The Best Meta Quest 3 Accessories & Why You’ll Want Them

If you’ve got your hands on a Quest 3, you’ve got everything you need right in the box to start playing some of the best VR games out there. Once you’ve got a few hours under your belt though, you’ll probably notice a few things that definitely need improving, many of which can thankfully be solved with a few key Quest 3 accessories.

Updated – February 29th, 2024

Upgrade Your Headstrap

Meta has done it again; like Quest 2, they built an impressive headset… but decided to include a cheap, floppy strap that you’ll very likely want to replace soon after popping out of your first long play session. For many, the stock strap just doesn’t do a good enough job of distributing weight evenly and comfortably on the user’s head. Some users report the stock Quest 3 straps pushes into the top of their ears a bit too, which can be really annoying.

Meta makes its own Quest 3 Elite straps, but at $70 for the basic one and $130 for the one with an extra battery, they just feel too expensive to recommend.

Luckily, respected third-party accessory makers, such as Bobo VR also make more affordable Quest 3 straps:

BOBOVR Quest 3 M3 Headstrap

M3 Mini – $30

We like the M3 Mini design because the strap is made to avoid your ears and also pivots, making it easier to put on and take off with minimal readjustment. It also includes an additional rear pad which you can swap to for more grip when playing high intensity games.

M3 Pro (with battery) – $50

The M3 Pro doesn’t just add the battery, it’s a completely different strap design which moves pressure away from your face to your forehead. That makes it easy to use the headset without the facepad, exposing your peripheral view to the real world, which makes for a better mixed reality experience (and usually increases your virtual field-of-view!). Of course when you want to be fully immersed, you can easy put the facepad back on. Like the M3 Mini, the M3 Pro hinge design makes it easier to put on and take off with minimal adjustment, and it includes the additional rear pad for extra grip in high intensity games.

Pro Tip: If you’ve already got a Quest 2 strap you love… and a 3D printer… you may even be able to 3D print your own adapter to make your Quest 2 headstrap compatible with Quest 3.

VR Cover or Spare Facepad

The stock facial interface on Quest 3 is actually a big improvement over the Quest 2 version. Out of the gate, its fabric weave feels better than having some sort of clammy high-density foam straight on your undoubtably greasy face, although it isn’t nearly as cleanable as, say, a silicone or removable fabric cover.

Silicone covers are great for VR workouts since you can easily wipe them down before or after a session. The benefit here is you can quickly swap out the stock pad when you’re done playing casual games, and swap in the silicone pad for when you’re ready for some Les Mills Body Combat, Supernatural, Beat Saber, Pistol Whip—whatever gets your heart pumping.

We’re partial to the Esimen Quest 3 silicone cover.

Esimen Quest 3 Facepad Cover – $17

At an impressively reasonable $17, you’re not only getting a washable silicone cover to go over your Quest 3 facepad, you’re also getting a light blocker insert for the nose cavity which adds a bit of extra immersion. But wait, there’s more! This package also includes a lens cover which adds some piece of mind for preventing scratches and also to be sure that accidentally leaving your headset near a window doesn’t cause the Sun to scorch your display (a rare but really unfortunate event for any headset owner). And last but not least, you’ve even got a choice of three colors: black, blue, or red.

If you don’t like the feeling of silicone on your face, you can also go the washable fabric route. And there, long-time VR accessory make VR Cover has you, well… covered.

VR Cover for Quest 3 (two pack) – $30

Like the silicone covers, this slips over the headset’s existing facepad. When it’s time for a clean you can pull it right off and give it a good hand wash, then hang it out to dry. And because you’re getting two in one pack, you can always have a clean one ready to go. In addition to the grey color, there’s also a red option to give your headset a unique look.

If you want to spice up the look of your headset, you can also get full facepad replacements from Meta which comes with matching semi-rigid headstraps in Elemental Blue and Blood Orange ($50).

Make Charging Easier

Quest 3 has charging pins at the bottom of the face plate, meaning we’re sure to see a host of third-party charging docks and accessories come to market soon enough.

Meta’s official Quest 3 charging dock works well, but at $130 the price kind of stings.

But there’s always a more affordable option that Meta’s official accessories.

NexiGo Charging Dock for Quest 3 – $60

Using the same charging pins on the bottom of the headset, this dock will charge your headset and controllers for half the price of Meta’s official accessory. To make controller charging possible, the package includes two special reachable batteries and replacement battery covers that put contact pins on the outside of the controller for easy drop-in charging.

Whether you’re using a dock or not, make sure to use the USB wall adapter that was included with your Quest 3, otherwise your headset may charge slowly. Not all USB wall chargers are made the same. Older ones, especially, don’t pump out nearly as much power as more recent adapters.

Pro Tip: If you’re really on a budget (or want something convenient but easily portable): a great option is to get a magnetic USB-C connector cable, which allows you to attach and detach a special charging cable to your headset without having to wear out the charging port (similar to a MagSafe port that you see on MacBooks). Many on Amazon can even do fast charging, although getting one with data transfer is hit and miss. Even if you could, you wouldn’t want to use Meta Quest Link with a magnetic cable because of how easily it can detach (see our suggestions for Link cables further down).

Carrying Cases

Meta’s official Quest 3 carrying case ($70) is certainly a good option to keeping your Quest 3 prim and proper—if you don’t mind the hefty price tag, that is.

Sarlar Quest 3 Hard Carrying Case – $27

We’re fans of the Sarlar Quest 3 case because it’s got enough space to fit the official Quest 3 Elite straps, but still manages to stay quite compact. Just note you’ll need to find a bigger case if you’re using any third-party hard headstrap.

Pro Tip: Quest 3 is smaller and will most definitely fit in the carrying cases originally designed for Quest 2; there are a ton on Amazon, with many hovering under the $25 mark. But if you’ve got an aftermarket headstrap, beware that not all cases may fit.

Long USB-C Cables for Wired PC Play

Whether you’re just looking for a way to charge during gameplay, or you want to connect Quest 3 to your computer via Meta Quest Link to use it as a PC VR headset, you’ll need a USB-C cable long enough to get the job done.

Note: to play PC VR games via Link, you’ll need a VR-ready PC.

By now, you know the drill: ‘Meta first, then the actual option you’ll actually want to buy’. Meta’s Link Cable ($80) is a thin fiber-optic cable that spans 16 feet (5m). It’s a great cable since it’s very thin and fairly light at 7.9oz (224g).

But for an option that’s not only cheaper but in one meaningful way, actually better, check out the INIU 16FT Link Cable ($30). It’s the same length as Meta’s version but it has an extra port to plug into a wall outlet to make sure your headset stays indefinitely charged. While all compatible cables should be able to power the headset indefinitely, not all computers can push the right amount of power out of their USB port, which in many cases means your headset will slowly drain as you play. The INIU cable’s extra port ensures that doesn’t happen.

Wi-Fi Router for Wireless PC VR Games

We know who you are. You’re more of a “low contact” sort of person. You exclusively charge all of your devices wirelessly, only talk to friends through Discord, and prefer courteous bows from across the room over shaking hands. Your ‘hover over public toilets’ game is also suitably on-lock. Well, you’ll be happy to know you can play PC VR games cable-free too thanks to Air Link.

If you’re looking to get the most out of Air Link-ing your headset to a VR-ready PC for a host of PC VR games, you’re going to want a Wi-Fi 6 router. If you haven’t upgraded your router since 2014 or before, you’re almost certainly due for a upgrade to this newer protocols. Not only is a modern router necessary for a great wireless VR experience, the rest of the devices on your home network will thank you.

Assuming you’re looking to upgrade a years old router to make sure you’re in ship-shape for playing VR wirelessly, the Asus RT-AXE7800 gets out pick for a reasonably affordable high performance router that will futureproof you thanks to Wi-Fi 6E.

And to have the best wireless VR experience with Quest 3 you’ll want to make sure your host PC is hard-wired to your router and that you’re using your headset in the same room that your router is in. You might be able to get away with playing one room away, but the further you get from the router, the greater chance for lag and disconnections.

And if you’re playing wirelessly anyway, definitely give Steam Link for Quest a try for an easier connection directly to your SteamVR library.

Did we miss any big ones? What are your favorite Quest 3 accessories? Let us know in the comments below!