Surprising Game System Beat PlayStation and Nintendo Switch on Amazon in 2024

Meta Quest 3S: Amazon's 2024 Best-Selling Console

The Meta Quest 3S achieved a remarkable feat in 2024, outperforming established gaming giants like Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch to become Amazon's top-selling console. This success, particularly considering its October launch, highlights the burgeoning interest in affordable virtual reality.

The Quest 3S, a more budget-friendly version of the Quest 3, offers a compelling entry point into VR gaming. Its untethered design and independence from powerful PCs or consoles contribute significantly to its appeal. While VR remains niche, the Quest 3S's price point and game library proved a winning combination on Amazon.

Amazon's 2024 best-seller list placed the Meta Quest 3S as the leading console in the video game category, securing the #11 spot overall. This is noteworthy, given the dominance of gift cards and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions on the list. The PlayStation 5 Slim (#17) and Nintendo Switch (#53) trailed significantly. Notably, Xbox consoles failed to make the top 80, although its peripherals did feature. The PlayStation 5 Pro was also absent. Only a Nintendo microSDXC card (#8) and the PlayStation DualSense controller (#9) outperformed the Quest 3S.

VR Accessibility Takes Center Stage

Sony's PlayStation VR2, surprisingly, didn't appear on Amazon's list. While possessing a strong game library, the PSVR2's tethered design and reliance on a PlayStation console may have hindered its sales compared to the standalone Meta Quest 3S. The Quest 3S's freedom of movement and lack of additional hardware requirements likely appealed to a wider audience.

The list also included the Meta Quest 2 (#27), but the original Meta Quest 3 was absent from the top 80. This suggests a strong preference for lower-priced VR headsets. With the discontinuation of the Quest 2 and the anticipated 2025 launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, 2025's sales figures promise to be fascinating. Nintendo's potential to repeat the Switch's success could significantly impact Amazon's video game sales. However, 2024's results strongly suggest a growing, albeit gradual, market for virtual reality.

$349 $400 Save$51 $349 at Amazon$350 at Best Buy