The launch of Meta VR Glasses next year will mark the first time any of the company’s standalone headsets has featured expandable storage. Now, Meta and Sandisk have partnered to offer official ‘Made for Meta’ microSD and USB-C flash drive storage options.
The News
Sandisk is set to be the exclusive provider of flash storage solutions for Meta VR Glasses, which are slated to launch in Spring 2027, priced at $1,300.
Meta VR Glasses (128GB internal storage) are said to support microSD cards up to 1TB, although there’s still no word on what the recommended speed class should be for expandable storage.
Courtesy Meta
As an official ‘Made for Meta’ accessory though, both the Sandisk microSD Express memory cards and USB-C flash drives have been tested and certified to work with Meta VR Glasses, so you can bet we’ll learn more about storage standards closer to launch next year.
And while there’s still no word on pricing, or what range of storage options will be available, official imagery shows the microSD in 1TB. An equivalent storage and speed option (without Meta branding) is priced at $360 direct from Sandisk.
Provided the USB-C flash drive is similar to (if not a reskinned version of) Sandisk Extreme Fit USB-C, it would include USB 3.2 Gen 1 and up to 300MB/s read performance, and range in storage options from 64GB to 1TB.
My Take
Fitting VR Glasses with expandable storage is a shrewd maneuver by Meta. If we weren’t in a RAMpocalypse, and NAND flash memory weren’t so expensive, the company may have even offered its usual storage ladder, although it makes sense why it hasn’t.
Nowadays, flash storage is likely a much larger component in the device’s bill of materials than in headsets past, which may have left Meta reticent to offer additional storage options beyond 128GB; outfitting with anything higher could have made the price of the headset significantly more expensive, and possibly even invite comparison to its biggest competitors.
Expandable storage, meanwhile, lets Meta keep the entry price at $1,300 while leaving consumers to pay for additional capacity only if they need it. And with an emphasis on casual content consumption, multi-monitor screen mirroring for productivity and casual VR games, many may simply not need it anyway.
Index, Valve’s PC VR headset released in 2019, is officially on its way out. And to see it along, Valve has dropped the price of everything Index-related.
The News
Valve Index is no longer being produced, which means this could be your last chance to get new stock of the company’s landmark PC VR headset.
Everything is now 20 percent off on the Valve Index page, including:
Valve Index Headset was $499.00, now $399.20
Valve Index Replacement Left Controller was $149.00, now $119.20
Valve Index Replacement Tether was $129.00, now $103.20
If you’re in the US, you’ll notice that Valve is only now selling left replacement controllers. If you’re in the UK or EU, you should still be able to buy both left and right.
Notably, the biggest missing piece is the required SteamVR 2.0 base stations, which give Valve Index six degrees of freedom (6DOF) by emitting lasers. You can find those direct from HTC, priced at $229 for a single unit.
Courtesy Valve
While Index is being discontinued, Valve notes that nothing changes for prior owners, as it’s still supported on Steam and SteamVR.
This follows the release of Steam Frame last month, Valve’s first standalone VR headset that not only includes native VR and non-VR gameplay, but also the ability to wirelessly stream games from a much more powerful PC.
My Take
Valve Index might have been more expensive and less user-friendly than its biggest competitor at the time, Oculus Rift S, but became the choice for VR enthusiasts looking to maximize immersion for good reason. Excellent (for the time) optics, refresh rate, persistence, and resolution. Again, for the time.
And while Index was the leader in visual clarity, it was also one of the first to offer genuinely excellent audio quality too, as the headset’s off-ear speakers are still some of the best in the industry.
Ergonomically, Index was also much more comfortable than its bulk seems to suggest, as the built-in headstrap cradles the back of your head and helps balance out what otherwise might have been an excessively front-heavy weight distribution.
Image courtesy Valve
That said, Valve’s PC VR headset probably isn’t worth jumping in at this late date, as I’d consider the sale to be more appealing to existing owners hoping to get their hands on cheaper replacement parts than anyone looking to get into the ecosystem right now.
As it is, the SteamVR tracking ecosystem is on its way out, as most headsets now feature inside-out optical tracking, barring a few late entries, such as Bigscreen Beyond 2 and a number of Pimax headsets, the latter of which offer optional SteamVR tracking faceplates.
That, and the new discounted all-in price (if you can find a right controller in the US) of Index is somewhere around ~$1,200, which is only $100 less than Steam Frame’s top 1TB storage option—and $200 more than the actual all-in Index bundle initially offered in 2019.
It’s also significantly more complicated, as it requires mounting two base stations in your room, although if you’re dead set on getting an Index, check out our review to learn more.
SideQuest has been the number one unofficial store for Quest games ever since its founding in 2019. Now, it just got a lot easier to download and get playing.
Downloading SideQuest used to mean going through a cumbersome setup process, although now SideQuest CEO and co-founder Shane Harris says in a Reddit post the team has effectively reduced the process down to just a few steps.
All new users have to do is sign into your Meta Account and allow SideQuest to connect over Bluetooth, enabling wireless ADB. Check out the full instructions on how to download and get started with SideQuest below.
Effectively, that means users will no longer need to all of the fiddly bits like before: sign up as a developer, create an organization, enable developer mode, connect a USB cable, and (possibly) fight to get the whole process to work.
SideQuest
Harris says that now, you “just connect and it installs SideQuest into your headset and that’s it,” further noting that users can do this both from Desktop or from your phone (link downloads apk file).
The update also includes the ability to install Steam game ports from inside your Quest, so no more dragging and dropping files from your PC to Quest. Simply sign into your Steam account from SideQuest in your headset and it will download the Steam games for you automatically. That process only includes existing game ports however, and not all Steam games.
Notably, the in-headset SideQuest experience has also changed, as it now automatically adds apps to your Quest library, which means you no longer need unknown sources toggles anymore either.
Getting Started with SideQuest
The easiest way to get started is by skipping the old PC route entirely. Now, all you need to do is open the Meta Quest Browser and download the SideQuest apk (automatic download link).
Open the Files App and find the SideQuest apk in your Downloads/Recent folder, click the three dots and select Open With > Package Installer, install SideQuest and then click Open.
Once you do that SideQuest will ask if you want to add it to your library, and you’ll click Yes. Notably, the only thing missing from the regular PC method is the ability to tweak headset settings. You can find that and other methods of installing here.
Check out the video below for a step-by-step visual guide:
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Externals
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Internals
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Widely considered Pico’s answer to Apple Vision Pro, Space Pro was initially meant to debut earlier this month, however the ByteDance subsidiary cancelled the event and postponed its reveal and release date.
Previously codenamed ‘Project Swan’, Pico Space Pro doesn’t have an official release date yet beyond the expected Q4 2026 launch window, although the device has also surfaced in FCC filings in addition to the Japanese equivalent, suggesting it could be any day now.
Getting a Steam Frame for the holidays could be a bit dicey, as Valve says the order queue has now stretched into 2027.
Valve says in a news update that customers hoping to get their hands on Steam Frame, the recently launched standalone VR headset, can now view their expected order window by going directly to the Steam Frame product page while logged in to your Steam account.
Order emails are being sent out either by December or in 2027, Valve says, with those in the 2027 camp due to receive further information on their expected order timing by January.
As for customers who haven’t made it out of the interminable waiting list, Valve says that info will be sent out if spots open up; places on the waiting list are sequential, so the later you join, the further you are down the list.
Notably, Valve highlights that there are separate queues for each region, which means some users could move up the waiting list and order list more quickly than others.
“Importantly, no one on the waitlist is leapfrogging over anyone currently holding a reservation; we’re only dipping into waitlists in a region when we reach the end of its reservation queue,” Valve says.
Valve just released a new update for Steam Frame that improves battery lifetime, steaming quality, connectivity issues, and more.
Steam Frame launched last month, bringing with it the ability for users to not only stream PC and PC VR games to the headset, but also play those games locally, albeit at a lower quality since content is rendered on the standalone headset’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile chipset.
Now, the SteamOS 0.4 update is available for all Frame users, bringing with it some of the most crucial features.
One of the biggest complaints about Steam Frame is its middling battery life; now Valve says it’s bumped power efficiency and battery lifetime during both streaming and local gameplay, with gains of up to 12%.
Steam Frame’s optics | Road to VR
Before the update, users could expect around 1 and 1.5 hours of battery life with mixed use. Check out our review of Steam Frame to learn more.
Steaming quality has also improved with SteamOS 0.4, including Improved color clarity during VR streaming.
It also comes with a fix to VR streaming reliability that reduces ‘Error 17’, which indicates an incompatible protocol settings or connection issue during PC VR streaming between the headset and the host PC. To get that specific streaming issue fixed, users must op into SteamVR 2.18.2 or later, which is available on the SteamVR beta branch.
Additionally, Valve says it’s fixed Wireless Adapter connectivity issues that affected users in some countries; manual configuration also now shows the correct list of Wi-Fi channels in all regions.
Notably, Valve has also now made Steam Frame CAD files and electrical interface information available for non-commercial use, allowing users to more easily create hardware mods.
I’m pleased to announced that longtime Editor Scott Hayden is stepping up to become Road to VR’s new Executive Editor.
After starting with Road to VR as a freelancer in 2014, becoming a contributor in 2016, and then Editor in 2019, Scott Hayden is now the publication’s new Executive Editor. As such, Scott is responsible for all editorial decisions and strategy, and for upholding the standards of reporting that Road to VR has been dedicated to over the last 15 years.
There’s no way I’d miss my last opportunity—as the one with the final say on editorial—to use this photo of Scott!
And in the 12 years since, he’s gone from a strong writer to a great reporter with incredible versatility; Scott has handled it all: daily news, reviews, interviews, international conferences, editorial insights, and, much more. And, importantly, he knows how to make the tough editorial calls that ensure Road to VR’s coverage remains journalism rather than marketing.
Beyond his dedication to the Road to VR mission, Scott is also a very intelligent, very curious, and very kind person whom I’m fortunate to have as a colleague. I can think of literally no one better to maintain this publication’s values as it continues to evolve with the world of XR over the coming years.
A Welcome Letter From Scott
In early 2014, I bought a used Oculus Rift DK1 off eBay. At the time, I felt like I was late to the game. I wasn’t an original backer of the 2013 Kickstarter. I wasn’t a developer, and I had no real intentions of becoming one. But I could own something that I knew was a piece of the future. Something I could strap to my head to experience a multitude of worlds outside my tiny Italian apartment.
I started a VR-focused blog, which is now defunct (and cringey to look back on), but it was a place where I could exercise my thoughts and learn how I do best: by writing. Soon after, I started working as a freelancer for Road to VR under Ben Lang and Paul James, who took me, as a recent history undergrad already very comfortable with research and writing, and gave me the mentorship and public forum to cover history as it happened.
Over the years, that sporadic experiment in writing turned into a career I never really planned on having. I watched the industry mature, learned how to report on it, and eventually found myself doing as much editing and shaping of the publication as I did writing for it.
Now, after 12 years, a few job titles, uncountable press room coffees, and many late nights, that passion has only grown.
I’m excited and deeply honored to lead Road to VR as executive editor. I think I’ve interacted with Ben for so long now that I almost have a miniature version of him inside my head. As you’ll read from Ben further below, he’ll still be here to help, but his focus is shifting toward improving the reader experience with fixes and new features. Where he does still contribute occasional writing, he not only agreed—but actually insisted—that he won’t cover anything that would involve a conflict of interest with his new role.
As I’d hope our long-time readers can attest, Road to VR’s values are clear: we practice journalism, and we don’t do cheerleading. Some of that comes from the knowledge that the XR industry doesn’t need us and will thrive on its own merits. That’s the lens I’ve used when covering VR games, hardware, and the companies who make it all, which sometimes would rather we signal-boost a press release than ask why.
Sometimes you need to go against your best interests to cover a story independently. I’ve done that for the last decade and expect anyone who commits their name to a Road to VR byline to do the same.
As VR changes and grows, we’ll continue following the road toward perfectly indistinguishable virtual reality—that’s the actual road we’re on, by the way. There will be plenty of crossroads along the way, and I’m excited to help navigate them.
At least on the immediate horizon, AI is disrupting both traditional journalism and the ways we consume news, while XR is becoming increasingly intertwined with the same AI-powered technologies.
As we thread these challenges, Road to VR will continue as it always has: by being intensely human, not only in the stories we write, but in the curiosity and skepticism our readership expects from us.
Ben Lang Becomes Road to VR Business Director Alongside XR Industry Role
With Scott taking my place as Executive Editor, I’m shifting to the new role of Business Director. After 15 years of being responsible for editorial strategy, alongside the entirety of Road to VR as a business, this new role gives me the opportunity to rebalance my time and focus on some underserved areas of Road to VR, specifically: the reader experience and media platform side.
Road to VR is a completely different beast compared to when I started it as a little hobby blog back in 2011. The world of online media has changed considerably, and so have the expectation of readers. With this new focus, my goal is to bring Road to VR—as a platform—into the modern era.
The work is already well underway.
Earlier this year we launched Road to VR 5.0 which brought a massive improvement in speed, a vastly improved responsive and mobile experience, and clearer organization of content to help readers go beyond just the front page. Behind the scenes it also streamlined the writing process, improved our ability to serve inline video content, and plenty more.
Since then we’ve also rolled out a ‘dark mode’ (which you can toggle in the top right of the menu bar), and piloted interactive content in our articles (like the timeline here). And there’s more in the works that you’ll see over the months to come.
While I’m excited about what’s in the works for Road to VR, my total time as Business Director will be kept to part-time status, making way for my new full-time focus as the Head of Strategic Partnerships at VITURE.
I’m excited to take the leap from reporting on the industry to being part of the industry proper, and what we’re building at Viture. I’ll be happy to talk more about that over on my personal Twitter or LinkedIn, but Road to VR’s editorial surfaces have never been a place for marketing, and that isn’t going to start now.
Quite the opposite, actually. Conditional on my acceptance of VITURE’s offer, the company signed an agreement that completely insulates it from any efforts to use my position as leverage to influence decisions made at Road to VR.
I expect I will still contribute some writing to Road to VR here and there—after all, you don’t go from 15 years studying this space closely to suddenly having zero opinions about it—but my writings will never be about Viture or matters in which my position with the company would create a conflict of interest.
And with the Executive Editorship in Scott’s hands, I feel confident that Road to VR will retain the editorial independence that we’ve worked to maintain over all these years.
