New VR headsets 2026: These devices are expected

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After years with numerous major product launches, 2025 seemed comparatively quiet. The focus was primarily on devices serving the premium segment.

Apple launched an M5 revision of the Apple Vision Pro, while Samsung Galaxy XR launched in the US and South Korea. Additionally, there were several new devices for PC VR enthusiasts.

In 2026, much also points to a transitional year. With the Steam Frame, there is currently only one device that promises broader market interest. Which other VR headsets are expected and where surprises are possible, you can find out in the following overview.

Steam Frame

Steam Frame is the wireless successor to the Valve Index. The new VR headset is optimized for high-quality and seamless PC VR streaming, but thanks to an integrated ARM chip, it also offers standalone operation similar to Meta Quest. The latter is likely to pave the way for numerous VR games that were previously exclusive to Meta's platform.

Because Steam Frame also makes no distinction between VR and screen games and can access the vast Steam game catalog, the device could possibly become the ultimate VR gaming console.

The price of the Steam Frame is still unclear. If the device is significantly pricier than the Meta Quest 3, Valve may have difficulty reaching a broad customer base.

You can find out what else makes Valve's new VR headset special and where it falls short in our Steam Frame analysis. According to Valve, the device will be released in early 2026.

Lynx-R2

The French start-up Lynx made a name for itself with the standalone mixed reality headset Lynx-R1. In January, it will introduce its successor.

Originally planned as an Android XR device, Google surprisingly terminated the agreement with Lynx. The reasons are unknown. Lynx will consequently use its own open-source operating system.

Even the Lynx-R1 featured unique lens technology, and its successor will also have a special lens system developed by Hypervision, offering the widest field of view of any standalone VR headset to date. The device is expected to be priced between the Quest 3 and Samsung Galaxy XR, costing between $500 and $1800. The target audience is companies and tinkerers looking for an open-source European alternative to American devices.

It is not yet confirmed that the mixed reality headset will be released in 2026, but an investor post on platform X suggests this.

A Premium Device from Pico

In 2026, TikTok's parent company ByteDance will follow the example of Apple and Samsung and launch a standalone mixed reality headset in the premium segment, as a high-ranking manager recently confirmed. The device is being developed by Chinese VR headset manufacturer Pico, which has been part of ByteDance since 2021.

The upcoming product features 4K OLED microdisplays and a custom-developed co-processor that enables high-quality passthrough. Furthermore, an ultra-compact and lightweight design is planned, achieved by offloading the computing unit and battery into a pocket computer. Due to the expected high price, the product, similar to Apple Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR, will primarily target businesses, early adopters, and professional users.

The official presentation is still pending, but based on everything we know so far, the market launch is planned for 2026.

Pimax Dream Air (SE)

The Chinese manufacturer, currently selling the PC VR headsets Pimax Crystal Super and Pimax Crystal Light, plans to release two new wired devices in 2026: the Pimax Dream Air and Pimax Dream Air SE.

With these models, Pimax is introducing high-contrast OLED microdisplays into its product range for the first time. Also new are the concave pancake lenses, which offer a horizontal field of view of around 110 degrees. For optimal image quality, the devices will be connected to the computer via a DisplayPort cable.

Dream Air and Dream Air SE come with eye-tracking and an integrated audio solution, as well as room-scale tracking for the headset and VR controllers. Alternatively, there will be a variant for both models that supports Valve's retired Lighthouse base stations. As the name suggests, both Dream Air models will be comparatively compact and lightweight: Pimax speaks of a weight of under 200 grams.

The main difference lies in the resolution: Dream Air uses 4K OLED microdisplays, while the Dream Air SE uses 2.5K OLED microdisplays. This is reflected in the price: For a pre-order of the Dream Air, Pimax estimates around 2000 Euros, while the Dream Air SE costs about half that. The Lighthouse variants are even cheaper.

In addition to these devices, a display module for the Pimax Crystal Super is planned for 2026, which will allow the VR headset to be upgraded with 4K OLED microdisplays and concave pancake lenses.

Where is the rest of the VR industry?

Meta held back on new VR products in 2025, and in 2026, Meta might once again be conspicuous by its absence. According to an internal memo, Meta's next VR product, an ultra-compact and lightweight mixed reality headset, is currently planned for the first half of 2027, followed by Meta Quest 4, whose development has just begun and which will likely be released later.

Shortly before the end of the year, Meta also dampened expectations for new Horizon OS devices from Asus or Lenovo, which were announced a year and a half ago. As Meta announced, the partner program has been temporarily halted.

For Android XR, the main question is whether and when Samsung Galaxy XR will reach the European market and whether further VR devices are planned for 2026. Since the announcement of the Google partnership about a year ago, there has been no new information on Sony's first Android XR device. If the product materializes, it will most likely be focused on productivity.

Theoretically, Android XR still has the potential to fill niches in the consumer market, but given the current economic climate, it is unlikely that third-party manufacturers will rush ahead. Could HTC still be preparing an Android XR headset, or is it no longer pursuing its own hardware plans after the sale of parts of the Vive team to Google? Perhaps 2026 will bring clarity to this question.

No new VR headsets are expected from Apple in the near future. According to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a new Vision product is not planned before 2027, and according to Apple leaker Mark Gurman, work on a lighter and cheaper Vision headset has even been paused because Apple wants to focus on developing smart glasses.

This fits into a trend that will continue in 2026: Smart glasses are increasingly moving into the public spotlight, while classic VR headsets are losing importance.

(vbr)