High-end VR brand Pimax is making big strides to combat Valve's re-entry into the XR market. The creator of the classic Crystal and more recent Dream Air headsets has announced new hardware, including the Pimax Crystal Pro, a new VR headset that targets a lot of the appeal of Valve's Steam Frame. Alongside it are controllers that magnetically snap into a full gamepad, a mini PC that looks just like the Steam Machine, and to top it all off, the brand has swapped its green and black color scheme for a Valve-reminiscent black and blue.

The Pimax Crystal Pro is a standalone VR headset running on Snapdragon's XR2 Gen 2 processor, but it also has a DisplayPort connection for true, lossless PCVR gaming. That said, its wireless mode is where the focus clearly is, because Pimax is dead set on solving the wireless VR image compression problem.

"Every single wireless headset in the world compresses the image," says Japp Grolleman, brand and communications manager at Pimax.

"Each frame gets squished through a codec to fit through wireless connection, and you pay for that squeeze... that's not a flaw of any one product; it's just how wireless VR has always worked. So we asked, what if it didn't have to?

"That question is the reason this headset exists."

The Crystal Pro, like the Steam Frame, will come with a dedicated Wi-Fi 6E dongle for a unique channel connection to a PC you want to stream games from. The difference is that it'll utilize a 60G AirLink, which is a bandwidth that "nothing else" utilizes. The trade-off with this type of connection, which Pimax has experimented with before, is that it won't pass through walls, so Pimax is offering a $599 AirLink kit that sports two USB-C antennas that attach to the back of the headset. Both of these send and receive a signal to ensure blockages don't disrupt the flow of data.

Using Pimax Play, the brand's dedicated software home for its devices, you can tilt and position them for the best connection in your gaming room or house.

For even further reassurance that the connection is uncompressed and not disrupted, Pimax is utilizing beam aiming using infrared signals in the antennas and USB dongle to ensure the signal is being sent directly to the headset.

The Crystal Pro will also feature what Pimax is calling "native foveated streaming" - a concept which Valve has coined with the Steam Frame but has since been adopted by Virtual Desktop. By narrowing down the focus area of the user using 10 infrared emitters per eye polling at 120Hz, the Crystal Pro can sharpen the image quality even more where it counts.

The rest of the headset's specs only bolster all of this innovation. It uses aspheric lenses as opposed to the pancake lenses that have proven popular after the Quest 3's arrival. Pimax says they give more accurate tracking, a cleaner view of your eye, and better viewing angles.

To save weight but add comfort, the Crystal Pro will give you a separate battery puck that you can keep in your pocket, like the Apple Vision Pro. Unlike the Steam Frame, it'll have a fixed headband to distribute weight. It'll also sport a magnetic, snapping facial interface.

Tracking is done via Pimax's SLAM software, which has now been improved to work better in dark surroundings, but different faceplates can provide different functions like full-color passthrough and base station tracking. There are three microphones on the headset, two for your voice, and one for noise cancellation. Valve Index-like audio speakers are available separately, but the integrated ones will likely do the trick for most gamers.

In a departure from Pimax's previous Mini-OLED devices, the Crystal Pro will feature 2880 x 2880 QLED panels per eye with a 110° FOV and refresh rates up to 120Hz. The ringless VR controllers are very reminiscent of Valve's Steam Frame controllers in that they're a full gamepad split in half. Conveniently, they can snap together with a magnetic centrepiece that turns them into a traditional gamepad for flat-screen gaming.

At the same time, Pimax is launching Spation, a desktop-class mini-PC specifically built around VR play, supporting Windows and SteamOS. There hasn't been a price announced for the Spation, but the Crystal Pro will set you back $1,399 (or $1,899 with the 60G AirLink kit bundled in).

In reference to Valve, which got a lot of mentions in Pimax's full-length announcement video, Jaap Grolleman said, "We admire what Valve has built in the same way we admire what the Quest 3 delivers at its price. These two share real common ground."

For more on VR, take a look at the best Meta Quest accessories.

We may be hearing death knells for PlayStation VR, as it's been discovered that Meta has acquired 43 US XR patents that previously belonged to Sony, filed between 2010 and 2022. This news follows months of stock shortages for PSVR 2, the brand's current-gen VR headset that's received very little support since launch.

ZDNet Korea originally found the news, as well as an agreement signed by the company transferring a total of 419 patents filed in various territories. Specifically, the XR ones are based in things like head-mounted displays, mixed-reality applications, and glasses types.

While the news from Sony's side of the market isn't exactly surprising given the lack of software and promotion PSVR 2 has received since its 2023 launch, it is somewhat surprising that Meta is so eager to buy the IP out from one of its biggest competitors. Reason being, Meta has also been making public backsteps in the consumer VR gaming market this year, closing down gaming studios, cutting back the Reality Labs workforce, and following up its Quest 3 devices with Meta VR glasses that don't have the same gaming appeal.

While this doesn't unequivocally spell out the end of Sony's exploits in the VR market, it does certainly suggest that an innovative PSVR 3 headset will be less likely to happen when the PS6 rolls around.

Even the broader design outlook of PSVR 2 is somewhat behind the times now in that almost every headset that launches has some standalone capabilities, not a display device tethered to a larger machine. That's certainly the case for the Steam Frame, which Valve has launched in the last month. Still, PSVR 2 sits atop our best VR headset for gaming leaderboard thanks to its excellent display quality, feature set, and all-round gaming-oriented design.

When PSVR 2 launched, it was received very well by critics and early adopters, but its high price was a note of controversy that arguably swayed public opinion about it. Now, following various price changes on both sides of the market, PSVR 2 is more affordable than the Meta Quest 3 and 3S 256GB model. Unfortunately, stock levels have been low for a while now, which means if you can find Sony's headset available to buy online, it'll either be pre-owned and refurbished or be more expensive.

For a while, following the launch of its PC adapter, PSVR 2 did see a surge of popularity and a second lease of life with players, but since its main appealing features like headband haptic feedback and foveated rendering were only available on PS5, it likely lost out to more PC-oriented competition. It also didn't help that the process for linking the headset to PC was fairly complex and limited to a USB-C connection. Since then, Sony has pulled back from its output on PC both in games and hardware, so it's no surprise there's been little chatter about the headset's PC performance.

There's no confirmation from PlayStation that PSVR 2 production has ceased, but when price levels go up on a product, it does usually suggest there's less supply than there used to be.

PSVR 2 has only ever had one bundle, the Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle, which it launched with. Since then, it hasn't had any first-party games to support it and an ever-shrinking collection of VR games in the PS Plus library.

Looking to spruce up your VR loadout? Take a look at the best Meta Quest accessories.

Last night, I was away from home. I had to come to Edinburgh, roughly an hour away from where I live because later today I've got an appointment in the city. That meant staying at my mum's, where I don't have access to a gaming PC. In fact, the closest thing she has to any gaming hardware is my old TV I gave to her six years ago, and a soundbar she got from my brother for her birthday.

Here's the issue: I was meant to be playing Big Walk with two of my best friends, and seeing as getting the three of us together can be an absolute nightmare because of conflicting work schedules, I really didn't want to cancel.

Thankfully, I'm currently testing the Steam Frame, Valve's new VR headset.

See, a while back, when we still knew it as its codename, "Valve Deckard", some of the rumours said it'd be more than just a VR headset; it was like a Steam Deck you could wear on your face. That means portability and the convenience of taking your Steam library on the go with you, so my overnight away from home seemed like the perfect opportunity to see if Valve had followed through on all those things.

Around 9pm, I sat down in the living room, a bottle of water on my right, some snacks on my left, and a controller I brought with me on my lap. I put the headset on, went through the ever-torturous process of connecting a VR headset to Wi-Fi, paired the controller via Bluetooth, and met my friends in Big Walk.

As has always been the case in this game, the hours zipped by without me really noticing. For what can be a surprisingly demanding game that even the PS5 stutters over at times, it ran flawlessly on low settings on the Frame. Admittedly, I had to plug in due to battery drainage only an hour into the session, but I'd say it was a perfect way to play the game while I was away from home. The controller I had paired via Bluetooth worked without any issues or latency; I only had to adjust the Steam Frame's tightness on my head a couple of times throughout the evening, and before I knew it, we were logging off at about 12.30am.

I can't lie, as much as I adore VR gaming, this is exactly what I was hoping the Steam Frame would be capable of.

Back when I reviewed PSVR 2, one of my favorite features to make use of was its Cinematic mode, where it acts as an OLED display for any and all PS5 games you wanted it to boot directly at your eyeballs. The Steam Frame might not have Micro-OLED panels in it; it might not have the most powerful processor or the best battery life, but it can give you the same "cinematic mode", playing-your-games-on-a-big-virtual-screen appeal as PSVR 2.

In that light, it has the same home-away-from-home convenience as the Steam Deck, and that handheld never made a market for itself by having top-drawer specs.

I've tested a few non-VR games on the Steam Frame now. Granted, they're the same types of non-demanding indies I'd expect to play on a handheld if I was on the go. The latest AAA, demanding games would probably struggle to run, but games like Towerfall Ascension and Hades run beautifully, and the controllers having a gamepad mode means you don't even need to take another peripheral with it.

It's here that I think the Steam Frame's price starts to feel a bit more justified. Sure, it's not as affordable as I wanted it to be, and it's flanked on the shelves by the $599 Meta Quest 3 and even more affordable 3S, two famously accessible alternatives that can use Virtual Desktop, Xbox Cloud Gaming, or Steam Link to do similar things.

But if I were buying the Steam Frame for some on-the-go gaming, I'd compare it to a gaming handheld, not necessarily a rival VR headset. The Steam Frame feels like both devices in one package because it's running Steam games natively, and when you compare those prices, things start to get a bit more reasonable.

The latest handheld PCs armed with Intel's new graphics chips, like the Acer Predator Atlas, cost the same as, if not more than, a Steam Frame. I'd be interested to see some benchmark comparisons between the Steam Frame and a $1,300 Predator Atlas, but that's a deep-dive for another time. My point is that next to the latest range of handheld PCs, the £899 / $1,059 Steam Frame isn't all that unreasonable, although both are undeniably expensive.

One caveat I'd give to all of this is that while Big Walk ran brilliantly, my gaming night with friends wouldn't have gone so smoothly if we were playing a game that didn't have proximity chat. I've tried and failed so far to get Discord running on the Steam Frame, and while I'm sure that will be a glaring absence fixed in no time, it's something to keep in mind for now because desktop mode isn't exactly the same as it is on a Steam Deck.

I'm still testing the Steam Frame in all of its various use-cases, so I don't want to completely spoil my review at the moment. But like with PSVR 2's cinematic mode or the Quest 3's ability to play Xbox Game Pass games with a controller, the Steam Frame has some excellent secondary uses. In fact, with the number of VR games launching these days being fewer than I'd like, it could end up being the main way some of us use Valve's new headset.

For more on VR, take a look at the best Meta Quest accessories.

Doctors might have just discovered a new use for VR headsets normally used for gaming - and to think people complain about this hardware causing motion sickness. In a small independent study, emergency medicine specialists at Ankaha Bilkent City Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, have found that a combination of peaceful VR environments and classical music can lower blood pressure and stress levels more quickly than regular medication.

"Patients who arrive in the emergency department with markedly elevated blood pressure—readings of 180 mmHg or higher on the top number, or 110 mmHg or higher on the bottom number—are extremely common", said Dr. Safa Dönmez, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Health Sciences in Ankara.

"The emergency department environment itself—the noise, the bright lights, the uncertainty—can make that worse. This made me wonder: if we could help patients feel calmer, could we also help their blood pressure come down faster?"

This led him and his colleagues, including Dr Kadir Yenal, to create and publish a study surrounding the use of VR in this specific medical scenario. The pair then presented their results at EUSEM 2026 (European Emergency Medicine Congress).

65 Patients who came into the ER were randomly assigned to a testing group if they had a case of hypertensive urgency, and a control group of 65 was also tested to compare results with.

All of them received the standard blood pressure medication they'd be prescribed anyway, but members of the main study group were also given a VR headset that displayed the following calming nature scene - a bit like that recurring Xen monk meditation sidequest in Cyberpunk 2077.

At the same time, they were played classical music playlists by composers known for their calming qualities. The music was played separately on a smartphone - personally, I would have just thrown on Walkabout Mini Golf for the patients, as the calming environments and chill soundtrack would kill two birds with one stone.

It turns out that those patients who were given VR and classical chill privileges saw 12%-15% drops in anxiety and blood pressure compared to the regular control group, who were only given blood pressure medication. This was observed and measured after both 15 and 30 minutes.

"After 15 minutes, patients in the VR group had both a lower absolute blood pressure reading and a greater reduction from their starting point, compared to the control group," reported Yenal. "This was a statistically significant finding, meaning it was unlikely to be due to chance.

"After that, the gap narrowed, and from 60 minutes onward the two groups were essentially equivalent."

Dönmez said, "For patients, the significance of the study is that if you were brought into an emergency department with markedly elevated blood pressure, frightened and in pain, then being offered a few minutes in a peaceful virtual forest while listening to Mozart would likely be welcomed."

Does this mean we'll see more VR headsets ready to use in hospitals across the world? I doubt it, especially with their prices going nowhere but up lately. Then again, enterprise versions of the Pico 4 Ultra and HTC Vive headsets are very popular and are used for all sorts of industries, including armed services, firefighting, and medical fields.

"I believe it can reasonably be considered as a supportive, patient-centered addition to standard care, especially for patients who are visibly anxious or distressed", said Yenal. One member of the abstract committee for the study said, "Although this is a single-center study, the results are interesting and deserve further investigation.

"They raise the possibility that this approach is not only safe and feasible, but offers meaningful benefits, particularly in reducing anxiety and helping to achieve faster blood pressure control during the early stages of treatment, and might avoid unnecessary medication."

Annoyingly, there's no mention of which VR headset was used for the study - I'd bet against it being the newly launched Steam Frame or Meta's new VR glasses, but I'd wager any modern headset would do the trick. So, next time you're feeling stressed, maybe throw on your VR headset, crank up the Debussy, and take a few deep breaths.

For more on VR, head over the look at the best Meta Quest accessories.

Meta Connect's keynote for 2026 is in the can, and although some people might have been hoping for the arrival of the Meta Quest 4, the social media company is doubling down on its smart glasses and wearable AI tech instead. I wasn't expecting a new VR headset to launch after what's been a pretty dire year for Meta's Reality Labs division, and it turns out the leaked glasses-headset hybrid from last week was accurate.

The Meta VR Glasses will launch in Spring of 2027 for $1,299 (without any controllers which are available separately for additional cost), with no UK price announced yet. Their focus is on folding, portable convenience - so much so that their Snapdragon Reality Elite processor doesn't even come fixed in them; it's separate in a small battery puck that fits in your pocket and lasts up to three hours. You can plug the Glasses into any USB device and use it as a display, but it takes a far more mixed-reality, hand-tracking approach to things, which puts it much more in line with the Apple Vision Pro.

So, why the massive price tag? Well, the VR Glasses sport two Micro-OLED displays with a 5K, Infinite, Dolby Vision resolution per eye, and the device only weighs 100g (down from the 515g of the Quest 3). That said, it will only have a 70-degree horizontal FOV, down from the 110 degrees that most VR headsets feature.

The clue is in the name here, but this isn't the successor to the Quest 3 and 3S. Its price also indicates that, since the Quest headsets have always been about making this sort of technology accessible, and the price tag on these new glasses is not. Will we see a true successor to the Quest headsets? I think it depends on how well this new, more wearable approach from Meta goes.

While the new VR Glasses can play any game currently on the Quest store and run all of the same mixed-reality apps, their main emphasis isn't gaming. Meta says that the Glasses will be able to play over 75 VR games at launch that have been revamped to use hand-tracking. You'll also be able to use them like a pair of XR glasses, hooking them up to a console or PC to use as a massive virtual display. Still, the focus here is clearly more on entertainment and some spatial computing thrown in.

Why do I say that? Because that form factor, FOV, and the lack of controllers do not lend themselves to gaming. There's also no gaming being done in the reveal trailer, so I'll let you be the judge of how these are intended to be used.

I don't think anyone should be surprised that the VR Glasses are taking a much more radical approach to wearability than the Quest headsets have. I've reported before on how the Quest headsets just aren't making a profit because of their approachable price tags, but the brand's Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses are. Reality Labs has seen multiple rounds of layoffs this year, and Meta's biggest gaming studios, previously known for making games that support the Quest headsets, have been shuttered.

Despite the company's CTO saying Meta isn't done with VR, I think the writing might be on the wall as to how its future in VR looks - and it looks like glasses over headsets.

Of course, more wearable devices, like Meta's smart glasses, aren't free of issues either. Even if they're proving popular, privacy concerns are a frequent thorn in their side, and for good reason. While the company doubles down on them with a new generation that includes "Muse", the brand's agentic AI, I worry that there has been little to nothing done to stem those privacy issues for the new generation.

Yes, the VR Glasses are a bit more obviously seen at a glance, but a further push toward wearable AI means more and more covert video capture and potential misuse.

A few weeks ago, Meta issued an update that bricked its smart glasses' integrated cameras if you had disabled their recording light - a response to thousands of users who had done this. But even with that recording light, privacy concerns are still valid when the integrated AI can access the camera without that recording light, and personally, I think that's just as big a concern.

We've seen what Meta can do with its data hoarding in the past; we've seen questionable links to China that have surfaced, with Mark Zuckerberg being questioned during a US Senate committee hearing, and the BBC reported that the CEO was "hand-in-glove" with the CCP. I fear these privacy issues will only grow as the brand continues to push toward its more wearable VR Glasses.

If I were a gamer shopping around today, I'd focus my spending elsewhere for a proper VR headset that puts more of a focus on gaming. The Steam Frame has just arrived, PSVR 2 is a viable option, and PC gamers have an alternative (if they can afford it) in the Pimax Dream Air.

You can also stick to flat-screen gaming thanks to the best gaming PCs, the best gaming laptops, and the best retro handhelds.

Hero x Hero codes will provide you with a helping hand if you're trying out this VR experience in Early Access, as it can be tough stepping into the virtual shoes of a Super Hero. As you smash your way across the city fighting demon mobs and huge bosses, you'll unlock fresh abilities as you become more powerful and gather unique Hero Souls so you can transform into different characters. To get the lowdown on this, here are the current Hero x Hero VR gift codes and how to redeem them.

All Hero x Hero codes

The following Hero x Hero VR gift codes can be claimed now:

• 361821 – 300x Chips

Hero x Hero codes most often provide Chips, which can be used to power up your Super Hero, as well as cosmetic items to change your appearance. They usually are only valid for a week or even just a few days, so you'll want to check back here regularly for the latest promo additions.

How to redeem Hero x Hero codes

To redeem gift codes in Hero x Hero VR, you just need to launch the game on your device and then head to the code keypad. Use the number buttons to type in a promo, then hit the CLAIM GIFT button next to them to receive your reward.

Expired Hero x Hero codes

• 150000 – Imp x Imp Suit
• 26353 – 300x Chips
• 12012 – 120x Chips
• 98660 – 100K Glasses Cosmetic
• 33912 – 1,000x Chips
• 43064 – Level 2 Prize
• 15580 – 1,000x Chips
• 90674 – Level 1 CC Armband
• 80085 – CC Prize
• 82918 – Level 2 CC Armband
• 34249 – Creator Hero

There are a fair number of expired Hero x Hero VR gift codes, which goes to show that promos don't stick around for long before they stop working. Make sure you've claimed any active codes we've listed earlier, so you don't lose out on their rewards.

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PC VR gaming is still alive and well, but it's getting harder and harder to find headsets that give you its original appeal. Most new headsets today focus on the convenience of streaming and wireless connections when it comes to gaming, and in their standalone modes, they just don't have the power to match up against a desktop PC. So, if you want that crystal-clear visual fidelity and lossless connection from your PC's graphics card, there are fewer and fewer places to turn these days. That's why the Pimax Dream Air is such an interesting VR headset to review right now.

Up against PSVR 2, the Meta Quest 3, and most recently, the Steam Frame, it and the HTC Vive Focus Vision seem to be the only ones that actually want to give PC gamers the ultimate visual feast with a lossless DisplayPort connection. But for how old-fashioned a wired connection is, the Dream Air has a more futuristic, lightweight design than any of its rivals. It bears a striking resemblance to the Apple Vision Pro, but that's more of a statement of intent rather than an appeal to disappointed Apple fans. It's the PCVR gaming headset the Vision Pro never turned out to be, and Pimax knows it.

But that comes with its drawbacks too. For example, it might harness tiny OLED displays that look absolutely breathtaking, but the flipside is an equally breathtaking price tag of $2,000 / £1,542 for the headset on its own. If you want the privilege of controllers bundled in and inside-out tracking, it'll set you back $2,299 / £1,774.

Design

Where the Pimax Dream Air strays from its creator's previous headsets is in its design. We've tested a few products from Pimax now, including a few failed attempts with the Pimax Crystal, and a successful review of the Pimax Crystal Light. We know the sorts of visuals this brand's headsets are capable of if you can afford them, but even the lighter version of the brand's better-known headset is so bulky and awkward on your head that we only really recommend it for stationary simulation games. The Pimax Dream Air is the polar opposite of that.

With a Vision Pro-reminiscent design, it's absolutely tiny when sat next to even the Meta Quest 3. It's almost bordering on a hybrid between a headset and a pair of smart glasses with extra cushioning - it's that lightweight at only 170 grams.

Cloth and fabrics wrap around it, giving you a lovely, comfortable, Velcro fastening headband and a facial interface that's surprisingly breathable despite feeling like a dense blanket you'd wrap up in during the winter.

It's hard to fault the design of the Dream Air - I never got to try out the Apple Vision Pro, but by all accounts its weight made all the lightweight fabrics, the soft headband, and the removal of a battery pointless - it still dragged down on people's noses and made the experience of using it uncomfortable. The Dream Air doesn't have that issue because its facial interface has such a strict border that immediately tapers off, allowing for less contact on your face, but a more noticeable field of view I'll come onto in a bit.

Although you'll need to be connected to a graphics card and USB to play with the Dream Air, I am a fan of how Pimax has streamlined its cabling. There's nothing on the headset end you need to plug in or worry about coming unplugged. Two splitter cables, one for each display panel, split off from the rear of the headset on either side, combining into one before meeting in a small cell that hangs just at the top of your back. One long cable then spans all the way down to a divider block that splits into USB and DisplayPort, as well as a power adapter you'll need to plug into the wall. There's a lot of cabling to make this work, but Pimax has designed a system that means you barely notice it once you've set it up.

Features

The Dream Air is available in two different bundles. The first is the "Lighthouse" version, which comes with the headset only, a model with Base stations and outside-in tracking. Hand tracking isn't integrated, and passthrough isn't supported, so this is likely going to be for people upgrading from a previous wired PCVR headset who already own controllers and tracking stations. That's the one that will set you back $2,000 / £1,542.

The version I'm testing is the SLAM version, which comes with two controllers and features four cameras on the headset itself for inside-out tracking. Hand tracking is also supported, as is passthrough.

Pimax claims the Dream Air is the world's smallest full-feature 8K resolution VR headset, and I'd believe it. With Sony Micro-OLED panels you view through ConcaveView pancake lenses, you'll get an absolute feast for your eyeballs with a stunning 3840 x 3552 resolution per eye. The Dream Air also supports eye-tracking, so there's scope for some foveated rendering to enhance performance and resolution at what you're actually focusing on. In the Pimax Play software, there isn't a formal toggle for foveated rendering, but you can enhance the middle of the displays and lessen their borders to aid performance.

There's a quoted 110-degree horizontal FOV in this headset, but personally, I'm not so sure. That would bring it up to par with PSVR 2 and the Meta Quest 3, but I think because of the design of the Dream Air, you notice the borders around its display a lot more easily than on those rival headsets. Because it's such a small border around your eyes, it's far simpler to spot the Dream Air's vision cone bordering your game, providing this glaringly obvious black frame around every game you play. That isn't a problem I have when using those other two headsets.

Pimax Play is where you'll get access to other settings and specs of the Dream Air. It was there I found that the Dream Air has a maximum refresh rate of 90Hz, which is good enough, certainly when you're looking at the kinds of visual quality the micro-OLED panels can beam into your eyeballs. There are some motion-blurring capabilities, upscaling settings, and interpolation tricks you can use to smooth this display out if you're not quite getting 90fps, but in my experience testing this headset with an RTX 5080 PC, all of those things just resulted in a lot more visual noise and a wavy, warped distortion effect when I didn't keep my head exactly still.

Pimax Play is also your home for room tracking settings and firmware updates, all of which are fine, but I do have some problems with Pimax Play I'll come onto shortly. It'll serve as your method of controlling IPD adjustments, and the only onboard controls for the headset itself are volume keys for the integrated speaker and a power button. Speaking of audio, there's an in-built microphone, and talking to friends in multiplayer games works just fine. Windows recognises the Dream Air as an audio source for input and output, although I did have to unplug it when not in use to prevent it from repeatedly disrupting my regular desktop audio.

Controllers

Before we get to the performance stuff, a word on the controllers.

They're fairly traditional VR grips that still use the tracking ring of older generations. I like the feel of them in the hand, especially because they have a slightly larger thumbstick diameter than a lot of rival VR controllers do. Unfortunately, that's really where their design peaks.

They're very light in the hand, and as a result they don't feel like they match up at all with the premium design and build quality of the Dream Air headset. What's worse, despite their tracking rings, they can be very inconsistent and glitchy when you're playing a game with them.

Sometimes they'll register well below the height you're holding them, other times they'll twitch and shake uncontrollably when your hands have been perfectly still. Worst of all, the trigger on my left controller got stuck in a down position while I was mid-game at one point - not ideal for such an expensive bit of kit, or when you have to pay extra for the version of the Dream Air that comes with the bloody things.

The haptic feedback in them is pretty decent on the whole, even creating a bit of sound when you come into contact with surfaces in Half-Life: Alyx. Again, though, because the controllers themselves feel a bit hollow and cheap, they don't give you the sort of game feel of even the Meta Quest 3S, which is so, so much cheaper. That's a bit disappointing.

Thankfully, controller tracking works well - for the most part. I have tested it in different lighting conditions to see how well the internal cameras keep up, and they do a good job of positional tracking with the headset in a room, but the controllers leave a bit to be desired. In Walkabout Mini Golf, there are annoying twitches and glitches that happen that can lose you a hole (or at least a good putt), and that's more often the case here than with other headsets. Then again, in Blade & Sorcery, tracking was really good and worked arguably better than I've had with other headsets.

Performance

When it works, the Pimax Dream Air is one of the best VR headsets I've ever had on my face. The visual clarity this thing is capable of is stunning, jaw-dropping, astounding - pick literally any adjective you hope applies to a good VR headset, and it'll be appropriate. At times, words don't do it justice.

The panels have a way of bringing out the absolute best parts of any VR title I played on them. The softer cartoonish look of Walkabout Mini Golf was more vivid and colorful than I'd ever seen it. The sunsets beamed onto water and reflected a lovely atmospheric calm over me; the detail of the environments was likely exactly as the developers intended.

In Half-Life: Alyx, environments looked so photorealistic I questioned why any game would need something like DLSS 5 - games are already capable of looking utterly lifelike. Even Blade & Sorcery, a game that isn't really supposed to look all that good because its main priority is its sickeningly violent physics and combat, looked unbelievable. I've known for a while that Micro-OLED displays in VR headsets are the gold standard (thanks to PSVR 2), but the Pimax Dream Air takes things to a whole other level. Because you're looking through pancake lenses, the area of focus you can appreciate makes it all a deliciously balanced cocktail of visual flavour.

Pimax has somehow converted its extreme visual fidelity from its bulky headsets into a headset that weighs next to nothing, and that makes a massive difference to gameplay. The Dream Air is so light on your face you barely notice it strapped around your head, and when the visuals in front of you look so crystal clear, it's impossible not to be completely drawn into the games you're playing. It is quite simply VR hardware all working together to show the absolute best this genre of gaming can do.

But sadly, because the highs are so high, the times when the Dream Air doesn't work so well become even more frustrating and glaringly obvious.

To begin with, a smaller, lighter headset means it can be hard to sit it exactly where it needs to be on your face. For me, it ends up being right on my brow line, and it's prone to moving around if I have any sort of expression through my eyebrows. Thankfully, the headset is ventilated really well, and I never feel my face is sweating like it is in PSVR 2.

Like I've mentioned, the smaller border around the display means you can spot the FOV limits so, so easily, and that's very hard to unsee once you notice it. In Walkabout Mini Golf, and even MaestroVR, where you're focusing so much on the middle of the displays, the periphery being so obviously blocky can tend to take you out of things, as it reminds you you're wearing a $2,000 headset, not actually conducting an orchestra. There's also very little space inside the headset - this is definitely a no-go for glasses wearers. That would usually be an issue for me, but in fairness, I haven't had any eye strain or headaches using the Dream Air without my glasses. Your mileage may vary, however.

But design side effects aside, that isn't even the worst of the troubles I've run into while testing the Dream Air. It's great having a portal for the headset's settings and its own array of apps and games, but Pimax Play/Pimax Home might be the thing causing 90% of the technical issues I've run into with this headset. The reason I say that is that the games themselves run absolutely fine on my PC. I never noticed the frame rate lacking, and performance in them always runs perfectly fine on other headsets while using their max settings. But anytime I pull up either SteamVR's overlay or the Pimax Overlay in the Dream Air, the most annoying stutters, freezes, and crashes happen. It's consistent, and even after lowering settings and the overlay render scale, it still causes entire PC crashes.

My only guess is that it's to do with the fact that multiple overlays are working at once, and that means Steam's VR settings and preferences are arguing with the Pimax ones. I'd say that it's a pretty safe bet that most PCVR players will be using Steam to launch games, so that's a must. It'd be nice if Pimax accepted that and made its own overlay optional. It's at the point where me getting an achievement in a game and that popping up on my display risks the entire headset, or sometimes my PC, stuttering and crashing. It's hard to know if this is actually what the issue is, but in fairness, it's not the first time we here at GamesRadar+ have faced a very volatile and demanding Pimax headset that's bordering on unusable.

Pimax does recommend a minimum of an RTX 2070, 3060, or 4060 for basic VR play with the Dream Air, but I shudder to think what kinds of performance issues users on lesser PC hardware will face.

One of my freelancers and I tried to get the original Pimax Crystal to work, and despite having very reasonable mid-range specs in our builds at the time, the headset wouldn't play ball. I'm testing here with a PNY Slim RTX 5080 GPU, an Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, and 32GB of G.Skill DDR5 RAM. Pimax may recommend an RTX 5090 for the best performance with this headset, but I think it'd be completely unreasonable to say that a 5080 and 270K Plus are the reason I've faced performance issues with the Dream Air. They certainly aren't responsible for inconsistent controller tracking, the headset completely swapping my height mid-game, or the borders of the display freezing, even as I move my head around.

Those things seem to be weaknesses of the headset and its software that's running the show - I'm on the most up-to-date firmware and drivers for everything here. My PC also runs these games just fine, on their highest VR settings when I'm using other headsets, so the volatility definitely seems to be a Pimax issue.

Should you buy the Pimax Dream Air?

It's hard not to recommend the Pimax Dream Air because its visuals and lightweight design feel nothing short of revolutionary. This is the sort of VR headset I'd love to see in the future - more immersive and far more functional than a pair of glasses, but a lot more convenient and comfortable to wear than the bulky headsets of previous generations. Not to mention it has some of the most stunning visual fidelity you'll find.

But at such a massive cost, I do wonder who Pimax thinks this is for. It's bad enough the new Steam Frame has drawn the line so close to the grand mark, but other headsets around that area make so little impact that we barely hear from the HTC Vive Focus Vision or the Samsung Galaxy XR. The Dream Air is double their price tag. Yes, it's no Vision Pro at £3,500, but especially in this day and age of technology being nothing but extortionate, who on earth is the market for a headset like this?

I think when it works, the Pimax Dream Air is VR at its very best, but I'm not sure the leap is good enough to warrant the massive price jump over the other headsets that manage to do things really well for under $500, under $700, or even $1,000.

If you're going to price a headset this high, it needs to work flawlessly without any issues or problems, but in true Pimax fashion, there's a lot of volatility and headaches here that you're paying a massive premium for.

If you can afford it, you have equal, if not better PC specs than me, and you're alright wrestling with settings and performance issues to avoid crashes, then I can thoroughly recommend the Pimax Dream Air. For everyone else who loves VR gaming, you're going to be absolutely fine with a Pico 4 Ultra, Quest 3, or PSVR 2. And that pains me to say, because I'm dying to see more lossless, wired headsets in this day and age.

How I tested the Pimax Dream Air

I used the Pimax Dream Air as my go-to VR headset for over a month before writing this review. In that time, I used it plenty to play Walkabout Mini Golf, Blade & Sorcery, Maestro VR, and more. I compared it closely with the other HMDs I've tested and reviewed. I tested it with my own gaming PC, which uses an RTX 5080, Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and multiple NVMe SSDs. I surveyed the price of this headset and its rivals to give me verdict on whether or not it's worth your money.

For more on how we test, check out the GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

If you're interested in more VR content, take a look at the best Meta Quest accessories.

If you're like me, you were silently hoping for a new homemade VR game from Valve to launch alongside the new Steam Frame. Unfortunately, that was wishful thinking, but bundled with the new headset is the company's hit from 2020, Half-Life: Alyx. That's hardly a bad thing, since the game has been long-touted as one of the best VR games ever made, but when the best VR headsets don't launch often, it'd be easy to hope for a successor.

"We decided to focus on just making sure the Steam catalogue as a whole would be a good experience, and trying to put most of our efforts into that compatibility," said Pierre-Loup Griffais, a SteamOS developer in an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun.

"Because there's a tonne of existing experiences I think that can intro you to whatever side of the devices you're more interested in, right?" Essentially, Valve was concentrating more on the challenges of getting Steam games to run natively in the headset's standalone mode, particularly when the aims of the new hardware were to give people a Steam Deck-like experience of being able to take their non-VR games on the go with them as well as fully immersive ones.

"I can't speak for everyone here," continued Griffais, "but if I'm showing the headset to someone, something like SuperHot VR or Beat Saber or one of those OG titles is gonna get on there, because they're still so good, right?"

Of course, the main challenge Valve would have faced was getting a demanding game like Half-Life: Alyx to run natively on its headset, particularly when it was designed for high-end, wired VR headsets to make the most of it, not standalone devices with smaller processors, or, god forbid, ARM processors.

The development of games to run on ARM processors could be a common theme we hear more about in the coming years since more smaller form-factor devices will house them. Nvidia is currently working on gaming performance for its RTX Spark processor, and there's a whole swathe of compatibility issues the company is working through when it comes to support that goes past emulation, not to mention anti-cheat, DirectX, and Vulkan, which I've been told first-hand at demos have been complicating things. It seems from this interview with RPS that Valve experienced similar speed bumps.

For context, ARM processors use a different architecture and run very differently from the typical ones we see in gaming desktops, laptops, and traditional PCs. With that in mind, it takes a lot more know-how to convert existing games and apps to work on them since they're often built to work on more traditional chips. The reason we're seeing more ARM processors these days is that they prioritize efficiency and less heat generation, making them perfect for today's modern, sleek, and often lighter hardware that still wants to be as powerful as we expect it to be.

Half-Life: Alyx would obviously be playable with the Steam Frame at launch anyway if you were streaming it directly from your gaming PC or laptop, but along with the launch of its new headset, Valve has updated the game to run in the Frame's standalone mode.

"All the fixes we got in for Alyx," said Robin Walker, a programmer at Valve and one of the co-creators of Team Fortress 2, in the same interview with RPS, "the vast majority of them are applicable to basically anything that's running on the Frame."

Does this point to a new VR game from Valve coming in the future when there's more compatibility secured for existing games? Or will new games in development need to make compromises to secure verification for the headset? It all remains to be seen. As more and more VR headsets focus on wireless convenience over lossless GPU connections, we may see less demanding VR titles launching, but thanks to streaming from PCs being more efficient these days, it's unlikely that they all have to compromise on performance as a result.

Even as the "verified for Steam Frame" catalog continues to grow, I would be surprised if we see a new VR game from Valve anytime soon, but just like with an eventual Half-Life 3, we can all hope, right?

For more on VR, take a look at the best Meta Quest accessories.

Meta Connect 2026 is fast approaching, and although it's been heavily speculated that we'll catch our first glimpse of the next Meta Quest headset at this year's conference, the first imagery of the brand's unannounced device appears to have leaked. As Valve and gamers celebrate the long-awaited launch of the Steam Frame, I'm not sure anyone needs to worry about Meta's Project Phoenix as competition, because it looks more like a pair of smart glasses than a VR headset designed for playing video games.

This much has been rumored for a while now, as Meta may even be steering clear of the "Quest" nomenclature for the upcoming device. It also goes hand-in-hand with the studio closures and layoffs Meta has done in 2026 when it comes to gaming and VR headset production. Wearables, like the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, have seemingly been a big hit, but Quest headsets have gone up in price while large swathes of Reality Labs employees have been laid off and profits are down.

The new Project Phoenix looks like a hybrid between smart glasses and a headset, and we can see as much from imagery found in HorizonOS in the last few days. It was originally found and reported by Luna on Twitter and UploadVR, who found the new imagery via a new lens prescription partnering app available on Quest's OS. The app was first seen in August, revealing not an awful lot. Simply named "HorizonOS Prescription Lens", it's since received an update which contains visuals of the new device and how prescription lenses can be installed into it.

Other imagery shows that the headset has legs that are a lot smaller in size and very similar in their design to typical glasses legs. Like with other smart glasses we've seen, there's a cable that leads from the left leg back into what will presumably be a power supply/puck you can hold in your pocket or clip to a belt.

There's no imagery of any new controllers, but UploadVR does note that as part of the Connect conference schedule this year, Dongyi Li, a Software Engineer Manager at Meta, is giving a talk titled "A practical guide to controller-free interaction". This could point to a controller-less Quest device, which the brand has been leaning into since the Meta Quest Pro. I have concerns about what that means for this headset's gaming potential though, since the tactility and functionality of controllers in VR are more important than they seem.

While a lightweight headset design could be great for some games, fully immersive VR games usually mean vigorous head movement that wouldn't exactly suit a pair of glasses that could slip off. Moreover, the imagery we can see (if it's not a very complicated misdirect from Meta) shows a very small lens and potential FOV that wouldn't necessarily lend itself to gaming.

Personally, I'm not sure this device, whether it's the mainline successor to the Quest 3 or not, will be geared toward gaming. It will almost certainly run on HorizonOS and have access to all the same apps and games as other Quest headsets, but it looks like gamers will be better served by the existing hardware for now.

That's exactly why I don't think Valve has anything to worry about when it comes to Meta's next device. Although the company's CTO Andrew "Boz" Bosworth said there are no plans to leave the sector, closing gaming studios, laying off workforces, upping the price of gaming-capable headsets, and steering into a different direction with the next headset all signal to me that Meta might be looking to take a different approach than attracting the mainstream gaming market.

Valve certainly benefits from that, but with a $1,059 price on the Steam Frame, will it be able to attract the same sort of market as Meta's super affordable Quest devices?

Meta Connect takes place between September 23-24 this year, so official word isn't too far away.

For more on VR, check out the best Meta Quest accessories.

At long last, after years of rumors, speculation, and delays, Valve has launched the Steam Frame headset. The final third of the company's hardware launch plans for 2026 has seen the lengthiest delay since its initial "early 2026" billing, but the VR headset is now available to reserve.

That means we now also have a confirmed price for the device. Its 256GB model will set you back $1,049 / £889, coming with the headset, controllers, and fan-favourite game Half-Life: Alyx bundled in. Or, its 1TB version will set you back $1,299 / £1,089.

You can reserve a Steam Frame now, as we suspected, using a very similar system to the Steam Controller and Steam Machine, which actually leaked last week through SteamDB. Essentially, you can sign up anytime between now and Thursday, September 17^th at 10am Pacific. Then, on that date, Valve will do a one-time randomization of the signed-up names before sending out emails with the results of the randomization, letting you know if you're in the reservation queue or on the waitlist.

Valve has now also properly published the previously leaked/data mined overview and starter guide videos, which show how to get the best fit and use out of the headset. They also confirm that you can buy some separate accessory bundles for the Frame.

You can grab an Ergonomic Accessories Kit, which includes 2 controller hand straps, a headset top strap for increased fit and comfort, and an extended light blocker for if you have a differently sized nose. That will cost you $59 / £59. Alternatively, you can grab the Accessory Replacement Kit, which includes a face gasket, head cushion, and a standard light blocker. That'll set you back $49 / £49. Interestingly, the headset doesn't come with a PSU, so if you want one, you'll need to buy it separately for $29 / £29.

As we already knew, the Steam Frame features a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ARM64 APU, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and runs on SteamOS the same as a the Steam Deck and Steam Machine. It's got a resolution of 2160 x 2160 per eye with LCD displays that have a refresh rate of 72Hz spanning up to an experimental 144Hz. Valve says the headset has a horizontal FOV of "up to 110 degrees".

Tracking of the headset and its controllers happens inside-out using built-in cameras, so owners of Valve's previous Valve Index headset won't need to play around with tracking stations. The same can be said of wires, since the Steam Frame will work wirelessly and run games natively (there's a growing list of 100 games that are already "Frame verified") but you can also use a dongle that will stream gameplay from a laptop or gaming PC straight to the headset using a dedicated Wi-Fi 6E bandwidth (even though the headset itself has Wi-Fi 7 compatibility).

On battery life, the Frame has a rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery.

Very much like the Steam Deck, the device running on SteamOS means you'll be able to play your entire Steam library on the go with it. The Steam Frame might have been designed as a VR headset, but you can enjoy non-VR games with it by connecting a controller of your own, the Steam Controller, or using the bundled VR controllers.

Earlier in the summer, when we were speculating the price of the Steam Frame, a majority of GamesRadar+ readers voted that it should cost between $899-$1,099, which is actually bang-on as a prediction. That was the result of 42% of the votes, with 25% of readers saying it should cost between $799-899, and 33% of folks arguing it should cost $699-$799. This price lands it higher than the 512GB Meta Quest 3, which is currently set at $599, but it's on par with other high-fidelity PCVR headsets like the HTC Vive Focus Vision and Samsung Galaxy XR. It's a lot more affordable than the Pimax Dream Air and Apple Vision Pro.

It's long been suspected that the Steam Frame (once codenamed Valve Deckard) would wear an estimated $1,000 price tag, or at least be more expensive than the Meta Quest visors, since those have been reportedly sold at a loss since Meta bought Oculus. I'll be interested to see how this price impacts the headset's popularity, however. VR gaming has always been a niche, and for the most part, a prohibitively expensive one, but since its reveal I've thought that the appeal and convenience of the Steam Frame could lead to it being the VR market's Steam Deck moment. Will that be the case when it costs a lot more than Valve's accessible handheld? Who's to say?

Pricing around a grand means fewer enthusiastic fans will be able to secure one of their own if their incomes don't allow, which is a high possibility in a consumer PC gaming market that's very pricey to exist in right now. When the Frame is already appealing to a niche segment of that market, it narrows the pool of early adopters further.

It could be that Valve has plans to support the headset long into the future, but bundling a homemade VR game that's six years old into the price of the headset doesn't exactly inspire much confidence that there's more software on the way for it - although I hope I'm wrong on that front.

I'd also have been interested to know what Valve's original pricing plans for the headset would be, considering delays and price changes almost certainly happened as a direct result of the ongoing RAM crisis.

Upgrading your rig to help with your Steam Frame gameplay streaming? Check out the best gaming PCs and the best gaming laptops.

The other day, some backend updates were issued to SteamDB's Steam Frame package pages, marking the first time in months that the hidden retail listings received edits. These are the placeholder, non-published listings, purportedly for the upcoming Valve VR headsets. Now, in the days after these were found, VR leaker SadlyItsBradley has found a reservation system that looks all too familiar.

It looks almost exactly the same as the reservation application that's been used by Valve for its Steam Machine and Steam Controller launches earlier in 2026. Before you ask, you can't access or con the system into ordering your own VR headset yet, as it still isn't live. In fact, as a precautionary measure, the leaked image of the page shows a live date of December, 1969.

Other than that, it asks for a Steam account name, the items to be reserved, and says "You have joined the list for - " and then there's a blank - I did tell you these pages were placeholders. The line below says "On 31 December, 1969, the list will be randomized and you will receive an email with your results shortly after."

There's every possibility that this is actually a placeholder, but it's so vague at this point it's hard to put a lot of stock in it.

Truth be told, these new datamines don't tell us an awful lot we don't know already. We knew from its initial reveal that the Steam Frame would have two different SKUs based on storage options. We're sadly no closer to finding out the release date and price of the Steam Frame based on those package page updates on SteamDB.

At this point, I wouldn't put it past Valve to jokingly list 1969 as a release window to taunt us for holding out this long for its second VR headset. On the other hand, this date is frequently cited on Steam and other computer apps as the start of Unix Epoch time. In other words, it's yet more placeholder, probably as a template or a way to ensure there's no live date that could trigger an email being sent to people asking to reserve a VR headset.

What the use of a reservation does tell us is that Valve is fully expecting there to be a high demand and a limited supply of stock when Steam Frame launches. If the leak from SadlyItsBradley is to be believed (I'd take it with a couple pinches of salt, at this point), then Steam Frame could be looking at similar supply issues to the Steam Machine. Personally, I'd hope it wasn't the same case as the controller, in that Valve will still be fulfilling backlogged orders into 2027.

Still, if package updates and reservation systems are appearing in Steam's backend, it could be a definite sign that the VR headset is finally, actually, properly about to launch.

If that sounds uncertain, it's because I've been wrong before - it looked like the stage was set for Valve's new visor to launch earlier in the Summer, and we've been hearing rumours about the headset for longer than the controller or new Steam Machine, so it feels at this point like it could very well be a Half Life 3 situation.

For more, take a look at the best Meta Quest accessories. To upgrade your PC before Steam Frame arrives, dive into the best CPU for gaming, and the best RAM for gaming.

I am once again reporting to you that the Steam Frame might be launching soon™. It's been years (actual years) since we first heard about Valve's next VR headset through rumors, Gabe Newell referring to its existence, its days labelled as Valve Deckard, and it's even been the better part of a year since Valve officially revealed it.

Following delays and a launch window of "sometime this summer", we've now had close to 10 minutes' worth of user guide videos leak online as Steam store assets, and it doesn't seem like Valve is that fussed about them staying in the public eye because they're still available to watch on Reddit and multiple sources on YouTube. At this point, does Valve even care about trying to keep this thing under wraps ahead of launch?

Among the leaked clips we have are unboxing, fit, login, IPD, wireless adapter, controller straps and accessories, and headstrap setup videos. All are a few minutes or so in length, detailing handy tutorial processes for the new setup.

You can see all of the videos by clicking through the linked Reddit post above, or you can watch them all strung together on YouTube thanks to Tyriel Wood - VR Tech's channel.

We've seen plenty about this headset already, so I wouldn't necessarily say we've learned all that many "new" bits of information about it from the videos, but it's certainly interesting to know more about how the headset will function on a practical level.

For example, there's an IPD lock to make sure your lenses stay in place between sessions so that your perfect optical setup doesn't get lost each time you use it. Similarly, glasses wearers are satiated by a clever, magnetic spacer you can put under the facial interface, which will mean you're less likely to damage the lenses by smushing your glasses into them.

Signing in to the headset can be done through the mobile app or manually on the headset's virtual keyboard. Valve even makes comment on these being less than ideal and "clunky" methods of logging in, but "historically accurate".

Also present is an ergonomic accessories kit which includes a larger light guard for users with smaller noses, some wrist straps for the controllers, and a top headstrap to make your fit more secure.

Weeks ago now, I falsely predicted that we'd see the headset launch imminently, since we were seeing similar signposting and leaked details to when the Steam Controller and Steam Machine were just weeks away from hitting the shelves. That included shipping manifests that showed VR headsets from Valve arriving in warehouses, as well as an influx of Steam Frame assets and tags hitting the Steam store.

To my shame, I was wrong about that, which also tracks since it was suggested Valve was still working on the headset's gamepad mode feature that allows you to use the Steam Frame's controllers as a split gamepad to play flat-screen games.

I thought for sure that we'd get the Steam Frame by this point in the summer. If I get really granular about it, we're now looking at a similar gap between the Steam Machine and Steam Frame's launches (7.5 weeks) as we had between the Steam Controller and Steam Machine (8 weeks). Does that point to the headset arriving soon? I'd say yes, but I've been wrong before, and I've now been reporting on this headset through rumours and predictions for so long I'm losing faith Valve will ever actually launch it.

Will it be retired into gaming's fever dream history like Half Life 3? While we're on hypotheticals and predictions, I also asked all of you how much the Steam Frame should cost, and I was a little shocked at the result. Even so, I'm still convinced that this device could be the VR market's Steam Deck moment.

You can stream games from one of the best gaming PCs or one of the best gaming laptops straight into the Steam Frame headset.

Smart glasses have an understandably bad reputation at the moment, but the newly unveiled Viture Pro 2 XR glasses aren't for recording strangers in the street with hidden cameras. They're more like a stylish VR headset built into a pair of sunglasses, specifically for projecting a small, private gaming display in your line of sight.

Viture has launched the new $299.99 glasses, which the brand boasts are the "lightest, thinnest, and most eye-comfort-focused" model yet to celebrate their fifth anniversary. The glasses weigh just 63g, which is 15g lighter than the brand's One XR glasses I have hidden away in my office, and unlike that older pair, the Pro 2 is available alongside a $99 Mobile Dock Mini to introduce compatibility with the Nintendo Switch 2.

XR glasses are very niche. Unlike the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, these pricey peripherals aren't something I'd insist everyone add to their setups. If you have a Nintendo Switch 2, I assume you already have a TV or gaming monitor to use alongside it, and the privilege of having a private screen only you can see isn't going to benefit everyone. Yet, I'm glad to see a new 'budget' pair available that's compatible with Nintendo's newest machine. I use the term 'budget' pretty liberally here, as while it's more affordable than the older Pro Pair, I can't pretend $299 isn't a lot to pay for an accessory like this, particularly when it costs almost as much as the Switch 2 does - or as much as a Meta Quest 3S before its recent price hike.

Like the rest of the XR glasses on the market, the frames project a Sony Micro-OLED display before the wearer's eyes. This Viture Pro 2 is equipped with a display with 1,600 nits as opposed to the 1,000 nits of the older Pro model, and utilizes the brand's new UltraClarity 3.0 tech to help increase image sharpness.

Using my older Viture One XR glasses to play my Steam Deck or watch movies in bed so I don't wake up my partner with the handheld's bright screen is something he very much appreciated, and so I'd be intrigued to see how this pair handles the Switch 2. Especially when my older pair could be a bit of a battery drain. According to the Viture Pro 2 press release (via PR News Wire), the included Mobile Dock is powered by a 10,000 mAh battery, which is enough to keep the handheld (and the glasses) juiced up simultaneously, which is a nice bit of reassurance.

The Mobile Dock comes packaged with a detachable adapter and a magnetic mount, which are designed to attach to the back of the console. It's worth noting that while the glasses are compatible with a range of USB-C devices from the get-go, it's this dock that opens it up to Switch 2 players, as it's a battery and USB-C hub in one. Basically, if you were in the market for the Pro 2 glasses, you'll have to grab this extra (or the older Viture Mobile Dock) to carry on creating your ridiculous Pokemon Pokopia builds at 3 a.m. without waking up your sleeping fiancée in bed beside you.

The mini dock alone costs $99, which does drive up the cost of the brand's cheapest frames to $398 in total. However, if you grab them straight from the Viture online store, you can get a $20 discount, taking your total down to $378 instead. That dock might take a little longer to arrive at your door, though, as the website states it's currently on backorder and is expected to ship this September. At least in the meantime, you could still use the glasses to watch movies at your own discretion before getting your Pokopia or Mario Kart World on.

Without testing these for myself quite yet, I can't comment on the image quality and whether it'll be significantly better than your current setup. But if you were in the market for a pair of glasses, this option is now available to you, and at a price that's cheaper than the brand's previous releases, so long as you pick them up in time.

• View all Viture XR glasses at Amazon

Looking for cheaper Switch 2 add ons? Check out the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, the best Nintendo Switch headsets, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases for budget-friendly options.

2026 has been a tough innings for Meta's Reality Labs division. From the word go in January, it's seen lay-offs, studio closures, price hikes on its popular VR headsets, and yet more layoffs. It doesn't seem like things are getting any better yet, as it's just been revealed this segment of the Facebook company lost $4.6 billion in the second quarter of 2026.

The numbers were shown in a Q2 earnings call that showed Reality Labs' continual losses flow even further from the 4.03 billion it lost in Q1. It may surprise you to learn that these numbers are actually par for the course in terms of quarterly losses from Reality Labs since 2023. Its worst-performing quarter ever was Q4 of 2025 when it lost $6.02 billion, so you can see why drastic measures were taken at the start of 2026.

These losses come despite the company's revenue for Q2 2026 sitting at $431 million, up from $370 million compared to the same time period in 2025.

I'm hardly an economist, but it seems like Reality Labs is pulling in plenty of money; it's just that its spending is massively outweighing it. This could be down to loads of factors. The workforce alone will be pretty large, even after the rounds of layoffs from this year.

Funnily enough, in a recent AMA on his Instagram, Meta's CTO Andrew Boz Bosworth took a question about if Meta was "done" with VR, and said, "We've talked openly about the fact we're building multiple next-generation headsets. We did get ourselves into a more sustainable shape, that's true, but we continue to invest quite a bit there."

If we take his word as bond, the question remains where the losses are coming from, because they're not all that different from before the company's three biggest VR studios were closed and thousands of people lost their jobs.

A lot of the spending could be directed at R&D and the development of new hardware, since a lot of it will take innovation and trial and error. Even after price hikes, it could easily be the case that Meta is selling its wearables at a loss. This seemed to be the tactic while the Metaverse strategy was still in play, as there was an incentive to get mixed-reality devices on the faces of as many people as possible.

Moreover, manufacturing headsets and smart glasses will be costly too, and it's been fairly widely reported in recent times that selling gaming hardware isn't always profitable on its own. That much is clear from Xbox reporting a 29% drop in hardware sales in its Q2 results for the year.

News of Meta's losses comes while Valve's Steam Frame waits in the wings for its launch, and I'm sure this isn't settling the Steam company's nerves about entering the market. It's long been said that the Meta Quest headsets have been sold at a loss, however, which is maybe why people should expect a higher price tag on the Steam Frame.

In a poll I held in a recent article, I asked readers how much the Steam Frame should cost, and I was surprised to see 42% of people suggesting those numbers should be upwards of $899. With Meta's more affordable headsets strategy proving difficult to profit from, maybe those voters are actually onto something if they want to see a sustainable VR ecosystem that's built to last at Valve.

Looking for more power for VR gaming? Check out the best CPU for gaming, the best RAM for gaming, and the best graphics cards.

Last week, I added a poll to a report I wrote up about the upcoming Steam Frame. Since we're still waiting on a price and release date for the new visor, I asked what price you think it should be. Honestly, I'm a little surprised by the results, and maybe even a little worried that the results might enable Valve to charge a lot for its new VR headset.

In a total pool of 738 votes, a safe lead of 33% of folks said that the Steam Frame should cost between $699-$799. This bracket would land it above the full-fat Meta Quest 3, but underneath the most recent generation of elite gaming handheld PCs. Personally, this is the price I'd like to see it launch at, but with the current economy of the tech world being as it is (thanks a lot, AI companies), I wouldn't be at all surprised if this range is a pipe dream.

25% of readers who responded to the poll said that the Steam Frame should be priced between $799 - $899 as a happy medium. Combined with the 244 votes for the answer above, the 184 votes here cast a majority of 58% of people who think the Steam Frame should cost under $899.

That part is reassuring; I certainly wouldn't like to see a Steam VR headset costing more than that since it's too near to the Valve Index, which was known as a prohibitively pricey bit of technology. What worries me, and what I hope Valve doesn't see, is the 42% of voters who said the new goggles should cost between $899-$1,099.

The state of the gaming hardware market is in disrepair right now, with rising costs, stock shortages, and a potential (scary) future where no one can afford to truly own anything. I fully expect the Steam Frame to be priced somewhere in these higher ranges, but I sure hope it isn't.

VR as a whole feels like it's on the ropes right now, or at least, that's my perception as someone who covers the industry from week to week.

I love VR gaming and think it has a really strong future ahead of it, but getting people to see that is only going to get more difficult if we continue to see the biggest, mainstream headsets cost that much. The Apple Vision Pro definitely seemed like an alluring concept until Apple decided to pour a bottle of hot sauce in its eyes by charging over $3,000 for it.

Let's not forget also that VR is a more niche side of gaming tech to begin with when compared to a Steam Machine, other PC, or games console. That means the potential number of people interested in buying it will be smaller, so you're narrowing down the potential consumer base for the Steam Frame if you price it prohibitively.

152 people voted for $899-$999 in the poll, and 158 voters said the Frame should cost $999-$1,099, so both answers had 41% to their names.

Maybe it's time to address the wording of the question, because I do think that could have come into play with the results. I'm sure there were plenty of people voting as though the question asked what price the headset will be. In that case, those votes for the more expensive options could be more pessimistic than they are an expression of desire.

But the question was how much should it cost, so that does lean the results into what people could want it to cost, either for the benefit of consumers or Valve.

To make it more accurate to what funds people have at their disposal to see what prices might impact Valve's sales, maybe I should have asked: "How much would you be willing to pay for the Steam Frame?"

I know I expected a much clearer-cut lean toward the cheaper options because who on earth wants to pay more than they have to for technology these days.

Regardless of the question wording and the nitty-gritty of what you folks thought when answering, the results do perhaps point to a Steam Frame that's more expensive than the majority of gamers would like it to. Yes, the sample size here is fairly small and hardly anything official, but with this long a wait for an official price announcement, I think any indication of what people are expecting is worth paying attention to.

I just hope Valve doesn't see this and think it'll be okay to charge even more than it was planning to because of those 42% of folks who voted for the more expensive options. Yes, that's unlikely, but you've all had your chance. If that were to happen, we'd probably never know, but I'll be blaming you lot.

Prepping for Steam Frame's launch by upgrading your PC? We'd recommend the best gaming PCs, the best graphics cards, and the best RAM for gaming.

Qualcomm, the manufacturer behind the processing chips inside devices sold by Samsung, Meta, Pico, Xiaomi, OnePlus and a slew of Windows Laptops and Android wearables, has reportedly announced to its partners that it can no longer absorb the rising cost of manufacturing computing parts in 2026. As such, it'll be issuing higher prices, and it could throw a spanner in the works of the imminent Steam Frame VR headset.

The Steam Frame is confirmed to use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which is built on ARM architecture. This is a step up from the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip used inside the Meta Quest 3 headsets and the Pico 4 Ultra, which could also come under fire as a result of these price hikes.

The rising costs are to be implemented as soon as September 1st, and are said to be going up by "double digits". We still don't have a confirmed release date for the Steam Frame, but Valve did say it'd arrive at some point this Summer. Judging by shipping manifests and intensifying signposting for the new headset on the Steam storefront, it could hit the shelves any week now.

Let us not forget that the Steam Frame's initial launch was meant to be "early 2026", but Valve has already cited rising manufacturing costs and the ongoing RAM shortages as a reason for its delay until now.

Those very same RAM issues are the reason Qualcomm's also feeling the squeeze. With industry-wide semiconductor and memory supply chain issues, many of Qualcomm's partners have steadily upped their prices, to the point where the Snapdragon maker now needs to do the same.

This could impact end-costs for consumers, which it already has in some instances. Meta upped the prices of its Meta Quest 3 headsets in 2026, but there are so many mobile consumer electronics brands in Qualcomm's partnership that this could now trickle down to. It would be a real blow to Meta to have to raise the prices of the Quest 3 devices again, but it could have bigger, unreported consequences for the launch price of the Steam Frame.

If Valve had previously settled on an unannounced price tag for its new VR hardware, and its first batch is already manufactured and ready to ship from warehouses, it's going to become a PR game. Does Valve shoot with the cost it was already hypothetically decided on, or does it readjust now that one of its most expensive manufacturing components is about to steal more of its profits? Likely, it'll be the latter.

Let's be honest, it was already likely that the Steam Frame's price tag was going to spark outrage amongst gamers. The Steam Controller's $100 actually isn't that bad relative to some of the official PS5 and Xbox Series X pro controllers, but it was touted as too pricey by the public when it was properly revealed. The Steam Machine was met with a similar reaction too based on the equivalent cost of a desktop gaming PC. So, in Valve's eyes, it'll probably be a case of raising the cost of the Steam Frame a little further than it had planned - it's not as though we'll ever know.

That said, it's worth noting that at least for the first few batches of Steam Frames, Valve will have already cut a deal and secured pricing for the parts used, so it could well be that we see a price rise at some point in the future depending on how much Valve has prepped for the future.

It doesn't seem like the high costs of the Controller or Machine have impacted sales, as both are still in and out of stock due to demand.

Qualcomm announced its plans on Friday last week, as was reported by Bloomberg. According to the outlet, a letter was sent to customers explaining that Qualcomm had sought alternative components from new suppliers, but to no avail. The letter doesn't seem to be designed as a publicly facing message, but the company is due to report third-quarter financial results on July 29, so we may hear more official word soon.

Looking to upgrade your rig before Steam Frame arrives? Take a look at the best gaming PCs, the best graphics cards, and the best RAM for gaming.

I spent an evening this week virtually hanging out with two of my closest friends as we put on some VR headsets and met up on the charming links of Walkabout Mini Golf. As much as catching up with my friends (and smoking them at mini golf) was the main focus here, as a VR headset nerd, I was also enjoying the fact that all three of us were accessing VR in different ways.

My friend Olly was playing on PSVR 2, a simple connection job to his console, which was probably the most streamlined of us all. I was playing on the new, lightweight, and ultra high-fidelity Pimax Dream Air, a direct-to-PC wired headset which I'm currently testing for review.

My friend Stewart, the newest of us to VR gaming, has had some trouble getting Steam Link to work wirelessly on his Meta Quest 2 headset, so he was using a Link Cable to plug into his PC and play via Steam.

After a good couple of hours (and some comfortable wins for me, which I definitely didn't gloat about), Stewart's headset, the oldest of the three we were using, died.

"Did you not say you got an Elite headstrap with a battery attachment?" I asked him. He had, but he explained that because the Meta Quest 2 only has one USB-C port, he wasn't able to play via the Link Cable and charge simultaneously.

Little did Stewart know that he had stumbled upon a design flaw that also plagues the much newer Meta Quest 3 and 3S, and it's a big reason a lot of folks will need to choose their Meta Quest accessories very carefully.

My mind immediately drifted to the upcoming Steam Frame. From what we know about it so far, it's not taking the same sort of accessory-ready outlook as the Quest headsets. It also, as far as we know, can only work wirelessly. It has one solitary USB-C port too, which is for power delivery/charging, maybe a few accessories, and limited data transfer through USB 2.0 speeds. You're not going to be able to hook up a link cable to play on PC.

Thankfully, it's had a true wireless outlook from the beginning. Its USB dongle will do all the linking work you want it to (supposedly), and it can also run games natively, but should the selection of accessories for it start to grow, it could run into the same issues as the Quest devices where you have multiple peripherals fighting over a single USB port.

With such a diverse selection of accessories available for the Quest 2 during its tenure, you'd think the Quest 3 headsets would have seen an expansion to two different USB-C ports. This would allow for linking up to a PC, as well as the option to keep the thing charged while you're using it, or even a separate USB-C option like latency-free earbuds and headsets.

For those wondering, a USB Link cable will supply a small amount of charge to a Quest headset while you play, but not enough to keep it alive indefinitely. The solution in recent years has been fancier wires like the Syntech Link Cable, which throw a divider into the middle of the connection so you can plug that into a wall outlet and provide super-fast charging, but this is less than ideal since you're then tethered to a secondary point in your room as you play, which could limit movement.

Even with one of the fanciest link cables, you'll still be limited in terms of the other accessories you can use. If you want to use the PrismXR earbuds, for example, or anything else that'll need a USB-C port to work, you're going to be limited.

Depending on how you use your Quest headset, this could be a minor gripe or a continual plague on your VR downtime. Either way, with rumors beginning to swirl about the Quest 4 being a larger upgrade and departure from the Quest 3, maybe we'll see expandable connectivity in the next generation.

Upping your PC power in time for the Steam Frame? Check out the best CPU for gaming, the best RAM for gaming, and the best graphics cards.

We seem to be on the verge of Valve finally launching the final piece of its 2026 hardware puzzle, the Steam Frame. We're still awaiting word on the launch date and price, but judging by the patterns followed by the Steam Controller and Steam Machine, it seems like Valve is maybe a week or two away from launching its new VR headset.

In the last two weeks, we've had an update to SteamVR, the arrival of a new "great on Frame" tag on the Steam Store, and familiar rumors of shipping manifests hitting the US that detail crates full of VR headsets.

We reported almost the exact same sequence of events in the lead-up to the Steam Controller and the Steam Machine hitting the virtual shelves. A week or two later was then when initial reviews came out, and the products were available to buy.

The latest rumor from data miner and VR leaker Brad Lynch says that a final delay may be due to Valve putting finishing touches on the headset's gamepad mode, which will let you use one of the best PC controllers with the headset to play non-VR games. As per the details we have about the Steam Frame's controllers, you should also be able to play non-VR games with these as well - a bit like a traditional gamepad that's been sawed in half.

The whispers about Valve shipments hitting the ground have been trickling in throughout July, with "Virtual Reality Devices" being the name on the manifests. I don't know about you, but I don't know of any VR devices being made by Valve at the moment, or indeed by any other brand that's ready to launch them under Valve's name.

Arguably, the Steam Frame is the most niche of the three new bits of gaming hardware Valve has launched this year, and it may be the one in the most volatile market. We've seen Sony, Meta, Pico, HTC, and Valve all previously entering the VR space, all of whom saw mixed results. Especially this year, with Meta laying off a massive portion of its VR workforce despite claims it's still investing in the VR gaming market, things seem unpredictable.

While the Steam Controller and Steam Machine faced backlash for high pricing, I think a misstep in VR headset pricing could actually determine the success of the headset. It doesn't take much for the gaming community at large to scream "VR ded" these days, and if Valve wants to avoid that becoming the Frame's narrative, pricing is going to be paramount.

Then again, cost and manufacturing issues due to the global RAM shortages are what's caused the headset's release to be delayed from "early 2026" to now. Again, we've had no confirmation from Valve on this, but it seems as though there will be two SKUs of the Steam Frame, one with a more affordable price and less storage, and a higher-capacity variant. Mixed reports land the headset anywhere between $700 and $1,000.

Prepping for the Steam Frame launch? Take a look at the best gaming PCs, the best graphics cards, and the best RAM for gaming.

Despite Meta's tumultuous year in the VR market so far, the company's CTO has reaffirmed that next-gen headsets are, in fact, coming. Andrew "Boz" Bosworth recently held an AMA on his Instagram page, during which he said, "We've talked openly about the fact that we're building multiple next-generation headsets." That's kicked up the rumor mill about the impending Meta Quest 4, and the next-gen VR headset could bring an end to the accessible pricing we've seen from the brand until now.

Some leaks have pointed toward the next Quest headset being delayed into 2027, while Boz said in the same response above: "Stay tuned for Connect and we'll have more to share then." This is pointing toward the annual Meta Connect conference, which takes place in September, and while it's been three years since the arrival of the Quest 3, I'd be surprised if we saw a successor arrive in the same year as Valve's imminent Steam Frame.

In any case, the latest whispers point to the Quest 4 being a "large upgrade" over the Quest 3, which will likely mean a large increase in the amount Meta will charge you for it. This is to be expected, since the company has closed its three biggest game studios and issued continual layoffs to its Reality Labs division in 2026.

Leaked memos spotted by Business Insider talk about a rumored Project "Pheonix" and "Puffin", either of which could be a hybrid between the Meta smart glasses we've seen in recent years and the typical Meta Quest headsets we know and love. This would point the Quest 4 toward being somewhat of an Apple Vision Pro-reminiscent device, but once again, that suggests a larger price tag.

As always with rumours and leaks, I'd take everything with a pinch of salt, especially because it's hard to know whether Phoenix is a new pair of smart glasses like the Orian AI prototype previously shown at Meta's Connect conferences.

Still, a move toward a more expensive type of headset could be on the cards, since that's the way the market is starting to go. Samsung and Pimax now have premium, Vision-Pro-like headsets on the shelves, and Pico is working on its own. We don't have a price for the Steam Frame yet, but it could be between $500-$1,000.

Meta raised the prices of its existing Quest 3 devices this year, with the flagship 512GB model of the Quest 3 now holding a $599 price tag. If the next headset is meant to be a bigger upgrade, it's more than possible it'll cost closer to that supposed $1,000 ceiling.

In fact, Meta may now be moving away from the "Quest" family of headsets entirely, as rumours of a switch-up in tactics from the brand's VR division have long pointed toward the next headset adopting a new name:

Either way, in an interview with UploadVR, Boz said that, "I think it's officially leaked we've got two devices on the roadmap that we're super excited about coming out over the course of a period of time." That was back in February

Questions were certainly raised over Meta's future in VR this year thanks to continual cuts to the Reality Labs division, as well as an apparent sunsetting of the Metaverse strategy so much of the Quest hardware was based around.

Still, if what Bosworth is saying is any indication, it'll be all eyes on Meta Connect this September to see what's next on the VR front.

For more, check out the best Meta Quest accessories and the best gaming PCs.

Good news, VR gamers: you can finally, finally have a native Discord app running while you play fully immersive games on the Quest 3 or 3S. After years of workarounds and being stuck with proximity chat while playing on one of the best VR headsets, you can now download an official Discord app from the Meta Quest store.

This is excellent news for folks who play their VR games on Quest, either natively on the headset or streamed from a gaming PC. VR gamers who wanted to talk to friends on Discord until now have had to resort to using a workaround with the Quest's browser, but no longer.

As an added bonus, if you download and log into the Quest's new Discord app, you can claim a free month of Discord Nitro. The Meta Horizon store might tell you you only have a "limited time" to claim that offer, but it's confirmed to run from June 30th (yesterday) until September 30, giving you three whole months to get yourself some upgraded Discord goodness without paying a penny.

Talking to friends on Discord while playing games on Quest 3 or 3S will be a massive quality-of-life perk, but you can also make use of the usual suite of Discord app benefits. You can browse servers, send text messages, and watch or broadcast streamed gameplay within calls, which could be a really great way to share the joy of VR gaming with friends who don't have a headset of their own yet.

Could this potentially point to a native Discord app coming to the Steam Frame when it arrives? Possibly, even if the operating systems for both headsets are different, this could be a hint that Discord has been working on smoother VR integration.

Discord now holds real estate as the place for gamers to hang out and party chat mid-game on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, mobile platforms, and Meta Quest, meaning you can use it to talk with friends whether you're all playing VR games together or playing different games on separate platforms.

This could also be huge news for content creators, as capturing audio of voice chat and VR gameplay can prove problematic, depending on your setup. This could cut out the need for more middleman software or complicated audio workarounds if you play through SteamLink.

If you're keen to make use of that free Discord Nitro offer, you'll get access to HD streaming, the ability to upload 500MB files, custom soundboard and emojis, super reactions, and a more comprehensive profile and avatar customization suite.

See also the best gaming PCs, the best Xbox Series X controllers, and the best Meta Quest accessories.

We're a little under a week away from Amazon's big summer sale, but Meta Quest 3 owners who want to upgrade their VR setup for less than usual don't need to wait that long. The Meta Quest 3 accessory I use every day (even days when I don't use my headset) has already dropped to a historically low price, and that goes for the Meta Quest 3S version too.

Prime Day Meta Quest deals are always a staple of Amazon's big sales, but in recent offerings, I've seen more and more of them wait until the event's official start time to become available. What's more, you often need a Prime subscription to access them. Not this time; the PrismXR Carina D1 Charging Dock is already at $49.98 at Amazon, down from a full price of $69.99.

So out of all the possible Quest 3 chargers on the shelves at Amazon, why do I recommend this one?

Well, for starters, that price tag is competitive. For some reason, charging docks can set you back up to $100, with most of the decent ones that'll give you a place to charge and display your headset above the $70 line. Even on a bad day when it's at full price, the Carina D1 won't step over that line.

But this recommendation from me goes beyond price alone. For me, the biggest reason to opt for the PrismXR charging dock is controller charging. For some reason, Quest 3 and 3S controllers lose charge so fast, and since they don't have a USB-C charging port, that eventually costs you a fortune on AA batteries. In the box for the PrismXR Carina D1 are a set of rechargeable batteries, as well as some magnetic battery covers. Then, all you need to do is snap the controllers into place on the dock, and you won't need to pay the equivalent of a second pension to Duracell.

There admittedly are other docks out there that'll charge your controllers and headset together, but that brings me to the other reason I like the PrismXR version. Unlike its competitors, this one is pretty low profile. It matches the color and design language of the headset, and it stays low to the ground. That means you have loads of scope to store your headset anywhere that isn't on a top shelf or desktop. You can put it on a lower shelf, you can put it in a cube unit in your gaming room, you can put it on a unit underneath your desk - the world is your oyster, all because PrismXR hasn't made some massively tall, massively wide holster.

I'm also a fan of the fact that while testing out various third-party Elite headstraps for the Quest 3, I've been able to sit the headset in the dock regardless of which I'm using. That's a big win, since folks who upgrade their headset will rarely get all their accessories from the same brand.

For clarity, this dock does work for both the Quest 3 and 3S, but if you have either model of the 3S, you will need to buy a separate model of the dock because the dimensions are ever so slightly different. The good news is that the 3S version is actually even cheaper right now.

To read more, check out our selection of the best VR headsets, the best gaming PCs, and the best PC controllers.

Prime Day is right around the corner, and although I'm not hopeful we'll be seeing big discounts on the Meta Quest 3 and 3S in this June's sale, it might be one of Meta's last great opportunities to convince gamers to adopt its hardware. The Quest VR headsets have been the approachable VR device in the gaming market for years now, but that's arguably been due to a lack of competition.

The Steam Frame is now set for launch this summer, which will no doubt change things. It's unlikely that the Steam Frame is going to be targeting the same budget as the Quest 3S headsets; in fact, if there's a worry, it's that Valve's device will cost closer to $1,000. We still don't know the price of Valve's headset, but I'd put it somewhere in the ballpark of $500-$800 as a relatively safe bet (that gives me a generous amount of wiggle room to say I told you so).

By any account, a price tag like this will cause outrage among gamers, including the mainstream crowd who use and any all VR news story to post "VR gaming ded" all over the internet.

But I have to say, against the Meta Quest 3, which recently saw a price increase of $100, whatever cost the Steam Frame has probably won't look so bad.

With a more refined gaming appeal, Meta might have some stiff competition on its heels in a month or two, and we could arguably see a shift in the market in Valve's favour if the Frame doesn't cost too much more than $600.

Of course, Meta has always targeted a more mainstream crowd due to its attempts to get Quests on the faces of as many people as possible for its Metaverse strategy, but that's now dead and gone. With that being the case, gamers are one of the last hopes of a Meta Reality Labs division that needs some wins.

This year alone, we've seen layoffs at Reality Labs, game dev studio closures, and then even more layoffs and rumors that the focus on wearables will shift to smart glasses, not VR headsets.

All of this said, Prime Day is arriving in less than two weeks, and with it, no doubt a slew of Prime Day Meta Quest deals. I struggle to see big discounts and new bundles coming to the Quest 3 hardware, but accessories are a cornerstone of any of these Prime-exclusive sales.

While that Quest 3 price hike is still pretty recent and makes me hesitant to expect any discounts on the headsets, there's a small part of my brain arguing the opposite.

Yes, Reality Labs needs to pull in money, so discounts likely wouldn't help profit lines, but as a last throw of the dice before the Steam Frame arrives, Prime Day could be a great opportunity to punt as many headsets as possible with approachable offers. Even a $50 discount to the Quest 3 would look great against a Steam Frame that's likely going to cost $700 or more. Not to mention, if the Quest 3S headsets see a discount, it creates a resurgent look against PSVR 2, which is currently lapping up the good faith with gamers who don't want a standalone device.

But if the Steam Frame arrives and, by some miracle, it's closer to $600, suddenly, the Meta Quest 3 512GB model is a lot harder to justify for gamers.

I'm not optimistic for big savings, but Prime Day could be a very interesting time for the VR market, and could tell us a lot about Meta's attitude toward the future of duking it out for more consumer territory. Will it stand and fight, or will it continue a year where it's looked ready to duck and run in the face of new gaming competition?

For more Prime Day coverage, check out the best Prime Day Kindle deals, Prime day PC deals, and Prime Day gaming deals.

Last month, Meta increased its Quest 3S pricing. This week, Sony launched its Days of Play sale, cutting $100 off the already-cheaper-than-launch PlayStation VR 2. You can bet on which one's flying off the shelves right now.

With the cheapest Meta Quest 3S now coming in at $349.99, the PlayStation VR 2's $399.99 MSRP has been relatively unthreatening in the last few weeks. Now that Sony's sale on the table, dropping that PlayStation and PC headset down to $299.99, it's become the go-to for budget VR hunters. While the Quest 3S still sits sadly on the shelves, Amazon and Best Buy have already run out of stock of discounted PlayStation units.

After all, this is still one of the best VR headsets we've tested. It's hiding a powerful feature set, one that was far more befitting of the premium (more than the PS5) price point it received at launch.

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The PSVR 2 features a boosted HDR OLED. An increased per-eye resolution and a larger 110 degree field of view also work to provide far more benefits over Meta's lifestyle-geared device.

If you're investing in a VR headset for gaming the PlayStation VR 2 is exactly where I'd be looking right now. It's $50 cheaper than Meta's competitor, offers an (overall) better visual experience for gaming, and we even found its control tracking to be superior as well. If you're after more of a multimedia experience it's worth reinvestigating the Meta Quest 3S.

That's because PSVR 2 runs via either your PS5 or PC, remaining tethered to a device to showcase your games and movies. The Meta Quest 3S is more of an everyday device, with a standalone cable-free design and mixed reality features.

• See all VR headsets at Amazon

For more offers, we're also rounding up the latest PSVR 2 bundles. If you're in Meta's camp, though, check out the best Meta Quest accessories we've tested so far.

Meta has announced that, following months of layoffs of its VR workforce, it's raising the price of its VR headsets. In a statement made at the end of last week via a blog post, Meta said, "Starting April 19, 2026, we’ll be increasing the prices for our Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S headsets.

"We’re making this change because the cost of building high-performance VR hardware has risen significantly. The global surge in the price of critical components — specifically memory chips — is impacting almost every category of consumer electronics, including VR."

This is something we've seen in plenty of markets so far in 2026, but in VR land specifically, Valve's Steam Frame headset has been hit the hardest. Despite an initial launch billing for "early 2026", it still hasn't received a price and release date.

The new pricing for the Quest 3S headsets will bump them up by $50, while the Quest 3 will see a more significant increase. That brings the most affordable Quest 3 128GB SKU to $349 (up from $299), the 256GB up to $449, and the full-fat Quest 3 is seeing a full-fat price hike up to $599.

Some would say this price increase has been long overdue, as it's long been speculated that Meta has been selling its Quest 3 devices at a loss in an attempt to get on the faces of more users.

In the same blog post, Meta emphasised its dedication to the VR market, which certainly feels like a pre-emptive counter to what many are saying: that it's leaving VR behind in favor of AI.

"Meta remains committed to investing in VR and leading the category because we believe this is the future of computing. We have a long-term roadmap full of new hardware and experiences, and this adjustment helps us stay on track to deliver that future."

Of course, with new competition from a massive player in the gaming space in the form of the Steam Frame, Meta isn't the only one eying up this tech sector. Even as we await confirmation from Valve about how much its headset will cost, I can't help but feel this price increase from Meta plays right into Valve's hands.

I'd fully expect the Steam Frame to launch somewhere between $500-$1,000, and thanks to RAM shortages causing inflated prices, I'm no longer optimistic about which end of that scale it'll land on. I had no delusions that the Steam Frame would be more affordable than the Quest 3 or 3S headsets, so it was really a question in my mind of how much more expensive it would be.

In my eyes, the smaller the price difference between those devices, the better Valve looks, because, for its more convenient gaming chops, it doesn't cost much more than the value and budget options from Meta that don't have the same sort of Steam integrations.

With this price change, Meta is essentially going to make Valve look like a better alternative to folks who can afford to stretch their budgets. Then again, I don't think Zuck's Reality Labs workforce has much choice but to play to the current market conditions. Not only have layoffs been a public-facing speedbump for Meta, but mounting pressure over social media regulations, lawsuits, and a shift away from a pricey Metaverse strategy is leaving the Quest hardware more exposed than ever as a form of revenue.

$50 and $100 price increases aren't massive, and they certainly don't make too much of a difference in the buying decisions of a lot of gamers in the VR market (until Valve gives us an update, at least). The Quest 3 and 3S are still some of the best value options after these price hikes, although I do wonder how it'll impact deals and discounts as the year goes on. With other VR brands like Pimax and Pico looking at the higher-end VR market, Meta remains one of the more affordable options.

For more on VR, check out the best Meta Quest accessories and the best Meta Quest deals.

When the Meta Quest 3S launched, it was bundled with a true system-seller, a VR Batman game. I must admit, I was hesitant at first. Something about the thought of slowly gliding through a cityscape in fully immersive VR gave me motion sickness without even putting the headset on my face. But the game was received well, and the Quest 3S arrived in the best VR headset arena all the better for it.

But here's the strange bit. The Batman Arkham Shadow bundle was really only meant to be a launch bundle. Meta's previous launch bundle, the Asgard's Wrath 2 bundle for the full-fat Quest 3, only really lasted a year, but somehow, you can still find the Arkham Shadow bundle on the shelves.

If memory serves, I remember seeing a notice from Meta last year that, despite an extension, the Arkham Shadow bundle would be discontinued. In fairness, it is harder to find these days, and if you opt for the 128GB model of the Quest 3S at Best Buy, you'll need to pay more than its $299 MSRP. To me, that signals that it's probably not in production anymore, and retailers are just trying to shift the last of their stock.

For that reason, I'm surprised to see the 256GB model of the Arkham bundle below the $399 mark. Surely, if it's getting rarer, the price might start to go up? If I were you, and I was still desperate to kick off my VR game collection, I'd grab this offer from Best Buy while I could.

The truth is, we really never know how "limited" a limited edition from Meta is going to be. Remember the launch Meta Quest 3? The 128GB model that now no longer exists because it was discontinued after the launch of the Quest 3S? Or how about the Xbox Edition of the Quest 3S, which is all but gone now, and doesn't show any signs of returning despite being a pretty reasonable deal.

Where I'd draw the line with the remaining Arkham Shadow bundled Quest 3S headsets is their price. I wouldn't personally recommend paying more than MSRP for the bundle, because the whole idea is that you're getting the game at no extra cost. If you need to pay anything extra on top of the headset for the game, maybe question it. The game can still be bought on the Quest store, so before you buy, definitely check to see whether you can get the bundle, or the headset and the game separately for cheaper.

Either way, the Quest 3S is an excellent route into VR gaming. It's maybe one of the best (and one of the only) budget VR headsets ever made. For its more affordable price tag over the 512GB of the Meta Quest 3, you get the same processor and many of the same great specs and features, and of course, the same library of apps and games. If you've already owned a VR headset, I'd be more inclined to recommend that you opt for the Pancake lens-having Quest 3, since you'll appreciate the increased area of focus.

Either that, or wait and see what price the Steam Frame will cost, so you can know for sure that you're getting the correct headset going forward for your budget.

You could also take a look at the best Meta Quest accessories, and more of the best Meta Quest deals and bundles.

It would appear Meta isn't done laying off more of its workforce as it shifts focus from creating the Metaverse to AI. It's been reported by multiple outlets that the company is making cuts across multiple departments, including Facebook, sales, recruiting, and its VR division, Reality Labs. But while that happens, it seems Meta isn't actually done trying to make the best VR headsets yet.

At GDC this month, Meta's director of games, Chris Pruett said, "Our investment in Meta Quest and games for Quest remains very high.

"We've a lot going on – new hardware, new audiences, new games. And though we have some welcome competition, Meta remains the biggest investor in VR in the world by a large margin," reports GamesIndustry.Biz.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the fresh round of layoffs told the press: "Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they’re in the best position to achieve their goals. Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted".

This all follows an initial round of layoffs at Reality Labs in January, during which Meta closed its three biggest game development studios that made Deadpool VR, Asgard's Wrath, and Resident Evil 4 VR.

It's definitely amber and red flags all over the shop for Meta's future in VR at the moment. It seems as though the big seller Zuckerberg's company wants to chase is its smart glasses, not necessarily the Quest headsets we know and love. The company's CEO even told investors at the start of the year that Reality Labs would be focusing on "glasses and wearables" from now on in an attempt to "make VR a profitable ecosystem over the coming years". But new Meta Quest headsets do seem to be on the way; they could just be taking a very different approach from the Quest 3 and 3S.

Rumors I reported on earlier in the week seem to suggest the next Quest headset will use Micro-OLED displays, which are a lot pricier than Meta's previous norm of LCD displays. This would put the upcoming Quest 4 or Quest Pro 2 in line with more luxurious spatial computing devices like Apple Vision Pro, GalaxyXR, or Pico's upcoming Project Swan.

But then again, as GamesIndustry.Biz reports, Pruett seemed to have an optimistic outlook when delivering his talk at GDC when touching on the recent Horizon Worlds controversy: "The cycle of experiment-learn-adjustment is typical for Meta. We are cautious not to make assumptions we cannot prove, and when our assumptions are disproved, we change course.

"But it's also important for our developer community to understand that we are listening, and their feedback on this particular aspect of our store played a significant role in our decision making."

The VR market for gaming definitely seems to be in a bit of a limbo phase right now. While we anxiously await the arrival of the Steam Frame, which could give the entire sector an uplift, bigger players like Meta and PlayStation aren't exactly giving clear-cut signs of doubling down.

It's amber and red flags for PC gamers at the moment too. Check out the best RAM for gaming, the best SSD for gaming, and the best CPU for gaming.

It's definitely seemed in recent months like Meta might be pulling back from the affordable end of the VR market. There have been layoffs and studio closures within its Reality Labs division, controversies around Horizon Worlds support, and all the while, the Steam Frame is eagerly waiting in the wings to steal the attention of gamers looking for the best VR headsets.

Now, rumors are swirling around Meta's next VR headset using micro-OLED displays that would put it in the same league as the Apple Vision Pro, Samsung Galaxy XR, and upcoming Pico Project Swan headset. All of those headsets cost a substantially larger sum than the brand's existing Meta Quest 3S and even Meta Quest 3 devices, with price tags well over the $1,000 and even $3,000 mark.

This could be the biggest telltale sign so far that Meta is changing its approach to consumer VR. Micro-OLED displays are pricey, and although PSVR 2 managed to keep that display tech in without a $1,000 price tag, it did so without any onboard processing power, which isn't the type of device Meta creates.

The rumors come from a Chinese VR news outlet (by way of UploadVR), which reported that a micro-OLED display-making brand (aptly) named SeeYA Technology is trying to clear existing supply in order to meet the manufacturing demands of Meta's next headset, which is codenamed Pheonix.

This is all very loose conjecture to take with a pinch of salt at the moment, but rumors around Project Phoenix of late do hint at it being a more premium product than the approachable Quest 3 range.

Meta/Oculus has always used LCD display tech in its headsets, and since the arrival of the Vision Pro, any headset using Micro-OLEDs has been targeting a much more premium spatial computing market with a higher price tag, which gets me thinking.

But for years now, I've been hearing from VR brands and people in the sector that Meta has been selling the Quest 3 devices at a loss, and with the proclaimed failure of its Metaverse strategy, it wouldn't surprise me as a VR headset reviewer if Meta now wanted to switch up its strategy. Now that it's switching to an AI-first mentality and isn't looking to get VR hardware on the faces of as many people as possible, could a more premium price tag seem more alluring?

The Steam Frame still doesn't have a price, and while I don't think it'll cost upwards of $1,000 if the RAMpocalypse doesn't impact it too much, I do think it'll be more expensive than the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S. It's confirmed to use LCD displays, so it definitely won't be trying to compete with the visual fidelity of Apple, Samsung, and Pico.

Until now, Meta's been the brand in my mind to try and undercut the rest of the VR competition, but I think we've seen in recent times that a headset that flies too close to he $1,000 mark hasn't taken off with gamers. For example, the HTC Vive Focus Vision has all the specs and features to capture the interest of PC gamers, but its $999 price tag has left it in a league of its own.

Meta could be the first brand to offer a standalone headset with micro-OLED displays for a reasonable price, but I'd be surprised since the cost of this technology has been slow to come down in price in the last decade when it comes to larger displays like TVs and monitors.

Meta might be adamant that it isn't getting out of VR and VR gaming, but closing down its three major game development studios is a pretty clear sign to me that gaming won't be as big a priority for what's to come. If Meta leans into spatial computing like these other brands are, it leaves the door open even wider for Valve to score an open goal with the Steam Frame. Yes, PSVR 2 is still around, but PlayStation doesn't seem as intent on making that the mainstay it could be.

A lot will hinge on the eventual pricing announcement for the Steam Frame, but if the RAM prices haven't impacted it too much, it could be the headset for gamers to invest in as time goes on.

If you're interested in VR, check out the best Meta Quest accessories, the best RAM for gaming, and the best gaming PCs.

One of my biggest pet peeves with the Meta Quest 3 and 3S is that their controllers take AA batteries and don't charge via USB-C. They also run out of battery constantly, seemingly while you aren't even using them, and it's a total pain coming back to your VR headset for the first time in a while and finding your controllers are dead.

I got so sick of that issue, especially because I had no other means of recharging some AA batteries, that I had to shoot for a more elegant solution. PrismXR's charging stand was the path I walked down, and I'm so glad I did. Not only does it charge and store my headset away neatly when I'm not using it, but it keeps my controllers powered up for the next time I need them. The best Meta Quest accessories are supposed to make a product like the Quest 3 better, and this definitely does by negating one of my pet peeves.

I really love the convenience of the PrismXR D1 Carina charging stand. Compared to a lot of other Meta Quest accessories that aim to charge and display your headset and controllers, this one does so neatly, without being too space-hungry with a wide stand, or one that's too high and won't fit on a shelf.

Not only that, but it comes with the specific parts you need to keep your controllers charged with your headset. In the box, you'll find some magnetic battery covers for your controllers that are easy to snap into place. Combine that with the included AA rechargeable batteries, and you've got a set of controllers that feels brand new. They'll now magnetically attach to the charging stand underneath your headset and will be ready to go for your next session.

All that, and it's technically not even the main draw of this product. There are no awkward wires or faff to keeping your headset on PrismXR's charging dock either. It utilizes the magnetic pins on the bottom of your headset to keep the battery topped up, so it really is a case of just placing the headset down and picking it up. Well, mostly.

There's solid clearance for you if you use an Elite head strap - I've tested this charging station with two different types. But it can make placing the headset down onto those pins a bit more of a headache, and I learned the hard way that if you don't put it down exactly so that there's a strong connection, the charging stand will beep at you... a lot.

Once you figure that out though, this might be one of the best Meta Quest 3 charging stands out there. While its current discount isn't massive, it's already cheaper than some of the more flamboyant head straps and charging stands you'll find at Amazon. I think it's pretty good value, and it's serving me just fine months after reviewing it.

If you're happy with flatscreen gaming for now, you might want to invest in one of the best PC controllers, one of the best gaming PCs, or the best gaming laptops instead.

Questioning whether the Steam Machine will arrive this year is seemingly getting on Valve's nerves, as it just reaffirmed that it's coming in 2026. In fact, the gaming PC giant now finds itself spelling things out for all of us who are wondering if RAMageddon will push the mini console rig hybrid back, and I really respect them for setting the record straight.

The fresh speculation regarding the Steam Machine's release date was sparked by a blog post on Friday. While the update didn't specifically mention any delays or changes beyond what was mentioned in February's FAQ, The Verge interpreted “we hope to ship in 2026” as a shift in launch expectations. The response to these reports? Well, Valve awkwardly got back to the outlet with a “nothing has actually changed on our end,” while tweaking the blog to say “we will be shipping all three products this year” (the Steam Frame VR headset, Machine, and controller).

For what it's worth, I really like how Valve is handling the Steam Machine and Steam Frame situation. Yes, I'd prefer a solid release date, and a heads-up whether the box will be affordable would be ace. However, the company has been quick to provide general updates and prevent anyone from getting the wrong end of the stick, and I feel like it could have just left us waiting for a solid update instead.

There is admittedly a tiny sceptic in me that's itching to tie this update to Microsoft's Xbox Project Helix announcement. I don't really think Valve felt compelled to reassure us all that its hardware is still coming this year, but the next-gen console is basically being pitched as a Steam Machine rival. I know I'm going to annoy specific people out there saying that, but we're talking about another device targeted at console gamers that apparently runs PC games. If it looks like a duck, runs Steam games like a duck, then well, y'know, quack quack.

Of course, it's still worth acknowledging how much RAM shortages and AI demand for components are disrupting the hardware scene. Not only is Valve's Steam Deck OLED currently out of stock, but it's getting harder to find other best gaming handheld contenders, traditional rigs, and even mainstream consoles like the PS5 for a reasonable price.

All that aside, though, it feels like Valve is really trying to keep our Steam Machine craving spirits up. I wouldn't want to be in any hardware maker's position in 2026, trying to launch what should be an ordinary piece of consumer tech in a world that's trading the needs of consumers for the demands of a massive water-guzzling data centre that can paraphrase what's already on the internet rather than, well, running PC games at 4K 60fps in your living room.

• More mini PCs at Amazon
• Steam Deck accessories at Amazon

Already got Valve's handheld? Swing by the best Steam Deck docks for ways to turn your portable into a console.

Pico has teased its new flagship XR headset, saying that it's gearing up for launch in 2026. That's a bold claim, because right now the VR market feels like it's in full anticipation mode for the arrival of Valve's Steam Frame headset, which has been delayed due to RAM shortages. Surprisingly, though, while Pico's previous VR headsets have felt like gaming-tilted competition to Meta, Pico's new Project Swan feels a lot more Apple Vision Pro coded.

Everything about Pico's developer special event felt like it was trying to emulate the hype of the Apple Vision Pro and Samsung GalaxyXR, actually. The initial teaser images feel eerily similar to both of those brands, and the majority of the event looked into Pico OS6, which has fancy XR features like automatically adapting to the light in your surroundings.

If the Apple Vision Pro and GalaxyXR are anything to go by, that likely means Pico's next headset won't be a rival to the Meta Quest 3 or even the Steam Frame, simply because high-fidelity micro-OLED displays usually mean a much higher price tag. So far, we don't have an inclination of price from Pico itself.

"For the last three years, we have been engineering a new flagship device," said Jiesi Ma, head of OS product at Pico.

"The goal of Project Swan is to break through the bottlenecks of XR. If this device is going to replace your monitor, you need to see text perfectly", he said. He went on to detail the aim of achieving a pixel density level of 40 - which trounces the 25PPD of the Meta Quest 3. Project Swan will do this by utilizing reengineered Micro-OLED displays and a custom optical design. Pico hasn't said yet whether this is Pancake lenses or a new system entirely.

Talking more about the processing power needed for these kinds of optics, Ma then said, "At every step, we must meet the rigorous demands of {the} human visual system. Standard software and hardware cannot keep up. So in 2022, we committed to designing our own custom silicon. We built an XR chip specifically for mixed reality."

Pico's Silicon will purportedly minimize system latency to 12ms, which Pico says is the difference between feeling like you're seeing something on a screen and feeling like it's real.

Project Swan won't solely rely on Pico's own processor though. It'll have a dual chip design with an as of yet unnamed "Flagship SoC" that supposedly doubles the graphical and computational power of the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 (the processor used in the Pico 4 Ultra and Meta Quest 3 devices).

I'm certainly impressed by the specs and features Pico is teasing for Project Swan, but I was personally hoping the market would step away from this trend of "spatial computing", high-end, mixed-reality devices. For me, gaming is the true appeal of VR, and when a Vision Pro or GalaxyXR essentially wants you to replace so much of the technology you already have in your home for a $1,000+ investment, this type of headset isn't the most practical against the gaming ones that cost far less.

While Pico's shift away from a gaming-first strategy plays into Valve's hands, I don't think the Steam Frame is completely out of the woods yet. Just last week, I wrote about how the longer Valve waits to launch its new headset, the more other brands in this space will try to sweep up its hype. VirtualDesktop has already enabled foveated streaming on any and all eye-tracking headsets with access to its app, which will almost certainly be a boon for Pico's Project Swan.

Ma hasn't said when in 2026 the headset will launch, but did say that the company is in "the final stages of bringing this device to you". Interestingly, no mention was given to RAM shortages making manufacturing more difficult, and I'd be interested to know whether or not this has changed Pico's plans for Project Swan.

On another note, Samsung's GalaxyXR headset is yet to arrive in the UK, and seeing as Pico doesn't service the US, this type of high-end headset could be an interesting gap in the market for Pico to fill.

With no more word on when Valve will launch the Steam Frame, I'll be eagerly watching the finish line to see who can get their device out first.

Not done reading? Check out the best Meta Quest accessories, Meta Quest 3 vs Pico 4 Ultra, and the best gaming PCs.

RAMpocalypse be damned, PSVR 2 has returned to its lowest-ever price. While other computing tech and gaming hardware struggles to stay at MSRP, (or launch at all, in the case of the Steam Frame), Sony's VR headset is laughing at them all. It's dropped back to its lowest-ever price, which is going to be all the more tempting for folks who are awaiting launch and pricing news for Valve's upcoming visor.

It's hard to believe PSVR 2 launched at a higher cost than the PS5 it was designed to work alongside. Since its permanent price drop to $399, it's been an absolute steal in the VR gaming market, even giving the Meta Quest 3 headsets a run for their money in terms of features per dollar. We've seen it drop to $299 at Walmart and Amazon before, but if I'm not mistaken, this is the first time in 2026 it's received this deep a discount.

Of course, PSVR 2 can afford to drop in price while all the standalone headsets struggle due to RAM shortages. Reason being, PSVR 2 doesn't have any processing power or memory within the headset itself. Instead, it relies on the console or PC you hook it up to. It's essentially a very technically gifted display, as opposed to a computing device of its own.

In fact, PlayStation's architecture this generation is particularly futureproofed for the RAM-pocalypse, as even the PS5 shares RAM between its GPU and CPU. While that console still may come under fire from AI-induced memory shortages, it has less of a problem to solve than gaming PCs do.

And although I said it earlier today with news of Virtual Desktop opening up one of Steam Frame's most unique features to other headsets, the VR market isn't slowing down to wait for Valve. The Steam Frame could be a massive turning point in the industry if it's priced correctly, but while Valve is silent about the cost and launch date, other manufacturers have the opportunity to steal its thunder.

PSVR 2 being $100 off certainly seems as though it's trying to steal a market share. Like I said back in December (when we last saw PSVR 2 drop to this price), I highly doubt Steam Frame will be more affordable than this.

In my opinion, when it comes to gaming specs and features, PSVR 2 is far superior to the Meta Quest 3, so besides the part of me that wants to wait and see how the Steam Frame eventually compares, there's no hesitancy with me recommending you Sony's micro-OLED headset right now. If you have a PS5 or a gaming PC to link it up with, this is honestly one of the best VR headsets money can buy - especially when its $100 more affordable.

Navigating the RAMpocalypse? Check out the best gaming PCs, the best RAM for gaming, and the best CPU for gaming.

We're still awaiting confirmation from Valve on when its new Steam Frame VR headset will land on the shelves. Although it was initially slated for an "early 2026" launch along with the new Steam Machine and Controller, the global memory shortage due to AI is wreaking havoc on the company's plans.

I fully appreciate that launching a new headset right now would mean a catastrophic price of the Steam Frame, and nobody wants that. But while Valve stalls, the rest of the industry is making moves. Virtual Desktop, probably the most popular streaming app that links VR headsets with PCs, has just been issued with a new update that snipes one of the Steam Frame's coolest features.

As of update 1.34.16 of Virtual Desktop, every VR or XR headset on the shelves that can utilize eye-tracking can now use foveated streaming when gaming through the app. That means that GalaxyXR, Meta Quest Pro, and the upcoming Pimax Dream Air will all be able to stream high-res detail straight to where your eyeballs are looking, which was one of the cool twists I was looking forward to with Valve's Steam Frame.

It really does feel as though Valve is between a rock and a hard place with the Steam Frame in particular. Yes, the mini PC market is moving in on the appeal of the Steam Machine too, but VR headsets are, to a certain extent, a live entity. Standalone devices get updated regularly, and that means the Meta Quest 3 headsets and others like the Pico 4 Ultra can all make themselves more appealing while the Steam Frame suffers delays.

Right enough, the Quest 3 and Pico 4 Ultra don't have eye-tracking, so they're not going to gain from this particular foveated streaming bonus, but these devices are already priced accessibly, and the longer Valve waits, the higher the chance of them encroaching on other aspects while remaining at a lower price. If other headsets can use foveated streaming and, like the Frame, stream 2D games directly with that kind of eye-tracking ability, or link to a third-party controller, why bother waiting for the Steam Frame? Especially if its price is likely going to be higher due to the RAMpocalypse.

A prime example: hand-tracking wasn't really a big focus of the Meta Quest 3 until Apple Vision Pro revealed it wouldn't even have controllers. Then, Meta diverted more attention to its own version of hand tracking, and now it's a way that so many people use the XR menus on its headsets. As the Vision Pro cost $3,500 and the Quest 3 was under $500, it became a clear choice which headset had stolen the hype. The VR market is very competitive, so if it wants to avoid other headsets stealing the glory, Valve can't afford to wait too long.

Maybe I'm being too nervous because I'd love to see the Steam Frame be the VR market's Steam Deck moment, but I do feel like now that we have a clear idea of how Valve was planning to ignite more mainstream interest in this type of gaming, the rest of the market is free to benefit while we wait for launch.

For more on VR, take a look at the best Meta Quest accessories, the best PSVR 2 deals, and the best Meta Quest deals.

If you've tried pairing your everyday set of wireless earbuds with the Meta Quest 3 or 3S, you'll immediately understand my frustration. Sure, you'll be able to pair, connect, and listen to music or watch a YouTube video without any problems, but the second you try to play a VR game, a latency plague will absolutely kill the experience. While there are loads of Meta Quest accessories out there, it doesn't feel like there are nearly enough trying to solve this issue.

Yes, the Quest 3 and 3S have excellent integrated speakers that fire inward and really mitigate a lot of the need for earbuds, but if you don't want noises from your environment and you want to be completely immersed in one of VR's many horror or social games, I don't blame you for wanting to use earbuds or a headset.

If your regular Bluetooth earbuds aren't going to cut it, the next best option is to go for some of the best gaming earbuds that shoot for low-latency, but those can run you back a small fortune if you buy from SteelSeries, Sony, or Razer. I've finally found the perfect solution, and it comes from PrismXR. The Vega T1 earbuds have solved every issue I had with the Quest 3's audio connectivity, and for only $69.99/£69.99, they're flirting with your bank account versus the competition.

Design

If you're gaming in one of the best VR headsets, you already have enough assaulting your senses and putting extra weight on your head, so comfort is going to be very important. You can tell PrismXR has really thought about this when it comes to the design of the Vega earbuds because they feel really lightweight and sit super comfortably in my ears. Unlike more intrusive in-ear solutions like the Razer Moray in-ear monitors, these hang down without feeling like they're applying for a mortgage in your Eustachian tube.

Available in Black and White colorways, these earbuds come in a fairly standard pillbox charging case. Functionally, it works the same as any other wireless earbuds case - charge the case with USB-C, it'll store power and charge your buds.

I do take some issues with PrismXR's case though. It's a circular puck shape, and while the PrismXR logo on its top gives it some really nice character, it's pretty tough to immediately find the opening hinge when you pick it up or take it out of your pocket. The USB-C port does act like a signpost when you learn to look for it, but it's not the most intuitive bit of design work, and almost every time I've gone to use these buds, I've fumbled around like a drunk pirate trying to open his compass.

Features

When you open the case though, you won't just see two earbuds in there; you'll also find a small USB-C dongle. This is the secret to PrismXR's success. While normal Bluetooth connectivity you'd expect from wireless earbuds is present, a USB-C dongle means you can hook these up to a VR headset, gaming PC, or console and get latency-free audio as well.

The dongle even has a handy passthrough USB-C port, which is literally a godsend, seeing as we as humans apparently can't decide on a standard USB-C dongle shape. I can't tell you how many of these things I've slotted into a PC just to find that they block other USB ports, or the only other USB-C bay I have available (looking at you, SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2). A passthrough port for the Quest 3 means you'll be able to plug in your battery-expanding headstrap, a link cable, or this brand's nifty charging belt while wired for sound.

There isn't any ANC here, unfortunately, which really could have helped the Vega earbuds be even better for general use. The same goes for a companion app, which could have been really useful for controlling sound profiles and the like. You do get a microphone on either bud though, and there's even a way of connecting both Bluetooth and USB sources simultaneously.

The Vega earbuds do feature some basic touch controls, but these really aren't a strength. There's no obvious touchpad to aim for, and when I've tried to pause or play music when connected to my phone, it's been very, very inconsistent. Thankfully, there are some replacement rubber eartips included in the box to offer people with varying ear canal sizes a chance to get the right fit.

Performance

The moment of truth came when I was standing on the conductor's podium in MaestroVR. A few months prior, I had been testing out two different sets of wireless earbuds with the Quest 3 and had no joy due to latency. No matter, here I was. I tapped the baton on the podium, raised my arms, and on command, the virtual orchestra in front of me began playing Duel of the Fates. To my delight, they were in time, my swings were in time with them, and I could enjoy the game in even more immersive musical glory. No more playing Caravan and wanting to throw a chair at the drummer (yes, exactly like Whiplash).

Using that USB dongle, these earbuds are perfect for VR. There's no latency, and even when playing through Steamlink, the connection was really simple - my PC defaulted to using them as their go-to audio source because I even heard a few Slack message notifications pop in while conducting.

Native games on the Quest 3 also sounded great. Pistol Whip was much, much easier than it was a few months back since its pseudo-rhythm mechanics are very hard to master when you're a bullet or two behind a bass drop. The white noise of Powerwash Sim in VR was tranquil and again had no latency issues.

Steamlink was really going to be the biggest test for PrismXR's earbuds, because my worry was that even if they could handle native Quest game audio without latency, there might be a bit of a drag when streaming from a PC. I didn't find that was the case, and from now on, I'll be using these earbuds whenever I want more immersive audio than the headset can give me through its speakers.

I'm happy to say that practicality isn't the only strong suit here. I also did plenty of testing of these earbuds as a Bluetooth device connected to my phone, and as a non-VR gaming solution on PC. Playing Towerfall Ascension and Hunt: Showdown on PC went well - I felt as though I was getting a fine mix of bombastic soundtrack in the former and the subtleties of footsteps and ringing ears (in-game) from explosions in the latter. I'd gladly use these for sweatier, competitive gaming sessions in Hunt outwith testing, so I do think PrismXR's earbuds hold a lot of value for money if you're looking to consolidate your gaming audio across different platforms. I know I'll be using them from now on when I take my Asus ROG Ally X on the go with me.

Where I think audiophiles may disagree with me is when recommending PrismXR's buds as a general-use set for music. Having just reviewed the EarFun Air Pro 4, I did feel like these PrismXR buds (which have clearly been designed for gaming first and foremost) do sound a little bass-heavy. Without that added noise cancelling on top, it also feels like some detail in more treble-tilted soundscapes is missing.

Don't get me wrong, the quality here is actually a lot better than I thought it'd be for a $70 pair of earbuds that are this versatile. Out on a walk, I was able to enjoy loads of different musical genres with these in; they just didn't quite sing in the same way that EarFun's similarly priced buds did. Perhaps that speaks more to the amazing quality of that brand's APTX buds for the money.

Should you buy the PrismXR Vega T1 earbuds?

I've been pleasantly surprised by PrismXR's Vega earbuds. It'd be so easy for the low-latency features to be a crutch for them to lean on, since there are so few options on the shelves that can match them. But not once did I feel I had to accept sub-par audio quality in the name of it arriving at my eardrums on time. The Vega earbuds sound great and have a lot of versatility that lends them to wider use and gaming scenarios on other platforms.

Instead of staring down the barrel of a pricey $179 purchase for SteelSeries' gamebuds, or a $100+ buy for Razer's equivalent, I think PrismXR is an excellent choice. There are definitely features and a few perks missing if you want a general-use set of earbuds that will satiate the needs of an audiophile, but gamers looking for snappy audio that arrives when it needs to won't miss much.

How I tested the PrismXR Vega T1 earbuds

I used the PrismXR earbuds as my go-to wireless earbuds for around a week before writing this review. That means that besides VR gaming, I used them for listening to music on the go, and gaming on PC in non-VR. I, of course, used them for VR gaming too, connecting them to the Meta Quest 3 for native play and Steamlink gameplay.

I used the GamesRadar+ hardware team's testing playlist to put them through their musical paces too.

For more on how we test, take a look at the GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

For more on gaming audio, check out the best computer speakers, the best gaming headsets, and the best wireless gaming headsets.

If you've been at all interested in VR, you may have heard of the Virtuix Omni One. It's been in the works for the last decade, going from proof of concept to a fully fledged VR treadmill designed to give people the absolute last word in immersive gaming at home. Now, its maker is joining the Made for Meta program, meaning it could see easy compatibility with the best VR headsets in the not-too-distant future.

If you haven't caught any word about the Virtuix Omni One until now, and you're scratching your head as to what a "VR treadmill" could actually be, maybe take a look at the trailer below to get yourself up to speed.

It's pretty much as it sounds - strapping into a harness, you connect your VR headset to it, put on some fancy slippers, and from then on, you can walk and move around as you actually would in a game, supposedly simulating the physical sensations of walking and running around the virtual environment in front of your eyes.

It's been a big 2026 for Virtuix so far, as the company went public shortly before this deal with Meta was announced. Now trading on Nasdaq, Virtuix seems to be delving deeper into the consumer VR world as well as defence contracting, which I can understand - the Omni One looks like a natural fit for combat simulations.

"Looking ahead, we believe our ‘dual-use’ strategy of supplementing high-volume consumer sales with high-margin defense contracts positions us for achieving continued growth and creating long-term value for our shareholders,” said Virtuix CEO Jan Goetgeluk.

Until now, Virtuix has partnered with the enterprise wing of Pico, one of the biggest rivals of Meta's Quest devices. Joining the Made for Meta program now means that it'll become an official Meta Quest accessory, along with head straps, ear buds, battery packs, and more that are already on the shelves. This should mean that simple compatibility is on the way for the standalone Quest 3 and Quest 3S devices. At the moment, gamers have to use a PCVR headset to link up to the Omni, or use a compatible Pico 4 Ultra Enterprise headset.

On the new partnership with Meta, Goetgeluk said, "Joining the Made for Meta program expands our addressable market to millions of active Quest users who already own and love their VR headset and games library.

"We look forward to collaborating with Meta as we continue to scale our consumer business and bring our immersive, full-body gaming experience to a mass audience."

As futuristic and exciting as the Omni One treadmill is, I do have reservations about how it's going to land with consumers. Fancy VR tech like this is a true novelty, but it's hardly practical to have in your home unless you plan on making a VR loadout a mainstay. The Omni One has been referred to as a Peleton for VR gamers, and it will take up a significant amount of space in any room of a house.

Not only that, it'll set you back a small fortune, too. The Omni One costs $3,495 if it's bought with one of the compatible Pico 4 Ultra headsets. Even without a headset bundled in, it's an eye-watering $2,595 / £2,795. Even with financing options and payment plans available, that's more than you would need to pay to get a high-end gaming PC that would really let you get the most out of it.

Reservations about how an expensive accessory like this will perform with a wider net of consumers aside, I do think this partnership is a win for VR. This type of partnership will result in more VR treadmills in the wild, which will hopefully begin to bring the price of them down, and more developers to design for them. If there's an untapped market there, more hardware brands could come to develop their own versions.

Looking to get the most out of your VR headset? Also see the best RAM for gaming, the best CPU for gaming, and the best GPU for gaming.

Valve has just shared a much-needed update on the arrival and pricing of its new wave of hardware. The Steam Frame, Steam Controller, and Steam Machine release date were all slated for an early 2026 window, but it's just been revealed in a blog post that the brand isn't ready to share pricing and specific launch details yet due to the ongoing RAM supply shortages and price apocalypse.

This knock-on effect was expected by many, I think. While it might not be having such a big impact on the VR headset world, the AI-induced memory and storage market upheaval is projected to continue until at least 2028, and it's already wreaking havoc on the gaming PC world. The latest rumors even suggest that the next generation of Sony and Microsoft consoles could be delayed as a result.

All that to say, we still don't know a specific price and release date for Valve's Steam Frame, but we do know the brand is still on track to deliver a launch in the first half of 2026.

I think there's nothing more vital for the Steam Frame's success than its price. Meta may be taking a backward step from the VR gaming sphere, but its Quest 3 and 3S devices are still some of the most feature-rich and affordable headsets ever made. That gives the Steam Frame some serious competition out of the gate, and by all accounts, Meta has been selling the Quest 3 headsets at a loss in an attempt to get the Metaverse within people's grasp until now.

That likely makes things very tricky for Valve when it comes to pricing the Steam Frame, even without RAM inflation to contend with. But despite everything, part of me still thinks that if the chips fall correctly, Valve's headset could have the same impact on the VR gaming market as the brand's Steam Deck had on the handheld gaming world back in 2022.

Now, before you call me a Valve shill, hear me out. I'm aware that the VR market is a volatile one, as we've seen already in a still-young 2026 with Meta laying off a big chunk of its Reality Labs workforce. But I do think the VR market is in a similar place to the handheld market back in 2021.

In recent times, you've had brands like Apple, PlayStation, and Samsung show that there is a mainstream demand for this type of technology, but its pricing is a continual barrier. Meta comes along and makes things more affordable but with a pretty keen eye on exclusivity for its platform, and a larger audience suddenly appears. For me, that's like Nintendo laying the groundwork for a revitalised handheld market with the original Switch.

What happened next? Valve came along and made that type of gaming even more appealing to PC gamers with the Steam Deck, pricing it accessibly, and providing an alternative to the drawback of the Switch - its Nintendo exclusivity.

VR isn't as well-established as handheld gaming, but I think there are a lot of similarities here that Valve has likely picked up on.

You may be reading this thinking, "but every other news story about VR talks about how 'the death of VR gaming' is nigh". Funnily enough, similar things were said of handheld gaming before the Switch and Steam Deck came along. When the 3DS was discontinued, and PlayStation abandoned the Vita, everyone was hearing death knells.

Admittedly, the catch with all of this was that the Steam Deck was priced so affordably that it enticed people to try out a form of gaming they hadn't properly dabbled in for years. But it paid off; Steam Deck became the face of an emergent handheld PC market long after its release. We can see that Valve priced its handheld correctly because more premium options like the Rog Xbox Ally X feel completely unobtainable for most players.

While Nintendo laid the groundwork, Steam Deck reignited the current mass appeal we're seeing for best gaming handheld scene we see today, and the more I hear about the Steam Frame, the more excited I get about history repeating (if it's priced fairly).

In its new hardware blog, Valve shared updated pages that give us more details about the Steam Frame, Steam Machine, and Controller. The headset's page goes into detail about the differences between foveated rendering and streaming, gives us a closer look at the pancake lenses and speakers, and even details how its infrared LEDs can make tracking better in low-light scenarios.

Its controllers have TMR thumbsticks and a split-pad approach, which means playing non-VR games is going to be a big part of the headset's appeal. Not to mention, Steam has the biggest library of VR titles to support the device as soon as it launches - no problems with a lack of support here like there are with PSVR 2.

But once again, this all hinges on pricing. People are so quick to dismiss VR technology at this point that as soon as the Frame is outwith the reach of most people, it's going to be another HMD that never lived up to its potential because it won't reach the faces of enough gamers for the Steam Deck bug to spread.

No, that wasn't a subtle dig at the Apple Vision Pro.

As a VR gaming fan, I'm really excited for the arrival of the Steam Frame. With Meta seemingly withdrawing from the space (despite what its execs might be saying), Steam Frame could still become the headset to beat in the next five years.

For more on VR, take a look at the best Meta Quest accessories, and for more on RAM shortages, take a look at the best RAM for gaming, and the best gaming PCs.

Elite Head Straps for the Meta Quest 3 and 3S can run you up to $100 if you're not careful. There are legions of these head straps from smaller brands across Amazon and other e-tailers, but it's knowing who you can trust that makes things difficult. I've had Syntech on my radar for a while because I've been tracking the best Meta Quest accessories for years, but this brand usually specializes in smaller items like cases and cables.

A relatively unknown $50/£50 Elite head strap that flies under the radar versus BoboVR, KIWI Design, and Meta's own official one, this is an opportunity for Syntech to show up the competition as an underdog. With a removable battery pack and a stylish look that's reminiscent of the Apple Vision Pro, there's a lightweight and trendy appeal straight from the off.

Thankfully, it's got more than appearances working for it. There's a lot to like here, but I can't help but feel like Syntech's design is a little more complicated than it needs to be to really strike gold on the highly competitive Amazon shelves.

Design & Features

There are three core parts to the Syntech Elite Strap. The first is the standard halo ring that clips onto the sides of your Meta Quest 3 or 3S and loops around the back of your head. It's fitted with the standard tightening dial you'll find on a lot of VR headsets, as well as a cushion that supports the back of your noggin. Of course, there's also a strand of velcro that runs from the back, over the top, to the middle of the headset, which you can tighten and loosen as needed.

The second element of the Syntech strap is a grey, stretchy, velcro-covered strand that attaches to the sides of your device and goes over the top, forming a cross with the halo strap's velcro band. This part has a removable cushion that sits on the top of your head. Easy enough to understand it all, right? (not really).

The final component is a 10,000mAh battery pack that conveniently clips onto the back of the headstrap, complete with a fetching orange USB-C cable that connects it to your headset.

The dominant aspect of this head strap for me is the color of the secondary strap and that orange USB-C cable. It gives your Quest 3 a uniquely trendy, Apple Vision Pro look to it. Honestly, I like the design. Despite being a more complex head strap system than rival products, it has an identity to it, and hardly any opt for a splash of color like Syntech's does here.

Performance

Unfortunately, this three-part system does mean a slightly convoluted and confusing installation process. The whole thing comes with some assembly instructions, but the nature of having a slightly rigid halo strap, and then a bunch of velcro attachments that loop and fold over one another, just means the initial adjustment process can feel a bit clunky. The same feeling is there when you pick up the headset while Syntech's strap is installed. I'm never quite sure where to grab it from, because either strap will tip the headset in precarious directions.

There are pros and cons to this two-strap system. While wearing the headset, your head is braced both on top and at the back, which creates a really snug fit. It's so secure on your face - Blade and Sorcery and Pistol Whip both require erratic head movements, and my Quest 3 didn't feel like it was at risk of slipping off my head at any point during testing.

Surprisingly, nothing feels too tight either. Your head really does feel supported. On both the KIWI Design comfort strap and the PSVR 2's stock head strap, overtightening can lead to a bit of a headache thanks to a build-up of pressure around the top of your head. The upside of having two separate velcro straps is that there's loads of adjustability here to find the right shape.

The downside is that it can all feel a bit claustrophobic. In some ways, it's nice to feel totally immersed in your VR games, but I actually like a headstrap that allows me to see out of the bottom so I can still have some real-world situational awareness. Granted, while testing this head strap, I hadn't played Blade and Sorcery in a while, but I actually started getting a bit motion sick, and I wouldn't be surprised if the total blackout, secure fit this head strap gives me is potentially the reason why. Similarly, every time I put my headset on, that top cushion needs adjustment, and makes things more of an awkward squeeze.

I also found that, while you can adjust or remove that top head strap's cushioning, pressure is directed downward, which puts a lot of the weight of the Quest 3 directly on the bridge of my nose. Depending on your facial interface, that might not be an issue, but using the stock Quest 3 face cushion, my nose did feel like it was bearing the brunt of the head strap's weight.

If I had one wish here, it would be that the cushion for the back of the headset was the same kind of plush, soft padding that you get on top of your head. The rear cushioning feels a bit firmer, and it's covered in a less premium leatherette material than something like KIWI Design's. Comfort isn't an issue with Syntech's head strap though. I've been able to play plenty of lengthy sessions of Walkabout Mini Golf with it on, and although my hair-do is completely messed up by the end of it, I never feel like too much pressure or pain has made me want to come off the virtual links before hole 18.

And none of that makes mention of the handy battery pack provided with the head strap. You get a decent amount of power here, and I found mine essentially doubled the length of the Quest 3's life. That's impressive, and lasts just as long as the PrismXR charging belt. Unlike KIWI and other brands' head straps, this battery pack clips on, which means if it's recharging or you're not using it, you can take the extra weight off for a lighter feel. That's a design perk I wish more Elite straps thought about.

Should you buy the Syntech Elite Head Strap for Quest 3?

For $50, you get a really great deal with Syntech's Elite strap. Essentially, this is a modular head strap system that gives you a secure fit and loads of adjustability. The added battery life comes in handy, and the fact you can remove it if you prefer is a really nice touch.

Unfortunately, it does feel like a more complicated setup than other head straps, and the top cushion in particular can feel a bit intrusive. Thankfully, the design of this head strap is unique and gives your headset a bit more personality than the standard Meta eggshell white that most accessories try to match.

I wish the strap felt a bit more premium overall, or found a way of not putting so much pressure on my nose. But versus competitor head straps that cost $90 for a much heavier accessory with less adjustable parts, Syntech's definitely onto a value for money winner.

Looking to jazz up your PC VR loadout? Check out the best gaming PCs, the best RAM for gaming, and the best CPU for gaming.

Last week, Meta issued mass layoffs to its mixed reality workforce. Its three biggest VR game dev studios, the creators of Asgard's Wrath, Deadpool VR, and The Walking Dead 4 VR, were all disbanded, while wider Reality Labs employees lost their jobs. This led many onlookers to worry that, thanks to the Metaverse's failure, the brand's best VR headsets will now receive limited ongoing support.

Amidst all of this news, we've had a lack of official communication from Meta about where its VR ambitions lie from here on out. One employee, however, has broken silence on Twitter (X), which might hint at the future development of software for the Quest 3 devices.

Replying to a VR content creator who had pointed out the lack of comms from Meta, Dilmer Valecillos, Developer Advocate for the company, said, "I can tell you personally that we are not getting out of VR. I’ve been assigned to a team that is fully focused on VR programs and education."

Replying to a response that asked for more clarification on the statement above, he continued by saying, "I can’t speak to broader strategy, but my role and team are fully focused on VR. I genuinely love VR and wouldn’t be doing this work if I didn’t believe in its future."

It's hard to read past the winking emojis used in these brief exchanges. Is this a Meta employee in the know, hinting at something we don't know, or is this someone talking about a very small part of the wider Reality Labs workforce that doesn't apply to the VR gaming landscape? By his own admission, Valecillos can't actually speak to the broader strategy at the company.

When another reply asked if the ongoing development his team is doing involves games, Dilmer responded "Games and apps" with another winking face emoji.

It's worth noting that the "education" projects he's referring to could come under the umbrella of "gamified" experiences. This is becoming a more common use of VR headset tech, particularly by brands like HTC, which specialize more in enterprise headset uses for experiential events and training rather than consumer markets and gaming.

Personally, I'd take these Twitter responses with a pinch of salt and not read into them as anything official. With Meta issuing that many layoffs within its VR workforce, and shuttering arguably its biggest and most beneficial game dev studios, I think we can expect less support for us gamers on the official Meta Quest store with exclusive games.

It certainly seems as though Zuckerberg's company will be pivoting toward AI as 2026 continues. By all reports, the social media giant's collaboration with Ray-Ban to make smart glasses has been successful, so this could be the renewed focus of what's left of the Reality Labs workforce.

Meta's recent behaviour towards VR does tee up Valve to score somewhat of an open goal with its imminent Steam Frame though. Meta's standalone Quest 3 and 3S are arguably Valve's biggest mainstream competition at the moment, so it'll be interesting to see how the market plays out this year. Samsung also stands to gain from Meta pulling back from VR, since its Galaxy XR headset has recently hit the shelves and serves a similar purpose to the Apple Vision Pro and Meta's Quest devices.

For more, read up on the best Meta Quest accessories, the best gaming PC, and the best gaming PCs in the UK.

The imminent arrival of Valve's Steam Frame means the existing best VR headset rivals have a big fight on their hands in 2026, but instead of lacing up its gloves, it seems as though Meta is already backing away with its tail between its legs. Meta is issuing large-scale lay-offs to its Reality Labs gaming division, shuttering three studios that have made some of the publisher's biggest and most popular games for the Meta Quest 3, 3S, and Quest 2.

Twisted Pixel, the developer behind the recently launched Deadpool VR, has found itself in the line of fire. Sanzaru Games, the studio behind the Asgard's Wrath franchise, and Armature, which produced the widely loved VR port of Resident Evil 4, have also been closed, as reported by UploadVR.

For the last month or so, it's been clear that Meta's strategy is shifting away from the Metaverse (and thus, VR), as the global AI bubble continues to grow. Even though I've heard from a few folks in the industry that Meta is selling its Quest devices at a loss, I didn't expect the brand's shift to AI to mean a severe closure of some of its most successful gaming outfits - especially when the Steam Frame is about to try and steal a large part of its market share.

Asgard's Wrath 2 and Resident Evil 4 VR were bundled with the Quest 3 and Quest 2, respectively, arguably helping both headsets reach the mainstream popularity that they have. Meanwhile, Deadpool VR was released in November of 2025, but to my surprise, wasn't thrown into a new bundle with the Meta Quest 3 or 3S to help boost headset sales over the Holiday period.

This could still happen, but shuttering all three studios and, in the process, laying off hundreds of developers isn't an optimistic sign for the future of Meta's gaming plans for its Quest devices. Naturally, the majority of gaming support for this platform comes from linking to Steam or from third-party games on the Quest store.

In other words, regardless of what other outlets may love to report, this isn't even close to the death knell for VR gaming that some outlets have dubbed it.

In fact, I'd argue that Meta laying off three significant VR studios actually plays right into Valve's hands as it steers the market into its next phase.

Asgard's Wrath, Deadpool VR, and other homemade Quest games have all been exclusive to the Quest store, which means these games haven't appeared on Steam or been available to other VR headset owners. With the developers of these games now freed from their ties to one specific device, it's much more likely that should these developers find their feet at other studios or form new ones, their work will be available to a wider group of VR players across all headsets.

Speaking of which, the Steam Frame now has a much clearer route to market domination. If Meta is giving up the ghost on making its own VR games, it feels like a submission of any reason for gamers to buy a Quest 3 going forward. There is still tough competition out there from PSVR 2, the Pico 4 Ultra, along with HTC Vive and the new Samsung Galaxy XR headset, but PSVR 2 is the only other headset out there right now that prides itself on gaming alone.

Steam has access to countless VR experiences, which will likely entice plenty of gamers once it releases. PSVR 2 has a pretty limited VR game offering on the PlayStation store, but also has Steam VR support through its PC adapter, so it's clear that cutting out the middle man and going straight to Valve may be the best option for a lot of consumers from here on out.

For me, it's all going to hinge on the price of Valve's upcoming headset. The reason the Meta Quest 3 and 3S have been popular is due to accessible pricing, so if Meta can bridge the gap between pricey headsets and the mainstream gaming market that's never wanted to invest as heavily, while also showing the breadth of what's on its VR shelves, it's onto a winner.

For more, check out the best Meta Quest accessories, the best PSVR 2 bundles and deals, and the best gaming PCs.

One of the biggest surprises for me at CES this week is the collaboration between Asus and XREAL on a new set of high-end gaming glasses. The ROG XREAL R1 essentially puts a high-refresh-rate monitor on your face, giving you 240Hz, 1080p micro-OLED quality gaming you can take with you. As impressive as that sounds, my experience with other XR glasses really makes me wish this ambition was being channelled into a VR headset instead.

It wasn't all too long ago we were hearing rumblings about a new Asus VR headset that ran on Horizon OS, the same operating system as the Meta Quest 3 and 3S. As a VR lover, I was stoked. It's always felt to me like we need more options on the shelves, and an Asus visor that takes the efficient OS from Meta and tilts it more toward gaming specs is an exciting prospect.

It's since come out that Meta isn't as keen to share out its OS platform to other brands since it's become clear that the Metaverse has finally, officially failed. I have to admit though, Asus finding an alternative solution in the form of gaming glasses feels pretty disappointing.

Don't get me wrong, the idea of gaming glasses has always seemed appealing, and like the end goal of what VR headsets are trying to do. Portable handheld gaming is great, but if you're used to a high-refresh-rate display at home and you want some futuristic privacy in terms of what you're looking at, or better yet, a heads-up display like Tony Stark, a nifty pair of shades sounds terrific.

But in my experience, the technology isn't really there yet. I tried a pair of RayNeo Air 2 glasses last year, and not only were they awfully uncomfortable and unadjustable, but the way they integrated a virtual display into my environment was distracting, and didn't work nearly as seamlessly as on paper.

Now, to be fair, XREAL is a totally different brand. Its glasses could be a massive improvement, but all things considered, I'd rather use a phone screen, one of the best gaming handhelds, or just forgo gaming on the go and listen to some music with a set of earbuds.

While taking a full-scale VR headset like the Meta Quest 3S doesn't seem as sexy an alternative, I'd rather go on a flight with something that I know would work well and sit comfortably without giving me a headache.

To give XREAL and Asus some credit, the specs and features they've implemented in the R1 would definitely suggest that the technology is advancing. Namely, I love that you can pin your gaming display in place with these. Using the clever anchor mode on the R1 glasses, your virtual big screen can lock into a spot in your environment. There's also clever adaptive transparency, which will use the anchored screen to tint the lenses to let you focus on your gaming display. When you're looking away from the game, you'll have more transparent lenses so you can actually look around.

I love these features in particular, because one of my biggest issues with that previous pair of XREAL glasses was that the display projectors blocked a lot of my natural FOV, meaning I couldn't really use the glasses to walk around when I wasn't watching something on my phone or playing a game. The whole experience fell somewhere between peering through a medieval knight's helmet and giving myself a migraine.

Admittedly though, it's hard to knock a 240Hz refresh rate. For PC gamers, this could be a massive way to immerse themselves in flat-screen, cinematic gaming without opting for a VR headset like the upcoming Steam Frame.

And the glasses are supplied with Bose audio speakers to boot, which promise high-quality audio and will surely immerse you in a game without taking you completely out of your surroundings.

Like when I tested the RayNeo glasses though, I can't help but feel like there's still an air of pointlessness to this type of gadget. We humans have become pretty efficient at putting a screen where it's convenient to be seen. A phone isn't hard to look at, a laptop will sit on a table in front of you, a handheld gaming PC or a Switch 2 can move around as you want it to.

Yes, a 171-inch virtual screen powered by a dedicated X1 chip sounds great, but judging from the price of the XREAL Air 2 Ultra glasses, which cost about $700, you could get a VR headset or a decent gaming monitor, or both, for around the same amount of money.

Not to mention, to get the most out of these Asus glasses on most devices, you need to plug into a dock that'll then link up with your gaming platform of choice. It's great that you can plug in a DisplayPort cable straight from your GPU or an HDMI from a console for what I'm sure will be a lossless-ish picture quality. But I don't really see anyone buying a set of these sunglasses to replace their gaming monitor or TV they already have.

In fact, I was immediately turned off from the CES reveal demo for these glasses when the examples Asus and XREAL showed were someone anchoring their virtual display above their perfectly good gaming monitor, kicking back in a gaming chair, and playing on what is probably a worse display than the one directly in front of them.

Another scenario in the trailer showed someone at home, using the glasses on a couch to play their Xbox ROG Ally X - isn't the whole idea behind these glasses to take them on the go? I'm not sure the sound of a portable 1080p micro-OLED display is going to tempt me away from a 4K gaming monitor when I'm at home.

According to this press release, Asus launched the world's first 240Hz, 360Hz, and 540Hz gaming monitors. I'd really have loved to see that kind of ambition channelled into a VR headset designed for gaming. Imagine a higher-refresh VR headset than the 90-120Hz ones we have on PSVR 2 and Meta Quest 3, for example. I'm hoping to be proven wrong if I get to test a pair of Asus and XREAL's glasses out, but compared to a fully-fledged VR headset, this seems like a bit of a half-step.

If you're perfectly happy with the screens you have that don't sit on your face, check out the best gaming PCs, the best gaming PCs in the UK, and the best computer speakers.

I think Steam Frame has the potential to change the face of the VR gaming market. We've seen what the Steam Deck has done to the gaming handheld world, and we've already seen a resurgence of VR headsets in the mainstream thanks to devices from Apple, Meta, and arguably, Sony. But Steam Frame's impact all hinges on one thing: Price.

If Steam Frame is priced affordably, ie, under the $1,000 that Valve Index costs, there could be a real VR powerhouse on the way. Arguably, Valve needs to do a lot better than that with options like the Meta Quest 3S offering people a super-affordable alternative already. Not to mention the current leader for a pure VR gaming experience, PSVR 2, which is somehow still $100 cheaper nearly two weeks on from Black Friday.

A lot of rumours and leaks around Steam Frame would suggest it'll cost well over $500, which will no doubt bring a healthy dose of gamer rage to a social media platform near you in the not-too-distant future if true. We really don't know at this point what price the headset will target, but there are clear rivals already in play that Valve will no doubt be trying to compete with.

The Meta Quest 3 512GB model has been stubbornly priced at $499 this year, Pico 4 Ultra has enjoyed a few discounts down from its £529 price, and PSVR 2 has seemed newly affordable since its price permanently dropped to $399. I can see the Steam Frame taking on the Quest 3 in terms of price for sure, but I really don't think Valve will manage to push the cost of its new visor down to PSVR 2's current level.

So that prompts the question: Should you buy PSVR 2 now, or wait for Steam Frame to arrive? For my money, PSVR 2 could actually be a bigger rival to Steam Frame than the Quest 3 is. Meta's Quest headsets want to be more than gaming devices by offering mixed reality at a convenient price. PSVR 2 is a purebred gaming device, which is what Valve has cooked up too. There aren't color passthrough cameras on either device, but there are advanced controllers, features like foveated rendering, and an easy way to carry over games from an existing platform.

The cautious and sensible thing to do if you play on PC would be to wait and see what price of entry Valve is demanding in early 2026. But if you currently own and play games on a PS5, PSVR 2's current deal is a no-brainer.

Even if you do play on PC, I think there's plenty of reason to jump on a $100 PSVR 2 discount while you have the chance. Along with the PC Adapter, you'd spend a total of $350 on a PC-ready version of PSVR 2, and I think that's realistically ~$150 less than the cheapest potential cost for Steam Frame.

PSVR 2 offers a stunning gaming experience for its price, which I feel can often go forgotten with Meta's mixed reality options on the shelves next to it. If you don't mind one wire being involved and have no want for passthrough apps, PSVR 2 wipes the floor with the Quest 3 when it comes to gaming. It has a 4K-per-eye set of OLED displays, which will give Steam Frame a lot to compete with when it arrives. There are capacitive sensors in the VR2 Sense controllers, which help to give you accurate hand movements in-game, a feature that Steam Frame will utilize as well. If you're playing on a PS5, you'll get to benefit from haptic feedback in PSVR 2's headband too.

I think PSVR 2 is still worth buying, even as Steam Frame waits in the wings. It might seem foolhardy to grab it now with such a close competitor right around the corner, but I'd disagree, especially when Valve is highly unlikely to price similar specs this affordably.

• PSVR 2: $299 at Amazon
• Meta Quest 3: $499 at Amazon
• Pico 4 Ultra: £529 at Amazon

For more on VR, check out the best Meta Quest accessories. If you're happy with flat-screen gaming for now, take a look at the best 4K gaming monitor, and the best gaming TV.

Pretty soon after setting up my Quest 3, I realised how quickly the controllers lose battery. In fact, even if I didn't use them or the headset for a week or two, I'd frequently come back to find them completely drained. Having only used a charging stand that gave power to the headset itself, I knew my budget for batteries would thank me if I tried something that charged the controllers too.

So, to the best Meta Quest accessories I turned, and of all the available charging stands, PrismXR's filled the most gaps in the market for me. It charges the headset and the controllers, but also feels perfect for anyone who wants a pretty low-profile way of displaying their VR loadout. It doesn't have fancy RGB or stand too high for a lot of shelfing units, and its aesthetic matches the Quest 3's as though it was made by Meta itself.

For $69.99 / £69.99, it's roughly on par with the cost of most other charging docks, so let's see how it performs.

Design & Features

Having just reviewed the PrismXR charging belt for Quest 3 and 3S, I had high hopes for this dock as a follow-up. Just like the charging belt, this is fairly self-explanatory. The Carina D1 is a dock that you can plug in via USB-C that'll magnetically charge your headset and controllers.

Rather annoyingly, because this was designed with the Meta Quest 3 in mind before the 3S arrived on the scene, it has a fairly snug design that's bespoke for the original VR headset. For that reason, you'll need to opt for a separate version of this device for the Quest 3S, which leaves the door open for wrong purchases, but does help to create a neater match with whichever headset you own.

From a quick search of both charging docks on Amazon and at PrismXR's own website, they seem to do the exact same thing, and for the most part, are the same price. That said, I'd think about looking into the price history of either at your own leisure because, like any and all Quest 3 accessories, their prices fluctuate madly.

To keep the controllers charged, the D1 dock comes with rechargeable batteries, as well as different grip plates for your controllers so that they can attach magnetically. These feel exactly the same as the stock ones when using the controllers during VR play, and only take a minute to swap out.

Magnetics are the name of the game here, as magnetic charging pins are used to connect the bottom of the headset to the charging dock. For the overall aesthetic of the Carina D1, this helps to keep things nice and neat - there are no cables to be seen from the front.

Perhaps my favorite thing about the dock's design is that it has a handy head strap pedestal at the back, which allows for more compatibility with third-party accessories. I was worried my KIWI Design Comfort Battery Strap wouldn't fit, but thanks to this handy add-on, I had no problems.

In terms of technicals, the Carina D1 Charging Dock can Fast Charge up to 27W, which PrismXR says will take your Quest 3 from 0% to 50% in 45 minutes, and fully charge in 1hr50. The controllers have a quoted charging time of 2hr30.

There are also some handy LED indicators on the front of the stand that tell you what level of battery the headset and two controllers are, and as I'll come on to, there are audible indicating bleeps too.

Performance

I really like the look of the PrismXR charging dock. Its nest design means I was spoiled for choice for where to put it in my living space. It could fit in one of the shelves in my cube unit because it isn't too tall. It's not obnoxiously wide, so it can sit nicely with the other gaming hardware on my desk or a shelf. But at the same time, it still looks neat and tidy, and its white design lines up exactly with the color of the headset.

The only real test of this dock, besides its looks, is how it charges the headset and controllers. If I'm honest, I'd like it to be a bit quicker, but that's mainly because I'm used to plugging it in at the wall with a super-fast charger and seeing it juice up pretty speedily.

Arguably, for a charging stand, I don't think it necessarily needs to be super quick because it's where you put it when you know it'll be sitting to rest between sessions. Still, I found it took around an hour to charge the headset up to its 50% mark while the controllers were also connected - which I suppose matches up with the quoted 45-minute mark that I'll assume refers to just the headset being connected.

At least the indicating LEDs are a handy way to keep tabs on charging progress. What isn't so handy is a very loud beeping tone that the D1 will pierce your eardrums with. When you first connect the headset and controllers, it'll beep. When it finishes charging them? It'll beep, and sometimes, keep beeping. I've seen reports of these bleeps being buggy and incessant for multiple users. Certainly, the first time I used the D1, that's the experience I had when my headset reached full charge. Other reports seem to suggest that the beeping is due to a faulty connection, which would line up with my experience of other times when the headset reached full charge, then didn't beep at all. Either way, these beeps are loud and a very annoying point of convenience-gone-wrong if they continually bug out for people.

What's more unclear is whether or not the dock can turn itself off when the Quest 3 reaches full charge, because if not, it could cause you battery life issues further down the road. Unless you go and unplug the dock entirely or remove the headset so the magnetic pins aren't connected, it could keep charging your headset, or, in my case, beeping loudly. The times when I've used this charging stand and haven't been faced with annoying bleeps fill me with more confidence that this isn't an issue you'll definitely run into, but since this is a known issue for other users who have had larger connection problems, it's all a little unclear.

Considering this brand's charging belt will turn itself off when it detects a fully charged headset, it's a bit of a shame that the charging dock isn't more upfront that it will do so as well. If you touch the LEDs, they'll go to sleep, but I'm not sure whether that actually turns the charging power off. Thankfully, I've found that my headset will still sit fine on the dock when it's just out of place enough that the pins aren't touching. This isn't ideal though, and goes against the snug aesthetic the charging stand is going for.

Should you buy the Prism XR Carina D1 Charging Dock?

Irritating beeping aside, I do think this charging stand is one of the better and more versatile ones available for the Quest 3. PrismXR has made something that's well designed and caters to a large cross-section of VR gamers who have lots of storage needs and headstraps already integrated into their setups.

It's a shame that the charging isn't quicker, and there's definite friction with those indicating bleeps - which seem to be the most frequently reported issue in most customer reviews.

Regardless, this is a charging stand I'll be keeping in my loadout, mainly thanks to its convenience of charging the headset along with its controllers, which can prove tricky otherwise.

How I tested the PrismXR Carina D1 Charging Dock

I integrated the PrismXR Carina D1 Charging Dock into my gaming setup for a number of weeks before this review was written. Since receiving the testing sample from PrismXR, it's been my main method of charging my VR headset and controllers. To put it to the test, I set a timer on how long it took to charge the headset in various scenarios: when it was at 0%, when it was at 50% going to 100%, and a full charge. I compared my experience to my time spent with other Quest 3 accessories.

For more on how we test the latest gadgets, check out the GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

Happy with flat screen games for now? Take a look at the best PC controllers, the best gaming PCs, and the best gaming monitors

It seems like only yesterday PSVR 2 launched to the tune of $549, and everyone was up in arms about how stupidly expensive it was. At the time, it was pricier than the PS5 it depended on, so naturally, people were going to be upset. If we could only peer into the future to the headset's current Black Friday discount, I think people would be shocked at how affordable the best VR headset now is in comparison.

PlayStation's Black Friday deals have arrived, and chief among them, in my opinion, is a discount to PSVR 2 that brings it down to $299 at Amazon. That price applies to the Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle as well as the standalone headset, so whether you plan on using Sony's visor for PC or PS5 gameplay, you get an excellent price of entry.

PSVR 2 is still, in my eyes, the best VR headset on the shelves when it comes to pure gaming. The Meta Quest 3, the Pico 4 Ultra, and a few PC headsets are still excellent in their own ways, and the Quest devices are definitely more versatile thanks to their mixed reality chops, but when it comes to gaming, I think none of them hold a candle to PSVR 2.

You may think I'm just shilling for PlayStation when I say that, but I do 90% of my gaming on PC these days - I'm actually not a big fan of how PlayStation has gone about things this console generation, and PSVR 2 is the exception. I think, for me, it all comes down to the excellent feature set aboard PlayStation VR 2. Those OLED displays, the higher resolution per eye than the Quest 3, the creative haptic feedback in the headband, the foveated rendering - all of it adds up to a VR device that, when gaming, is undeniably premium for its cost (keep in mind that PCVR headsets with lesser features can still set you back $1,000).

Even against the upcoming Steam Frame, I think PSVR 2 is going to be the biggest rival and arguably the headset for Valve to beat. Yes, because it's wireless and is more popular, the Quest 3 is Valve's obvious opponent, but I think PSVR 2 was clearly designed for gaming and nothing else, and the Steam Frame shares that philosophy. Both headsets have black and white passthrough and foveated rendering, for example, which tells me the priority isn't mixed reality, it's being immersed by excellent gaming chops.

We still don't know the price of the Steam Frame, but I'd be willing to bet you that it won't be less than $350 - and PSVR 2 is currently $299. Even for PC players who would need to fork out for a PC Adapter that costs $49.99, that would still come comfortably under the 512GB Meta Quest 3.

The one thing I think holds PSVR 2 back in today's market isn't its wired connection, as you might expect. Truth be told, you end up zoning that one cable out when you're playing a game. In my eyes, its drawback is a lack of support from Sony. Personally, I think you could say the same for the PS5 too, but that might just be me. With SteamVR now an option for this device, I think the excuses for casting it off versus wireless headsets are actually very little if you're buying a headset specifically for gaming.

• PSVR 2: $299 at Amazon
• Meta Quest 3S: $249 at Amazon
• Pico 4 Ultra: £379 at Amazon

To keep up with more discounts over the next few weeks, take a look at Black Friday VR headset deals, Black Friday Meta Quest deals, and Black Friday gaming PC deals.

Black Friday is two weeks today, and yet Best Buy has already pulled the trigger on a brand new bundle for the Meta Quest 3S. I haven't seen any official word about this new bundle from Meta, and so far, no other stores have it up for grabs. It drops the Quest 3S, which is one of the best VR headsets, back to its lowest-ever price, and bundles in a free game for your trouble.

If you grab the 128GB model of the Quest 3S for $249 at Best Buy just now, you'll get The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners at no extra cost. I've seen the most affordable Quest 3S dip to this price before, but I didn't expect we'd get this discount again until Black Friday proper on the 28th. I really don't expect this device to see a further price cut in a few weeks, so if you have your heart set on this headset, now's a good time to buy.

I'm a little surprised to see a new bundle on the Meta Quest 3S right now, because all my money has been on a new official bundle coming from Meta when Deadpool VR launches on the 18th of November. This is a Quest exclusive game that lots of people are going to be excited to play, and since Meta had a hand in its development, I wouldn't be surprised if we see it bundled in like Batman Arkham Shadow and Asgard's Wrath 2 before it.

If you buy this headset from Amazon right now, you won't get the $50 saving, but you will get a different bundled game in the form of Gorilla Tag. As fun as that game seems, I'd much rather take the zombie-slashing, big-franchise title that is The Walking Dead.

This is the most affordable current-gen VR headset on the shelves right now, and it's one I'd happily recommend to anyone looking to buy their first VR device. You get the same processor and a lot of the same mixed-reality features as the flagship Meta Quest 3 512GB. You'll also have access to the same library of games.

While I'm surprised to see this new bundle and a bunch of stores discounting the best budget VR headset early, I did predict that we'd begin to see more VR headset deals pretty much the moment Valve finally revealed its long-awaited Steam Frame headset. For the record, I do think anyone wanting to use a VR device solely for gaming purposes should maybe wait to see how much Valve is going to charge, but I absolutely don't see the Steam Frame being less expensive than the Quest 3S is in this bundle.

As someone who covers the VR market for a living, I'd expect the Steam Frame to be roughly the same price as the Meta Quest 3 512GB, or potentially a bit more expensive. If you're on a budget or you're just dipping your toes in the water of this VR stuff, maybe look to get a Quest 3S. If you know you want better gaming specs, and you're not interested in mixed reality, then I'd hold off and see what Steam Frame has in store in early 2026.

• Meta Quest 3 512GB: $499 at Amazon
• Meta Quest 3S: $249 at Best Buy
• Pico 4 Ultra: £529 at Amazon

If you're shopping for a new visor right now, check out some Black Friday VR headset deals, Black Friday Meta Quest deals, and Black Friday gaming PC deals.

After years of rumours, leaks, and speculation, Valve has officially unveiled the Steam Frame, its second VR headset. Just as the rumours predicted, it'll run on Steam OS (the same operating system as the Steam Deck) as a standalone device that doesn't need to be tethered to a PC to run games. While that's great news on its own, it seems like this device will combine some of my favorite parts of all the best VR headsets.

We're yet to receive a price for this new headset, which could really determine its place in the market. We do, however, know that it'll launch in early 2026, which corresponds with rumours about the previously codenamed Valve Deckard we've heard up until now.

Whenever it launches, Steam Frame is arriving in a vastly different market than the Valve Index did. It's going to face direct competition from the likes of PSVR 2, the Quest 3 devices, and the Pico 4 Ultra, but there's also the new Galaxy XR and the HTC Vive Focus Vision to think about. In my eyes, I think the Steam Frame is set up for success, not least because it combines some of the best features of PSVR 2 and the Meta Quest 3, either of which could be dubbed the best head-mounted display for gamers, depending on who you ask.

For starters, Valve's Frame will utilize the pancake lenses from the Meta Quest 3, combining them with PSVR 2's foveated rendering and eye tracking capabilities. Like the Quest 3 and Pico 4 Ultra, it'll utilize an LCD display, but at a higher resolution, like PSVR 2, that means you get 4K resolution per eye.

Integrated speakers in the headstrap, like the ones found on the Quest 3, mean you'll get spatial 3D audio, but since this isn't a mixed reality device and it's geared specifically at gamers, its passthrough is in black and white and mainly functions to track you within a room-scale boundary, like PSVR 2.

To prevent the need for some of the best Meta Quest accessories, the Steam Frame will utilize a rechargeable battery on the back of the headstrap, which isn't too dissimilar to what the HTC Vive Focus Vision uses.

It doesn't seem like the Steam Frame has any connectivity for HDMI or Display Port, however, which means you won't be able to directly tether it to a gaming PC's GPU for a visually lossless gaming experience. Valve says you can use an included wireless adapter that uses a Wi-Fi 6E, low-latency connection to stream between the headset and PC, though, presumably using an app like Steam Link.

Last, but certainly not least, the Steam Frame's controllers will use TMR thumbsticks (which is a first for this type of gaming), highly detailed haptic feedback, and capacitive sensors to detect various touches and small movements you make on their grips. Valve also says there will be input parity with more traditional gamepads too, which makes sense, since the left controller even has a D-pad, which is often overlooked on VR controllers.

The news comes by way of a larger announcement that sees Valve also launching a new version of the Steam Machine, as well as a brand new Steam Controller.

Looking to upgrade your PC so it's VR-ready? Check out the best RAM for gaming, the best CPU for gaming, and the best graphics card.

In Norse mythology, Thor doesn't just have his famous hammer; he wears a belt called Megingjörð, which makes him even more powerful. I'm not totally surprised that the MCU version of the character doesn't make mention or use of this accessory, because it's definitely one of his quirkiest belongings. As Meta Quest accessories go, PrismXR's charging belt feels like a similarly bizarre and out-of-place sidekick to a wireless headset, but actually, I think this brand might be onto something.

The battery life of the Meta Quest 3 and 3S isn't the reason they appear on our best VR headset list, so they could definitely use a boost. The problem is that the most popular way of bolstering their battery is with a pricey head strap that has a battery pack on it. Adding more weight to the headset certainly doesn't feel ideal, especially if you already find wearing a headset uncomfortable, or you tend to suffer from motion sickness while playing VR.

I think PrismXR's Carina W1 Charging Belt is actually an ingenious alternative, and although it creates some trade-offs with more conventional means of extending your battery life, it's a really great solution that shouldn't be overlooked due to its quirkiness. For $59.99 / £59.99 though, you could arguably be getting a more versatile accessory elsewhere, so is it going to be worth it for you?

Design & Features

Coming in either white or black, the Carina Charging Belt is actually very simple in its design. It literally is a battery pack with belt straps attached to either side, but it's ergonomically shaped so that it doesn't dig into your spine. The battery pack itself is meant to sit on the small of your back, and a single USB-C cable then connects from its top up to your headset. In the box, you get a small version of a link cable included, fit with a right-angled end, which means there's no annoying cable tension on one side of your head.

The belt fastens using some handy magnetic panels, which makes it super easy to take on and off. A few cable management velcro loops are also included in your purchase so that you can fasten the cable to your Meta Quest 3 or 3S's headstrap.

The battery pack has a 30W output for fast charging, although its 10,000mAh battery will need a more substantial power adapter than some standard USB-C plugs to get the most out of it. The Carina is officially compatible with 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A, and has compatibility with other variants, but you'll need a beefier connection to charge it at full speed. For example, I plugged it in via a simple USB-C phone charger for my Honor 400 Pro, and while it did fill the battery, it did so at a snail's pace. It wasn't until I used the power adapter for the Asus ROG Ally X that I got it to charge the entire battery in well under 2 hours. Worth keeping in mind that if you have USB-C charger for a laptop, that may be the better option here.

The Carina has a power button you can use to check how much life it has left, which is indicated by four LED lights. When charging the Meta Quest 3S or Quest 3 with it, the belt will automatically detect when it's at capacity and turn itself off to save your headset's longevity.

Although the conventional idea is to wear this around your waist, PrismXR has also designed it to be worn like a bandolier across your shoulder if that suits you better. The bands of the belt are adjustable thanks to velcro, so it should cater to lots of different body shapes. There's a standard and small size, but the wait bands have some elasticity to them. The small size will cater to 30-38-inches, and the standard goes from 38-50. I'm a man with a 32-inch waist, however, and the standard size fit me just fine on a pretty relaxed fit, so it seems like those sizes are faily fluid.

Just go easy on the actual battery pack, since it looks more flexible than it is, and the user manual makes it very clear that you shouldn't try to fold it or bend it too much.

Performance

To test the PrismXR charging belt out, I drained my Meta Quest 3's battery down until it was almost empty (under 10%), then charged the belt up and connected it. For the next few sessions, I ran the Quest 3 with it, and I got about 4-4.5 hours out of it before having to charge both devices. By around 2.5-3 hours, the Carina had emptied completely, but it had charged the Quest 3 quickly enough that the headset now had about 50-60% of its battery left, which supplied it with enough life to sustain the following hour and a bit.

If these timings seem a little approximate, it's because it's very tricky to precisely time how long this will last, depending on your use of the headset, or whether you have the PrismXR belt connected to a different device entirely. PrismXR mentions Insta360 Link portable cameras and phones in its marketing materials, so there's definitely versatility as to how you use this belt of power.

Even using approximate timings, I'd say that the Carina can comfortably double the battery life of a Quest 3 headset if you're using it to play games. For my tests, I was using SteamLink to play Walkabout Mini Golf, as well as multitasking YouTube tutorials for finding lost balls and fox hunt clues (I'm only human).

It might seem like this belt would just be a different discomfort than if you were to add a battery pack head strap, but honestly, it's a really comfortable accessory to wear when you're gaming. Truth be told, when I was fully immersed in my games, I forgot I was wearing a bit of a strange belt around my waist.

What's harder to ignore, despite the Velcro cable management, is that it does add a wire into your immediate proximity. For a wireless VR experience, that does feel like more of a drawback, and there were a few times I had to whip the cable around to my back because it had fallen around my left shoulder. If that's an annoyance for you, you might be better off with a charging head strap.

Additionally, if you're someone who feels the strain of "faff" before getting your headset on to play VR games, it must be said that putting a belt on does feel like an extra step in the process. All told, it maybe adds 15-20 seconds extra into the set-up stage, which really doesn't amount to much, but for a form of gaming that comes under a lot of criticism for being a faff to use, PrismXR's charging belt isn't exactly going to streamline that.

Should you buy the PrismXR Carina Charging Belt for Quest 3?

It's a trade-off, I think.

This is a really great alternative to what can be really pricey and cumbersome head straps for Quest 3. This charging belt is quirky, but it has the same end result - you double the length of your headset's battery, but you do so without the annoying weight and strain on your head, face, and nose.

Attaching it to your body's centre of gravity makes it unnoticeable when you're actually playing games, so it's really up to you which form of battery extension you'd prefer. For me, the thing I did notice was the longer lifespan it gave my headset, and for me, that's a win - anything so that I don't have to cut my rounds of Walkabout Mini Golf short.

I will say however, that at $59.99 / £59.99, you are spending the equivalent of some charging head straps, which I'm not sure is fair. The build quality of this belt is great, but charging is really all it does, and you don't even get a power adapter included for that money to get the most out of it. A charging strap for the same money will likely give you some added comfort as well, so it's arguably the better investment. I'd definitely recommend PrismXR's charging belt, but ideally, grab it at one of the fairly regular times when it's got $10-$20 off.

Whether you're sticking to flat screen gaming for now, or upgrading your rig to be VR-ready, you should know about the best gaming PCs, the best gaming PCs in the UK, and the best RAM for gaming.

The big new VR headset news of the week is the grand unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy XR, but if the price tag of this $1,799.99 headset scares you off, a deal on the best VR headset for entry-level buyers seems timed perfectly to sway over budget-oriented VR fans.

Over at Meta's official store, the Meta Quest 3S at 256GB has been discounted down to $329.99, and we've never seen it go cheaper than this since its launch in December of last year. That's $1,470 less than the Galaxy VR's price, although of course the new Samsung headset does a lot that the Quest 3S isn't cut out for.

In the US, the 128GB model is also discounted by $50, down to $249.99, but in the UK such a reduction isn't available. No other retailers have the Meta Quest 3S discounted at the time of writing.

While this is the cheapest we've ever seen the Meta Quest 3s drop to, it's not actually the first time it's gone this low, with Prime Day earlier in October seeing Amazon offer the headset for the same prices.

However Meta offers a year-long warranty on your purchase if you buy from its own store, so you're protected in case you damage the headset. Amazon offers protection plans but they cost you extra, so this is a nice little perk.

Included with the headset, you get Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month trial to Meta Horizon+. The latter is a subscription service that has a catalog plus two specific titles each month, so you won't need to buy games for the headset straight away.

Should you buy the Meta Quest 3S?

I know that technically this isn't a new low price cut for the Meta Quest 3S, but the extra warranty could be enough of a sweetener to win over some safety-conscious buyers.

If you've been sitting on the fence, waiting for VR headsets to get cheap enough to justify buying one, then perhaps this is the discount you've been waiting for. The Quest 3S at this new price is substantially cheaper than the standard Meta Quest 3, as well as plenty of rival VR sets.

The one thing to give you pause should be Black Friday VR headset deals, which will kick off in the next month. It's hard to say for sure whether the Meta Quest 3S will get discounted to a lower price than its current one, but based on precedent, we'll probably see other headsets cut to within reach of the 3S.

Last year we saw deals on PSVR 2 bundles that came close to Quest 3S prices, and previous Quest models often get pretty hearty discounts too. If you're dead-set on buying a Meta headset, you can ignore all of this, but if you're keeping your options open, it may be worth waiting for the deals.

• See all VR headsets at Amazon
• Meta Quest 3S 128GB | $299.99 $249.99 at Meta Store
• Meta Quest 3S 256GB | $399.99 $329.99 at Meta Store

Use our guide to prepare for the Black Friday gaming deals, peruse the best Meta Quest accessories, or learn what to expect with the Black Friday Meta Quest deals.

Samsung and Google have finally unveiled Project Moohan, which we now know will be called Galaxy XR. Although it copies a lot (and I mean, a lot) of homework from Apple Vision Pro, the tech giant has righted one of the biggest wrongs of that high-end VR headset by including controllers that will cater to gamers.

The Apple Vision Pro famously launched to an excruciatingly expensive $3,500, but despite blending a lot of the same features and specs, Samsung has managed to keep the cost of the Galaxy XR to almost half that. You can already buy Samsung's latest Galaxy device in the US or Korea, and in the States, it'll set you back $1,799 at Samsung. Options also exist to cut down the payments to monthly installments.

Rather bizarrely, Samsung has made absolutely no mention of other markets, and even if Apple Vision Pro staggered its launch to other territories, it's a bit strange that Samsung hasn't even mentioned wider launches yet. More on that as it develops, I guess.

The Galaxy XR travel case and Galaxy XR Controllers are sold separately, which does throw a bit of a spanner in the works if you plan to use this headset predominantly for gaming. The controllers will set you back $249.99 at full price, although I'm seeing an introductory offer that brings them down to $174.99. While hand tracking is available, I wouldn't recommend it for most immersive VR games - many don't even support it.

That means for gamers looking to make the most of the new headset's gaming potential, you're all in for a hefty investment of $1,974 (right now, it'd be $2,048) without that discount on the controllers. For context, you could find an RTX 5070 Ti/5080 gaming PC for that cost, and although this headset is versatile and has a massively variable use-case, that's a huge price to pay for what most gamers will use as a secondary peripheral. By contrast, the HTC Vive Focus Vision is one of the priciest modern-day PCVR headsets, and it costs $999.99.

On the other hand, Galaxy XR does have some excellent specs and features, and you can tell that Samsung wanted to concentrate on gamers more than Apple Vision Pro has ever managed to. Straight out of the gate, the brand was quick to show a demonstration of PC Link working, which will let anyone with a gaming PC completely link their rig to the Galaxy headset, including the use of any connected mice and keyboards. You can link a Bluetooth PC controller to the headset as well and use that to play 2D games, although a live demonstration included someone playing Stardew Valley with gesture controls.

With companion controllers, this device lends itself a lot more to fully immersive VR gaming, and I'm happy to say that Samsung has shown off what might just be the best VR game ever made (objectively speaking, of course) - Walkabout Mini Golf VR. That seems like the tip of the iceberg, but thanks to the Android platform and the Google Play store, it's confirmed that there will be a wider library of VR games (presumably a similar selection to what's available on the Meta Quest 3 and Pico 4 Ultra) that you'll be able to play natively on the headset itself.

The demonstrations also mentioned SteamVR, so I'd assume other wireless connection apps like SteamLink will also be present on GalaxyXR. Hands-on experiences at the launch event have found that the controllers use a single AA battery each, and that the headset has a secondary USB-C port on it, which doesn't have power delivery, but will be able to transfer data to or from a PC - meaning a link cable would work as another method of linking up to a computer.

The headset is fixed to the device, meaning that you won't be able to make use of the best Meta Quest accessories and swap out headbands to your liking - this is likely due to touchpads on the sides of the headstrap being an integral way of controlling the device.

A big allure of Galaxy XR (at least, in Samsung's eyes) is how handy the AI features and Google Gemini integrations are. The initial gaming showcase had Gemini working as an AI guide companion that can pull up articles, give you hints and tips, or show videos from YouTube while you're playing. With full mixed-reality features, you can organise multiple screens and videos around your space, which will be possible thanks to Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor.

In terms of gaming, that was about as much information as I've managed to gather on Samsung's new headset. For the most part, Galaxy XR has been touted as a spatial computing headset that harnesses AI and looks to get mixed reality into the hands of more people.

I do think Samsung has been more careful to include gaming as an option here, though, which makes me optimistic. For me, the fact that controllers have been made for it is a big sign that gamers are a market Samsung wants to attract. With a cost as high as this, I'm not sure how many the brand will actually speak to. The Meta Quest 3S offers a very similar experience starting at just $299.99.

• Meta Quest 3: $499 at Amazon
• Meta Quest 3S: $299 at Amazon
• Pico 4 Ultra: £529 at Amazon

For more on VR, take a look at everything we know about Valve Deckard, Black Friday Meta Quest deals, and Black Friday VR headset deals.

Samsung and Google have been in the kitchen together for a long time, and although they've cooked up a lot of mobile and smart devices, the one that's been teased, rumoured, and anticipated the most in recent years is their VR headset. We've known about Project Moohan for a while now, but it seems that it's finally ready to come out of the oven.

Samsung has announced that a new Galaxy Event will take place on October 21 at 10:00am ET / 03:00am BST, which will tell us more about the brand's XR ambitions. Of course, like any big tech and hardware announcement these days, the "invitation" press release really wants to focus on the Multimodal AI that's going to be baked into the device, but you know everyone will really be there to see the shiny new headset.

"Project Moohan is the groundbreaking first product built for the open and scalable Android XR platform," reads the announcement.

"It seamlessly blends everyday utility with immersive new experiences. This is where the true potential of XR comes alive, unlocking a whole new dimension of possibilities."

We still don't know a lot about Project Moohan, other than what it looks like. We don't know its price, or how it can be used, or what apps will be available on it, or whether or not it's going to lean more heavily into being an Apple Vision Pro rival, or a Meta Quest 3 alternative. Despite that, you can already register to buy the new headset, and get $100 credit for your trouble.

Certainly, if you judge by the look of Project Moohan, it certainly appears to be more like a luxury headset that's going to be Samsung's take on Apple Vision Pro. Personally, I'd be shocked if Samsung has watched Apple's first attempt at Spatial Computing from the sidelines for this long and hasn't wanted to avoid its slip-ups.

For starters, even if Project Moohan is the high-end device that it appears to be, it needs to avoid the $3,500 starting price that Apple went for. Experimental dip of the toe in XR waters, the Vision Pro may have been, but it's one that ended up as a meme-ified concept device more than something people are rushing to adopt.

More importantly, I think Samsung and Google need to appeal to arguably one of the biggest use-cases for this technology - gaming.

Apple has never been a brand that's big into gaming, and even if it showed a demo of someone using a DualSense controller during the Vision Pro's reveal, the brand failed to draw in gamers by securing support for games to play on the headset post-launch. Being able to link up a controller and play games on a virtual big screen is one thing, but it totally misses the appeal of VR as a way to play.

I do hold out more hope for Project Moohan as a platform for gaming - even if the main marketing appeal from Samsung will be to capitalize on the mainstream mixed-reality hype that Apple showed exists. Android has always had more support for gaming than Apple's platforms typically have, and I think the fact that plenty of gaming applications with Android support already exist plays into Samsung and Google's hands.

Horizon OS, the OS for Meta's Quest 3 headsets, is built on Android, and although there are likely plenty of technicalities, I'm sure the fact that all of the Quest store games and applications run on a form of Android already will mean developers find it easier to port them to Samsung's own version.

Samsung is no stranger to VR. The first headset I ever tried was a Samsung Gear, which used the brand's Galaxy phones as slot-in displays, but gave you access to what was then Oculus' applications and games. Google is also no stranger to gaming - never forget the disaster that was Stadia. Even if that wasn't a good example of success in the gaming market, it's experience, and I bet with hardware backing from Samsung, there's room to better capitalize on what Google wanted to do. Qualcomm has been drafted in to make the processor for Project Moohan, and its chips power some of the best gaming phones, as well as the Meta Quest 3S and 3, and the Pico 4 Ultra - all of which are great gaming headsets.

This is all conjecture, mind you, and we'll need to tune into the Galaxy Event to find out more. Personally, I think a big tell that this is a device for gamers (other than the price), will be whether or not it comes with controllers. Hand tracking and clever gesture controls make the Apple Vision Pro seem efficient and streamlined, but controllers are still necessary for playing games, and the inclusion of controllers for Project Moohan will be a sign that gamers are going to be catered to.

This could all very easily be wishful thinking, but it's hard to imagine that another brand that competes so closely with Apple would want to roll out the exact same flawed device as the Vision Pro and not improve on the formula. I'd like to think Samsung is smart enough to expand things, take a slightly different tactic, and appeal to a more mainstream market. That all remains to be seen on October 21st.

• Meta Quest 3: $499 at Amazon
• Meta Quest 3S: $299 at Amazon
• Shop for VR headsets at Amazon

For more on Samsung's gaming hardware, check out the best SSDs for gaming, the best gaming monitor, and the best gaming TVs.

I've been writing about tech long enough to know that leaks often make us less certain about upcoming devices, not more, and that's certainly the case with Valve Deckard news coming from the grapevine.

This potential upcoming Valve VR headset, which could potentially actually be called the Steam Frame and will potentially be a stand-alone device that doesn't need to be plugged into a PC to run, may also come in two variants. Potentially.

This comes from esteemed VR leaker and Twitter user SadlyItsDadly, who shared code from the latest SteamVR beta, which mentions both 'Deckard DV1' and 'Deckard DV2'. The post explains that 'DV' denotes that these are the final-stage internal models, prior to 'PV', which would be the consumer-ready headset.

The takeaway here is that there seem to be two different versions of Deckard in the works, and we could speculate about the differences until pigs fly, except that another piece of news gives us some extra information.

According to UploadVR, a Chinese analyst group called XR Research (never heard of them? No, me neither) has put out a grand piece of speculation about Deckard sales.

The firm states that the headset will release this year, as it's already entered mass production, and is estimated to sell 400,000-600,000 units each year. This figure is, according to the source, in line with the Apple Vision Pro, and behind many other rivals in the VR space.

One could argue that it doesn't bode well for Deckard that it's already being compared to the Apple Vision Pro, a headset subject to more memes than sales, but this is where it links to SadlyItsDadly's news.

If there are two versions of the Deckard, and one of them is speculated to only sell a limited amount of units akin to Apple's pricey pair of goggles, it's very possible that this could be a more premium and souped-up version. We could see it launch alongside another version of the device, which sells a lot more, but could come out a little later.

This is simple speculation for now, albeit speculation I come to knowing full well how these tech companies work (we always need a 'Pro' version of everything these days). But it's speculation based on information from the hitherto-unknown XR Research, so we're already drowning this in so much salt that fast food companies are getting jealous. Perhaps we could only see one version later this year after all. Perhaps we could see zero.

What we do know for sure is that Valve is making big investments in new headsets. We know this because Gabe Newell said so himself all the way back in 2021. So, unless the Valve Index 2 is around the corner, then Deckard it is.

Do you need to beef up your gaming setup before the second Valve headset arrives? Check out the best gaming PCs, the best CPU for gaming, and the best RAM for gaming.

The next few months are going to be a great time to buy a VR headset if you've been waiting for prices to drop. Case in point: the Quest 3S models are currently discounted for the Prime Big Deal Days sale, and with Black Friday right around the corner, it likely won't be long until we see some of the other best VR headsets going for less than they usually do.

This is the first time since the Meta Quest 3 launched in 2023 that we're going to have a Black Friday where a new Quest device isn't landing on the shelves, and to me, that signals that we're going to get some new bundles and discounts on the existing ones. Today's Prime Day discount definitely affirms that. The Quest 3S has been down to $249 at Amazon before, but it feels like the flagship Quest 3 512GB has its eyes on the next stop on the deals train.

The question for me, if I were shopping for a new VR headset right now, would be whether to grab the best budget option in the Meta Quest 3S now, or wait and see what options Black Friday presents. While the deal above may seem tempting, I'd certainly lean more into the Black Friday camp.

There are reasons for that, though, which I'll come to in a second. To be clear, the deal I've highlighted above is still great, and depending on what type of user you are, it might be worth just beating the Black Friday rush altogether and grabbing one in the last few hours of Prime Day. If you just want a budget headset that can still play all the games you want and do the mixed-reality tasks you fancy, the Quest 3S is an amazing device. No VR headset that advanced has ever come to market at such an affordable price, and it plays remarkably well compared to more pricey HMDs (head-mounted displays) like the Meta Quest 3 and Pico 4 Ultra.

So for first-time users who are getting into VR for the first time, I'd say the deal above is perfect. It's something that'll allow you to dip your toes in the virtual waters and see if this type of gaming is for you.

But if you're already a fan of VR, or you know you'll want a higher spec device than the entry-level option, I'd wait. I have a feeling this Black Friday is going to be particularly competitive in terms of VR prices. PSVR 2 has been dipping down in price to around the same level as the Quest 3S 256GB model, and Sony clearly enjoys keeping Meta on its toes. Beyond that, I feel as though we'll get a new bundle with the Quest 3 and 3S after Deadpool VR drops. That could absolutely prompt a discount on the 512GB Meta Quest 3, which established VR enthusiasts would appreciate.

But perhaps the biggest reason to wait is what's not on the shelves yet. There are multiple rumoured devices that are supposedly coming to the VR market. With Valve Deckard supposedly waiting in the wings to launch somewhere between now and early 2026, the whole VR gaming market should be collectively holding its breath to see what a sequel to the Index could look like. Don't forget, we're also meant to finally be getting Samsung and Google's Android headset that looks an awful lot like the Apple Vision Pro. In my opinion, we still don't know enough about that, but it's very possible that it arrives this year with some gaming potential to really take the fight to the Quest 3.

Then there's Asus and its Horizon OS headset that's heavily speculated; there's a supposed Pico headset that apparently will also take on an Apple Vision Pro approach. There are honestly loads of balls in the air right now in the VR market, and as someone who loves this technology, I'd rather wait and see what transpires in the coming month or two before I go investing in a budget headset right now.

But remember, that's just me. If I were shopping for my first-ever VR headset, or buying for someone I know hasn't had a lot of experience with mixed realities before, I'd be a lot more inclined to check out that Quest 3S deal while it's still around.

• View all VR headsets at Amazon
• Meta Quest 3S 128GB: $249 at Amazon
• Meta Quest 3S 256GB: $329 at Amazon

For more shopping advice this deals season, look to our Black Friday VR headset deals page, or our Black Friday Meta Quest deals and Prime Day Meta Quest deals pages.