Meta takes 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' to its logical conclusion as iFixit finds the Meta Quest 3S is mostly the same as the Quest 2

pcgamer.com:

Generally, when a new version of a product is announced, we expect it to have a vast number of upgraded specs and features over generations past. After all, this is the new model, and it can be tempting to expect the relentless march of progress to have rendered all the parts from the old one obsolete.

There's something to the old adage though, «if it ain't broke, don't fix it». And thus, iFixit's breakdown of the Meta Quest 3S reveals some surprises—it's using a lot of the same parts as the Meta Quest 2.

The Quest 3S was expected by many to simply be a budget version of the Quest 3, but it appears what Meta has done instead is co-opt in a bunch of (perfectly decent) components from the Meta Quest 2—in combination with a dash of the improvements from the Quest 3—to make a VR headset that sits somewhere between the two.

So the Quest 3S gets Fresnel lenses instead of the fancy «pancake» units found in the Quest 3, and exactly like the ones found in the Quest 2. And when I say exactly, I mean exactly—the parts are identical, which makes them interchangeable with the previous model. Behind that is the screen, which, you guessed it, is the same RGB stripe LCD panel as the Quest 2.

Well, virtually the same. iFixit stuck both the Quest 2's LCD panel and the Quest 3S panel under the microscope, and found that the pixel layout between the two was slightly different. This is likely due to supplier differences, but the fact that they share the same size and connector type should mean that they're also interchangeable.

That's not to say that Meta hasn't learnt from some of its mistakes with the Quest 2. The newer model has ditched the proximity sensor inside the headset, as it was occasionally prone to short circuiting if exposed to moisture. The battery housing and connector have changed as a result, and instead Meta has implemented a timed auto-shutoff feature to power the headset down when not in use.

Internally, there are some more powerful components than the Quest 2,