Thursday, 15 October 2026

Steam Frame OLED Version Surfaces in Source Code, Suggesting a Possible Hardware Refresh

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Valve’s Steam Frame is barely out the door, but now data mining has reportedly surfaced that an OLED version may already in the works.

The News

As reported by Steam Frame Hub, Valve may be working on a new version of Steam Frame, which much like Steam Deck, may include OLED panels instead of LCD.

The codename ‘Plano’ has appeared in Valve’s publicly released Steam Frame kernel source code, describing a ‘Deckard’ (codename for Steam Frame) with a 3,552 × 3,840 per eye resolution OLED, and refresh rate of up to 90Hz, and 120Hz experimental mode.

That comes in contrast to Steam Frame’s 2,160 × 2,160 per eye resolution LCD panel, which includes 72-120Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental).

Steam Frame Hub maintains that while native pixel counts are impressively high, essentially the same as Samsung Galaxy XR, the default resolution appears to be half that: 1,776 × 1,920.

That would essentially allow Valve to hit roughly the same performance target as the standard Steam Frame, as the kernel source code appears to show Plano uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset as the current model.

Development on the repository reportedly continued through October 2nd, 2026, weeks after Steam Frame pre-orders opened on September 14th. That suggests the project remained active after the headset’s launch, although it doesn’t establish whether Plano is a separate product or an experimental hardware configuration.

My Take

Valve may well be following the same playbook as Deck, which was first released in February 2022 with an LCD version, followed by an OLED version in November 2023. Still, there are a few possible explanations beyond a mid-generation Steam Frame OLED refresh.

An alt display config could have been evaluated during development, and subsequently abandoned. Valve may also be simply internal testing right now, which doesn’t mean it will necessarily be productized—soon, or ever.

Notably, the name Deckard appeared more or less the same way, albeit in 2021. That’s ‘Valve Time’ for you, so hoping for a speedy release of an OLED version of Steam Frame really isn’t something I’d count on right now.

As it is, Steam Frame backorders have already stretched in 2027. If Valve wants to follow the same playbook as Deck, the company would ideally need to ramp up production, catch up with demand, make it available without reservations, and establish strong appetite for another Steam Frame before it can release anything else. A lot of that hinges on the device’s popularity, which still remains to be seen since there are still so few in the wild.

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XREAL Announces ‘1 Pro+’ Flagship AR Glasses, Now Available & Priced at $599

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XREAL today announced XREAL 1 Pro+, a hardware refresh of its One Pro flagship AR glasses.

Launching today at $599, Xreal 1 Pro+ includes a modest set of improvements over the original One Pro, which launched in early 2025. Principally, Xreal 1 Pro+ includes brighter displays, as well as improvements to spatial viewing and comfort.

Like One Pro, the new model includes XREAL’s X1 spatial computing chip, three degrees of freedom (3DOF), 57-degree field of view (FOV), and the same 1,920 × 1,080 per eye resolution via Sony 0.55″ micro-OLEDs.

However with the 1 Pro+ hardware refresh, the display now reaches up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness, up from 700 nits peak brightness. It also adds AI-driven high dynamic range (AI HDR) to improve perceived image quality across supported content.

Notably, Xreal’s marketing imagery shows the glasses without a cable, however this is not a standalone device, as the glasses tether to external devices via USB-C cable with DP Alt Mode, such as laptops, mobile devices, and game consoles.

And while the body of the device is seemingly unchanged from the older One Pro, the new 1 Pro+ introduces a newly designed ergonomic nose pad system, which the company says will “improve wearing stability and comfort while helping users maintain a consistent and complete field of view.”

Additionally, Xreal 1 Pro+ is getting an fps increase its automatic 2D-to-3D content conversion, from 30 now to 60fps, which should make converted 3D content more fluid.

You can find Xreal 1 Pro+ available for purchase starting today at XREAL.com, priced at $599, with global retail stores to be added later.

Here’s a quick comparison chart, detailing what’s the same and what’s changing on the Xreal 1 Pro+:

Feature	XREAL One Pro (2025)	XREAL 1 Pro+ (2026)
Display	Sony 0.55″ Micro-OLED	Sony 0.55″ Micro-OLED
Resolution	1,920 × 1,080 per eye	1,920 × 1,080 per eye
Peak brightness	700 nits	1,200 nits
Dimming	Electrochromic dimming	Electrochromic dimming
Spatial chip	XREAL X1	XREAL X1
Degrees of freedom (DOF)	3DOF, 6DOF with Eye accessory	3DOF, 6DOF with Eye accessory
Field of view	57°	57°
Refresh rate	Up to 120Hz	Up to 120Hz
HDR / picture modes	No AI HDR at launch	AI HDR; Standard, Movie and Reading modes
2D-to-3D conversion	Up to 30 FPS	Up to 60 FPS
IPD	two IPD versions \| 57-66 mm & 66-75 mm	two IPD versions \| 57-66 mm & 66-75 mm
Fit	Adjustable temples; existing nose pad design	Adjustable temples; redesigned nose pad geometry
Audio	Sound by Bose	Sound by Bose
US launch price	$599	$599

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Valve is Building a Deluxe Audio Strap with Hot-swappable Battery for Steam Frame

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If you were hoping for better audio and battery life from Valve’s recently released Steam Frame, the company has confirmed it’s creating a headstrap to solve just that.

Valve confirmed with PC Gamer (via Skarred Ghost) that it’s working on a new headstrap with hot-swappable batteries and Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) drivers which are said to match the off-ear speakers seen in Valve Index.

Index, which was just discontinued, has long been the audio bar for VR headsets since its release in 2019.

PC Gamer says the upgrade will be “swap-in.” Valve hasn’t released any further info, however it’s likely to make use of the display portion’s ability to completely detach from the existing headstrap and facial interface.

This is set to fix two real issues with Steam Frame at the moment: middling battery life, as it provides about 1-1.5 hours of mixed use, and the headset’s built-in audio, which admittedly sounds quite good overall, but predictably lacks bass due to being integrated into the headset. You can learn more from our deep dive review of Steam Frame here.

Notably, Steam Frame lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can’t hardwire directly with your favorite wired cans, although you can alternatively use a USB-C to 3.5mmm adapter with built-in DAC, or Bluetooth headphones.

Whatever the case, Valve may be taking its sweet time to release, as backorders for Steam Frame have now stretched into 2027. Beyond that tip-off in the PC Gamer article, the company hasn’t given any indication of when the audio/battery headstrap is coming, or at what price.

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Wednesday, 14 October 2026

Sandisk is Releasing Official ‘Made for Meta’ Expandable Storage for VR Glasses

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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.

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.

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Tuesday, 13 October 2026

Index Headset Goes on Sale for the First Time Ever as Valve Announces Discontinuation

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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.

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.

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.

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The Best Way to Sideload Games on Quest Just Got Better

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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.

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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Monday, 12 October 2026

Pico Space Pro Leaks Ahead of Planned 2026 Launch, Including External & Internal Images

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Regulatory filings in Japan may have inadvertently leaked Pico’s next flagship headset in full—inside and out.

As first spotted by UploadVR, images of Pico’s Vison Pro competitor ‘Space Pro’ have leaked ahead of its planned Q4 2026 launch.

Filed under certification number 202-JWM032, the images are publicly available through Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), which, like the US FCC, oversees the certification of electronic and radio communications equipment.

We’ve extracted them from both available PDFs containing photos of both the external and internals of the device; click to enlarge each photo.

Externals

Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC)

Internals

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.

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