Love About the Quest 3

So, how well does it hold up after over a year’s use, and do I still use it? Well, even though it’s not something I use daily, I still find myself wanting to go on the headset around three times per week. Especially for the sports VR games, I find it to be a great workout tool.

My most played game is probably Thrill of the Fight and TOTF II. These games require a lot of intense movement and are very exerting, so they’re great ways to test the headset’s durability. And what I can say is: my headset is still working fine even after some falls, controllers hitting objects, and water contact. That said, I did have to buy some accessories to make my Quest 3 more durable.

The first thing I changed was the head strap. I went with the BOBO VR headstrap, which provides a much more secure fit on the head compared to the standard Quest 3 strap. I also needed controller grips so they don’t fly out of your hands. I think the silicone rubber also helps prevent scratches on the controller casing. I then got a silicone face cover, since the standard face pad is bad at keeping moisture from sweat. Getting a waterproof face pad and Quest cover really helps with moisture, although a cover over the front can cause heating.

When it comes to performance, I’ve not noticed anything like slowing down or smoothness issues. But I have found that it takes me longer to adjust the headset to get the right distance from the lenses. Also, the bottom half of the lenses shows more pixelated visuals. I’m not sure if this was there when I first started using the headset or if it’s actual damage to the lenses at the bottom of the screen.

I’m impressed with the frequent updates and bug fixes, both from Meta and independent game titles. Although the gaming library still feels like it’s in early stages, there are some bigger titles that provide a lot of support and updates after purchase. That being said, the app library can feel slow in getting newer titles added, and after a while, I found myself hoping for more options. PC VR does take things to the next level, but for this review I want to focus on what the Quest app library offers.

• Great for workouts and entertainment.
• Still has impressive performance.
• Regular updates on OS and app ecosystem.

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What I Don’t Like (or Wish Was Better)

You’ve seen the good, but now for the bad after using the Meta Quest 3 for a year. I’ve found battery life to be too short, long-use discomfort, and issues with some games not working properly after purchasing them from the app library.

Firstly, battery life goes down really quickly when playing active games. On a full charge I can get around 1.5 hours from playing a fitness game like TOTF II. It also gets hot. Although I’ve not had problems with overheating, the heat can feel uncomfortable when it’s around your head. For the first few months I was going through AA batteries for the controllers endlessly. The controller batteries would last around a week with only 3–4 play sessions in that time. Getting rechargeable batteries was extremely necessary, here’s a link to ones similar to mine.

The BOBO VR headstrap also comes with an extra battery pack so you can give your Meta Quest 3 that extra charge when needed, allowing you to use it longer. I don’t actually use the battery myself, as I think it adds too much weight to the headset and it can be inconvenient to have to charge the pack. The weight of the headset is heavy enough. While I don’t use the battery pack on the BOBO VR headstrap, the design does help distribute the weight around the head, providing a more secure fit.

The headset can still feel uncomfortable, especially after longer use. I find that one hour seems to be the maximum amount of time before I pack it away. While that’s fine for sports and active games, watching movies or spending longer amounts of time wearing the headset feels tiring. Some people even find watching content or playing games can feel too disorienting, sometimes even leading to headaches.

From seeing others test the Quest 3, I’ve found that there are still quite a few people (it seems like about a quarter of participants) who find it too discomforting, mainly because of disorientation. I’m not sure if this is due to personal reasons, app issues, or the headset itself. The last issue I’d like to mention is that some of the games are too poor in quality to be in the app library.

It can feel like a waste of money when you purchase a title and the game doesn’t even function at all. I had that experience with a table tennis game. Yes, they are affordable, but you still expect them to work. The game was too glitchy to even have one match. I’m hoping that it was because the game was newly released and that the developers will fix the problems, but I’m surprised that titles can be on the Meta app store for purchase when they don’t function.

• Battery life and charging.
• Weight and comfort in long sessions.
• Quality of some games in the app library.

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Things I Didn’t Expect

What I didn’t expect is that my Quest 3 has been quite durable. I’ve been using it actively, dropped it a few times, and hit the controllers on objects more than I’d like, and the thing is still going strong. I’m also really impressed with the frequent updates for the headset and the positive community around the device. It’s providing new ways for people to work, interact, entertain, and educate themselves, and that’s quite fascinating to participate in. I thought by now the Quest 3S or Quest 4 would have taken the spotlight, but the Quest 3 still has plenty of fans.

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Is the Meta Quest 3 Still Worth It in 2025?

Is the Meta Quest 3 still worth it in 2025? Absolutely! It’s great for people new to VR and it’s still one of the best VR headsets on the market today, thanks to its user-friendly and innovative OS, app store, features, and price. If this is still out of budget, the Quest 3S has fewer features but is newer and much cheaper. The Quest 2 is also still in the mix, especially if you want something more affordable. Check out my review of the Meta Quest 3 vs Quest 2 and 3S here.

Thanks for reading our Meta Quest 3 review after 1 year! If you want to know more about the meta quest 3, read our meta quest 3 review here. We hope this article helped you. Check out our other related articles on the links below.