The article covers the headsets announced or reported for the next two years. For current hardware, see our best VR headset guide.
Coming in 2026
Pico Space Pro (Pico Swan) - a standalone headset replacing Pico 4 Ultra is positioning against the Apple Vision Pro on display quality. The global launch is expected in late 2026 and will include the US. A Global Early Access Program is open at picoxr.com for users who want to test the headset and Pico OS 6 before release. Pico is pitching Swan at productivity and text clarity rather than media, so its value for VR video will depend on decode specs it hasn't published.
Update, August 19: Pico's official Weibo confirms the headset arrives as PICO Space Pro at an event on September 2. Teaser material shows an external module shaped like Vision Pro's battery unit - Pico hasn't said whether it holds a battery, compute, or both - plus tracked controllers resembling the Pico 4 Ultra's.
Valve Steam Frame - a SteamOS standalone headset built around wireless PC streaming, confirmed by Valve for summer 2026. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 16GB RAM, 2160×2160 per eye. Passthrough is monochrome. As of early August 2026, there's still no price, preorder date, or release date.
Update, August 19: Valve's own Steam Frame tutorial videos leaked ahead of release. What's included: the headset, two controllers, a glasses spacer, the PC wireless adapter and a USB-C cable, with a top headstrap and light blocker sold separately. The videos also put the field of view at 110 degrees.
Coming in 2027
Meta Puffin / Phoenix / Loma - reported, not announced; all three names refer to the same device. Reporting describes an ultralight headset under 110 grams, with battery and compute in a tethered pocket puck and eye and hand-tracking input instead of controllers. Current reporting places it in the first half of 2027.
Meta Quest 4 (Griffin) - the Quest 3 successor, rebooted under a new codename after earlier prototypes were scrapped. Reported for the second half of 2027 at the earliest, described as a large upgrade over Quest 3, possibly with a higher launch price. Meta has teased headset news for Connect on September 23, 2026, but both devices are far enough out that this points to a preview rather than a launch.
Expected in the Future
Vivo Vision - Unveiled in China in August 2025 with a full spec sheet: micro-OLED at 3840×3552 per eye, color passthrough, 398 grams. There's still no launch date. Nearly a year on, it remains a demo unit in Vivo stores across China. It runs vivo's OriginOS Vision, not Android XR like the Samsung Galaxy XR, and Vivo hasn't said whether it will ever leave China.
| Headset | Type | Resolution (per eye) | Passthrough | Release Date | Video Decoding |
| Pico Space Pro (Pico Swan) | Standalone | ~4000×3000 est.* | Reported, unconfirmed | Late 2026 | TBC |
| Valve Steam Frame | Standalone/ PC streaming | 2160×2160 | Monochrome | Summer 2026, date unannounced | TBC |
| Meta Puffin / Phoenix | Standalone + tethered puck (reported) | TBC | Reported | H1 2027 (reported) | TBC |
| Meta Quest 4 | Standalone | TBC | Expected | H2 2027 at earliest (reported) | TBC |
* Pico quotes clarity in PPD/PPI, not a per-eye pixel count, and hasn't announced a field of view. The figure is our estimate, and a narrower field would result in lower resolution than Vision Pro.
Keep checking for more details - this blog will be regularly updated with the latest news about VR headsets.