For most people, the list of accessories for the Meta Quest 3 is pretty small. A more premium strap seems almost essential considering that the stock one is functional at best and not so intuitive when it comes to adjusting for different head sizes. A carrying case comes next, and the type you buy is completely dependent on the strap you buy. Hand straps are the next thing if you're afraid that you might fling your controller all over the place while playing. Finally, you'll need a charging dock if you hate wires and changing out batteries. A protective case for the headset itself isn't something that is thought of, but it starts to make sense if you aren't dutiful about putting the device in a case all of the time or have the tendency to be a bit rough with it. Urban Armor Gear recently reached out to us to send over two such protective cases for the Quest 3, and we're checking out both of them now.

The first of these covers is the Scout Protective Shell. The manufacturer states that the case is made with polycarbonate. When touched, it feels similar to some protective cases for phones that are plastic but soft to the touch, almost like rubber. The case itself is semi-transparent; it starts out dark at the top and becomes clearer as it goes down. Combined with various overlapping hexagons for the design, the cover gives the Quest 3 headset a striking look, making it a good choice for those who want to make a minor change to the look of the device. The only parts not covered by the design are the rimmed area around the front and the cutouts for the lenses, sensors, and light at the top front of the face.

Installation for the cover is easy and relatively painless. The top and bottom of the cover have small plastic clips, and the whole thing snaps on to the device rather easily. There's a lot of room, so the various buttons and dials at the bottom of the headset don't interfere with installation. The cover holds on well at any angle, and taking it off is just as easy as the installation process, and there's no fear of accidentally snapping the cover in the process. As a protective cover, it does the job well. The cover is thick enough without being too bulky. I dropped the cover a few times for testing (without it being attached to the headset), and it landed in a satisfactory state, so you don't get the feeling that the whole thing will shatter easily if dropped at the wrong angle. It's solid all around.

There are a few inherent concerns with using the cover, but none of them cropped up during my time using them in conjunction with the Quest 3 headset. With the cover on, the headset still fits in carrying cases without the whole thing suddenly feeling too snug. The cover doesn't interfere with the important bits, so using the passthrough mode doesn't become a worse experience with the cover attached. The added weight is negligible; you'll have a hard time discerning whether you have the cover on when wearing the device. The slots for the vents around the headset aren't so wide that they expose too much, but they're wide enough that the headset can still breathe properly. I used the cover while doing some app updates, browsing the store, playing some Beat Saber, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, and TaVRn's Takedown Naheulbeuk, and the device didn't rise in temperature to the point where performance was impacted. The device was warm, as expected, but the cover was still cool to the touch.

There is one issue with the Scout, and that's the fact that it doesn't really protect the lenses of the Quest 3. The cover has holes for the triple lenses, but the lenses stick out of them as if you had no cover at all. This only becomes an issue because the description on both the box and website state that the lenses for the Quest 3 are protected by this case. While protection of the actual lenses isn't happening since they're not covered, the sides remain exposed, so they can still collide with anything else gliding over and potentially nicking them.

The other cover we received was the Plyo C-Molded Case, which differs mainly because of the material. This feels like the textured plastic used for various game controllers, which already means that it feels good to the touch. For the most part, this cover is just as good as the Scout in most of the areas that count. It fits well over the device and is easy enough to take out without feeling fragile. It passes the drop tests, and it doesn't overheat the Quest 3 like many would have feared. The cover also doesn't prevent the Quest from fitting in most carrying cases, and all of the sensors work without a hitch.

The complaint has more to do with the aesthetics. The smoky black of the cover itself is fine, but there are enough necessary gaps that show off the white plastic of the device underneath. Compared to the Scout, which feels like it blends in well with the headset's original color, this cover creates a color clash that doesn't look too good.

While the Plyo isn't as aesthetically pleasing as the Scout, it does a better job at doing the one thing the Scout doesn't do: lens protection. There are raised walls around the lens holes, so they offer some protection for the sides against collision or snags. They still don't completely protect the actual lenses themselves, but something is better than nothing. Those raised sides also don't interfere with the sensors on the lenses or the vision from the lenses, so that's a big plus.

There is one thing I didn't get to test out with these covers, and that's their compatibility with the Quest 3 charging dock. I don't own the dock, as I tend to keep the headset in a carrying case most of the time. When needed, I charge the headset using a basic USB-C cable, and I use regular rechargeable AA batteries for each of the controllers instead of opting for the proprietary ones made by Meta. Considering that these covers have gotten the seal of approval from Meta, there should be no reason why they would interfere with their charging dock, but we can't confirm that for sure.

At $44.99 for the Scout and $49.99 for the Plyo, these protective cases aren't cheap, and most people won't feel the immediate need for a cover for the Quest 3, since most people aren't that rough on the device, so this is skippable for them. If you're in the market for a protective case, then these do the job well with no complications. The choice between them will depend on whether you want better aesthetics or more protection. For an area in the VR market that only seems to be covered by items of hit-and-miss quality, it is nice to see some quality third-party stuff become available.

Score (both): 8.0/10