New VR glasses in 2025: which devices can we expect?

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2025 is likely to be a quieter year for VR hardware. Samsung and Google's mixed reality headset, currently the only major device confirmed for this year, is likely to cause the biggest stir. With the introduction of Android XR, the duel between Meta and Apple will become a three-way battle that is likely to keep us busy for many years to come.

In 2025, the trend will be towards premium headsets and ultra-light experimental devices with high-resolution OLED micro-displays, which will be unattractive to most consumers due to their high price.

Perhaps there will be one or two surprises in the course of the year, for example from Valve. New Quest headsets, on the other hand, are not expected until next year.

Confirmed VR glasses

Samsung & Google: "Project Moohan"

Project Moohan will be the first headset based on Google's Android XR spatial operating system. The final product name, price and release date are not yet known. We only know that the headset will be released in 2025.

The specifications are incomplete and will be revealed later this year. What is confirmed is that the device will be based on Qualcomm's premium Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset. Its CPU and GPU clock 20 and 15 percent higher than the Snapdragon chipset in Meta Quest 3 and 3S respectively. It also supports a resolution of up to 4.3K instead of 3K per eye. It is not yet known exactly what type of display will be used. Samsung is relying on pancake lenses for the optics.

Projet Moohan ("Korean for infinity") will offer color passthrough and, like Apple Vision Pro, will be designed for mixed reality, but will also support fully immersive applications. Another common feature is the integration of eye tracking for UI navigation, foveated rendering and automatic lens distance adjustment.

In terms of comfort, Samsung, like Apple, has opted for a wired external battery to make the headset as light as possible. Unlike the Vision Pro, it will be possible to connect a separate battery via the USB-C port. For the head mount, Samsung has opted for a rigid design with a forehead rest and adjustment wheel similar to the Meta Quest Pro.

It will be possible to control the mixed reality headset via eye and hand tracking, VR controllers and Bluetooth accessories such as a keyboard and mouse. It is unclear whether the VR controllers (not yet shown) are included or sold separately.

The device will support most Android apps and will also feature native versions of Google apps such as Maps, Photos and YouTube. The first VR games have also already been announced. One focus that Samsung and Google want to set themselves apart from the competition is the integration of Google's AI assistant Gemini.

Although the price is still unknown, the device is likely to cost more than 1,000 US dollars and therefore not directly compete with current Quest headsets.

Unconfirmed VR glasses

Apple Vision Pro (M5 revision) and a more affordable "Apple Vision"

Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is known for his (relatively) reliable predictions about upcoming Apple products, reported last September that Apple is working on a Vision Pro with an M5 chip, with mass production set to begin in the second half of 2025. Apart from the chipset, not much will change in terms of hardware and design, according to Kuo. This suggests that it is more likely to be a revision than an Apple Vision Pro 2. The original Apple Vision Pro was released on February 2, 2024 with an M2 chipset that was already outdated by the standards of the time.

According to a report by The Information, work on a fully-fledged successor has been put on hold for the time being because Apple wants to focus on developing a cheaper version of the headset. According to the website, this is planned for the end of 2025. There are various, sometimes contradictory, reports on how Apple intends to reduce manufacturing costs and how much the device should cost.

As the M5 chip will probably not be presented until the end of the year and Apple is reportedly having difficulties making Vision Pro cheaper, it is questionable whether we can expect a new Vision product this year.

Horizon OS headsets from Asus and Lenovo

Meta announced in April 2024 that it would license Horizon OS (the operating system of the Meta Quest) to selected hardware partners so that they can develop specialized VR headsets.

Meta named two partners at the time: Asus and Lenovo. While Lenovo is working on a mixed reality device for productivity, learning and entertainment, according to Meta, Asus is focusing on a "performance gaming headset" under the ROG (Republic of Gamers) brand. The Co-CEO of Asus promised a "next-generation gaming headset".

Nothing official has been heard about these projects since Meta's announcement. At the beginning of the year, VR enthusiast Luna allegedly learned the first details about the upcoming Asus headset. This is to be developed under the codename "Tarius", with Asus planning to integrate eye and face tracking. Either QD LCDs with local dimming, similar to the Meta Quest Pro, or OLED microdisplays, comparable to the Apple Vision Pro, are planned as displays.

If the rumors turn out to be true, the Asus headset could be the first Horizon OS device since the Meta Quest Pro to offer eye and face tracking. Meta Quest Pro itself was taken off the market earlier this year. The price of the Asus headset is likely to be significantly higher than the Meta Quest 3, especially if OLED microdisplays are used.

There is currently no indication of when Meta's partner headsets will come onto the market. For Meta, 2025 would be favorable, as it could counter Project Moohan with premium headsets based on Horizon OS. If the devices do not arrive until 2026 or 2027, they are likely to use next-generation Snapdragon chipsets like Quest 4.

Valve Index 2 ("Deckard")

The original Valve Index will be six years old this summer. Although there have been rumors of a successor codenamed Deckard for many years, we are still waiting for an announcement or concrete leaks beyond hints in the SteamVR code.

At the end of 2024, VR enthusiast Brad Lynch once again fueled the rumor mill. His team of dataminers found 3D models of new VR controllers codenamed Roy in the SteamVR code and Lynch himself reported, citing his own sources, that Valve is currently preparing the mass production of the controllers.

Deckard and Roy: The codenames are allusions to the protagonist and antagonist of the same name in the sci-fi film Blade Runner and it stands to reason that the controller and headset will be launched on the market at the same time.

We can only speculate about the features of the headsets at the moment. As the buttons on the new VR controllers are more closely aligned to a classic gamepad, Deckard could become a "Steam Deck for the face", allowing you to play the Steam library on a virtual large screen. PC VR games could be streamed wirelessly into the headset or run independently on the device thanks to an integrated chipset.

A quick run-through of other VR contenders

Self-sufficient premium headset from HTC

When the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen was unveiled at the beginning of 2024, HTC was said to be developing a headset based on the premium chipset. In September, the company surprised everyone instead with the HTC Vive Focus Vision, which is based on the outdated Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1.

Is a premium headset still in the pipeline or has HTC abandoned the project following the takeover of parts of the HTC Vive team by Google? 2025 should bring clarity.

Immersed Visor

Immersed Visor is a lightweight productivity headset for the VR app of the same name, which relies on the XR2+ Gen 2, 4K OLED microdisplays, RGB passthrough, eye and hand tracking and an external battery.

A failed press demonstration in summer 2024 cast doubt on the feasibility of the project and although the headset can be pre-ordered, it is still unclear if, when and in what form exactly the headset will come onto the market.

Pimax Dream Air

The wired PC VR headset was announced at the end of 2024 and is expected to ship from May 2025 if Pimax can meet the deadline.

It offers 4K OLED microdisplays, eye tracking, integrated room tracking and VR controllers and is said to weigh less than 200 grams. You can find more information about the Pimax Dream Air at Mixed.de.

Play for Dream

The self-sufficient headset from China, which is heavily inspired by Apple Vision Pro in terms of software and hardware, generated positive reports at CES 2025.

It uses the premium Snapdragon XR2+ Gen chipset, pancake lenses, 4K OLED microdisplays, passthrough and eye tracking and comes with its own VR controllers. The operating system is a proprietary Android development.

Supporters of the Kickstarter campaign should receive their headset from March. The regular price will be around 2,000 US dollars.

Shiftall Meganex 8K Superlight

The former Panasonic spin-off Shiftall opened pre-orders for the new, superlight PC VR headset at the end of 2024.

The Meganex Superlight 8K has pancake lenses and 4K micro OLED displays and offers a flip-up mechanism for folding up the visor, which weighs 185 grams.

The price for the SteamVR headset is 1,900 euros; base stations, controllers and the audio solution are not included. Delivery is currently scheduled to begin in March 2025.

Sony SRH-S1 and XYN

The SRH-S1 mixed reality headset, which was presented for the first time at CES 2024, was developed in collaboration with Siemens and is intended for industrial purposes. It will be delivered to interested companies from February 2025 for 4,750 US dollars.

The device features a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, 4K OLED microdisplays, a flip-up visor and two unusual VR controllers in the form of a stylus and ring.

At CES 2025, Sony teased another headset called XYN, which looks a lot like the SRH-S1, but is optimized for other use cases: capturing and creating spatial content. It is currently unclear when this headset will be released and how much it will cost.

(nen)