Mashable Selects Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more In My Bag Look Up Creator Playbook Say More AI at School Safety Net Versus Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age All Series Apple's next Vision Pro could look more like Meta VR Glasses Apple is exploring lighter designs similar to Meta's headset, but a Vision Pro successor may not arrive until 2029, if at all. Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and . Apple's plans for the Vision Pro are shifting again as Meta's lightweight VR glasses shape the expectations of future VR headsets.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. The company that brought virtual reality to the mainstream barely mentioned gaming when it showed off its new flagship headset. That's bad news for anyone who likes VR. I have a medium-intensity interest in virtual reality gaming. I'm excited to try Valve's new Steam Frame, and an older VR headset design helped me lose a ton of weight .

After a few leaks, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally revealed the company's next-generation Meta VR Glasses at its Connect event tonight. Arriving in Spring 2027, they look like oversized sunglasses (similar to display frames from Xreal and other), paired with an external power and computing pod, like the Apple Vision Pro. The Meta VR Glasses also have onboard cameras to detect the wearer's hands for gesture-based controls. And at first glance, they look exactly like how I'd imagine a true successor to the Vision Pro -- a pair of unobtrusive and lightweight VR glasses at a more palatable price. Meta is pitching the VR Glasses as an all-in-one entertainment and productivity device.

Versus Say More Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Selects Creator Playbook In My Bag Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices All Series Valve's VR headset has arrived. But, should you get it? Matt Binder joined Mashable's tech vertical in 2018, where he covers social media, tech policy, cybersecurity, online scams, cryptocurrency, AI, creator news, weird tech, and other related tech beats. The Steam Frame VR headset is here. What do the reviewers think?

Say More Look Up Mashable Selects Mashable Voices Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Safety Net Creator Hub Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Switch Off Trending Now In My Bag All Series It hasn't been a happy story for Apple's first headset. Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Apple's first foray into computerized headsets has not gone particularly well.

Corsair's HS80 USB headset is $30 off, great for budget PC gamers Corsair's HS80 RGB USB is on sale for $79.99, with Dolby 7.1 and a broadcast-quality flip-up mic. If you value good sound quality and a decent microphone when gaming, you don't necessarily have to opt for a high-priced wireless headset. The Corsair HS80 RGB USB uses a wired USB connection and combines it with high-resolution audio, virtual surround sound, and a comparatively extensive range of features for its price tier. The Black edition is currently on sale for $79.99 at Amazon, down from its normal street price of $109.99. This 27 percent discount is worth jumping on if you're still on a crappy pair of cans and want to upgrade to something nice while staying below the $100 mark.

HyperX's new Cloud Alpha Air makes a big bet on open-back audio Gamers love HyperX's uncomplicated, long-lasting headset designs, but the Cloud Alpha Air wants to be more focused on both audio quality and streaming performance. When it comes to PC headphones, there's a pretty clear distinction between audiophile cans and gamer-focused performance headsets. But that line has gotten fuzzy in the last year or two, as evidenced by designs like the Asus ROG Kithara (and its sky-high price tag). HyperX is expanding its line of extremely popular headsets with a new open-back model, the Cloud Alpha Air. This design is definitely focused on audio quality more than some other HyperX options.

The company also debuted a new platform for brands wanting to build their own AI glasses. High-end augmented reality and mixed reality devices are set to get a boost thanks to Qualcomm's latest XR chip. During a keynote at Augmented World Expo (AWE), the company unveiled its Snapdragon Reality Elite processor, which it says will allow the next generation of AR and mixed reality headsets to be smaller and more efficient. In terms of specs, the Snapdragon Reality Elite can support up to 4.4K resolution in each eye at 90 fps, a modest upgrade from the XR2+ Gen 2, but one that Qualcomm says will enable better image quality and lower latency. It also delivers significant improvements in terms of efficiency, with up to 20 percent boost in battery life while running up to 12 degrees Celsius (about 54 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler, compared with the XR2+ Gen 2. Performance-wise, Reality Elite comes with notable gains over the previous generation as well.

Gear Wearables Google's Android XR smart glasses hope to succeed where AI-first wearables have failed The audio-only frames pair with Android and iOS so a Gemini agent can run errands on your phone while you stay heads-up. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Google put AI on people's faces more than a decade ago with its Google Glass wearable. It was designed to put a computer directly on your face, but the world (and to some extent, the hardware) wasn't quite ready for that yet.

PCWorld examines whether VR gaming is declining, highlighting challenges from Meta's failed Metaverse push and lack of compelling new content. Rising AI-driven hardware costs are making Valve's upcoming Steam Frame headset potentially unaffordable, while Apple's Vision Pro lacks gaming presence. Only Valve remains committed to VR gaming among major companies, making the technology's future uncertain despite continued development efforts. Meta is looking a lot less meta lately, reportedly pivoting from the virtual reality Quest brand and the ghost of Oculus to double down on pervert glasses. After a decade of work, Sony's VR ambitions over on the PlayStation seem to have made little progress. And I've barely heard a mention of Samsung's Galaxy XR headset--allegedly the flagship launch device for Android XR--since it arrived six months ago. While the idea that Apple is abandoning its Vision Pro headset might be overblown--the company is still actively hiring for the division--Michael Simon over at Macworld tells me the platform has basically zero gaming presence for the hardware. Hope for renewed interest in VR gaming with a big injection of Cupertino branding power has evaporated. Is virtual reality gaming, to borrow a term from, cooked?