PrismXR Carina D1S Charging Dock for the Quest 3S review — Simple, sleek, and functional

I recently obtained a Meta Quest 3S which is, overall, pretty great. But like many electronics it came with a downside in that it constantly needs to be charged. Worse yet, the controllers take AA batteries. BATTERIES! Not rechargeable lithium ion like you would expect. That means I either need to add AA batteries to my weekly grocery list to keep up with the battery drain, or I need to purchase rechargeable batteries. Not the end of the world, of course, but a hassle nonetheless.

But then GamingTrend was offered the chance to check out the PrismXR Carina D1S Charging Dock for the Quest 3S, so of course, I jumped at the opportunity.  After all, our Editor-in-Chief liked the Carina D1 for his Quest 3, so perhaps this would be a great solution for the newest Quest unit? Being able to charge everything on one simple charging dock? Sign me up! Now, when I say simple, I mean it. From unboxing to charging will take at worst just a few minutes, with most of that time spent removing protective covering or unwinding binding straps. After setup is complete, simply set the dock somewhere accessible and let it do its thing. 

The PrismXR Carina D1S Charging Dock comes with Dock, a USB-C adapter/charging output dongle, two rechargeable Ni-MH AA batteries, two controller battery covers, an AC to DC power adapter, and a strap holder. To setup, you simply plug the USB-C adapter into the Meta Quest 3S headset, with the output connectors facing down, remove the battery covers and batteries from your controllers and replace with the included rechargeable Ni-MH batteries and the new controller battery covers with charging contacts, slide the strap holder into the back of the dock, and plug the adapter into the dock and a wall outlet. That’s it. Now simply place your controllers into their designated spots and lay the Quest 3S on the dock and the new USB-C adapter will magnetically connect to the docking station and charging on all devices will begin. Each peripheral magnetically locks into place quickly and with a strong attachment thanks to the dock’s great nest-like design, which cradles the Quest 3S and controllers as they charge, preventing accidental dislodging or damage.

Charging is indicated by three individual lights located on the front of the dock, which show orange for charging, and green when fully charged. There’s also a helpful chime which quickly lets you know that you are correctly connected. The instruction manual does recommend that after your first full charge to remove and reinstall the controller batteries as a one time step. I’m not sure why this is necessary, but I’m not one to often question instructions, so I promptly did as I was told. Charging occurs quickly, with the Quest 3S typically going from dead to fully charged in only two hours, and the controllers doing the same in around six hours. 

The PrismXR Carina D1S Charging Dock has also taken into consideration additional peripherals or attachments you may be using with the Quest 3S, allowing you to utilize the included USB-C adapter plugged into the headset to connect external devices via the female USB-C port located on top of it. This is handy as it eliminates the need to remove the charging adapter when connecting external devices, such as USB-C audio headphones. The included strap holder also fits a wide variety of setups, allowing you to still utilize the charging dock even if you have aftermarket headset peripherals attached.

Aside from doing its job well, the PrismXR Carina D1S Charging Dock is quite aesthetically pleasing, featuring a sleek white design that perfectly matches the Quest 3S and is capable of blending in with nearly any room. Better yet, the entire dock has a very small footprint, even with the Quest 3S and controllers

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