I’ve landed in Helsinki to attend MatchXR and Slush. I’m a bit disappointed that there is no snow, but I hope that some will fall in the next days! This is going to be a crazy, busy week for me between the events, the blog articles, and the remote work I have to do, so this edition of the newsletter will have very limited text commentary. But don’t worry, all the pieces of news have been selected with the usual care, so you are just going to miss some of my blabbering. It’s just that I have to spare some time this morning, I hope you’ll understand. Happy reading!
Top news of the week
Valve announced Steam Frame, Steam Machine, and Steam Controller
The most-awaited headset of the past couple of years has arrived: Valve has finally unveiled the Steam Frame, its own standalone headset. And with it, it unveiled its controllers, which have the same controls as a gamepad; the Steam Machine, which is a PC for gaming; and the Steam Controller, which is like a quite cool gamepad.
These are the specs of the Steam Frame, courtesy of Road To VR:
| Weight | 190g core, 435g (core, headstrap, incl. facial interface, rear battery) |
| Chipset | Snapdragon Series 8 Gen 3 (SM8650), 8 core CPU ARM processor (4nm) |
| RAM | 16GB Unified LPDDR5 RAM |
| Operating System | SteamOS |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7, 2×2 – Dual 5Ghz/6Ghz streaming for simultaneous VR and Wi-Fi |
| Storage | 256GB / 1TB UFS storage options |
| Expanded Storage | microSD card slot for extended storage (up to 2TB) |
| Optics | Pancake optics |
| Display | 2,160 × 2,160 LCD (per eye), 72-120Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental) |
| FOV | up to 110 degrees |
| Tracking | 4x outward facing monochrome cameras for controller & headset tracking |
| Dark Environment Tracking | Outward IR illuminator for dark environments |
| Passthrough | Monochrome camera passthrough (1,280 × 1,024 resolution) |
| Eye-tracking | 2x interior cameras for eye tracking |
| Foveated Streaming | Eye-tracking drives video stream, sending highest resolution to where you’re looking |
| Other | Wireless Adapter included, Wi-Fi 6E (6Ghz) |
| Audio | Dual speaker drivers (per ear), integrated into headstrap |
| Mic | Dual microphone array |
| Port | USB-C |
| Expansion Port | User accessible expansion port – (2x 2.5Gbps camera interface / gen4 PCIe) |
| Battery | 21.6 Wh Li-On Battery |
After the announcement of the headset, there have been a lot of debates in the community. These are some of the main topics of discussion:
- The headset is very cool because it is fully open, and you can potentially install even whatever operating system you want. It is also moddable and expandable via dedicated ports. People are also enjoying it because it has no privacy risks, because it is not made by an advertising company
- The headset is lightweight and small
- The PCVR streaming through a dedicated dongle and optimized through foveated streaming is a game-changer for PCVR
- The fact that it can run both Linux games, Windows games, and Android games thanks to its emulation layer is nothing short of amazing
- … but it risks being too expensive to become mainstream, because Valve said it will be “cheaper than an Index full kit”, so we can estimate a price like $8–900
- … but its displays are very old, and Ben Lang even was able to notice some screen door effect, which in 2025 is very weird
- … but its passthrough is low-resolution and monochrome, so it is at Quest 2 levels
- … but the fact that its controllers are different will create fragmentation in the VR ecosystem
- … but there is no Half Life 3 VR in development, so there is not a big system seller application
In general, it seems that Valve made a headset for ITS own audience. It didn’t try to make a headset to make VR become mainstream, or to make the best MR, or whatever. It made a headset to make Steam people play either VR games, or flatscreen games on a big VR screen, and that’s it. It is a bit disappointing for us, but on Valve’s business side, this is the only choice that makes sense: they make money with Steam and should make an ecosystem around Steam.
Most probably, this headset won’t become mainstream, but it will make some people in the Steam community very happy. And it will put some pressure on Meta, which recently kind of abandoned VR gamers and developers.
More info (Official launch tweet)
More info (Official launch video)
More info (New Steam hardware ecosystem)
More info (Steam page of the Steam Machine)
More info (Steam page of the Steam Frame)
More info (CNET’s hands-on with Steam Frame)
More info (Linus Tech Tips’s hands-on with Steam Frame)
More info (Valve’s Steam Frame announcement, specs, details — Upload VR)
More info (Valve’s Steam Frame announcement, specs, details — Road To VR)
More info (UploadVR’s hands-on with Steam Frame)
More info (Road To VR’s hands-on with Steam Frame)
More info (Valve is distributing devkits of Steam Frame)
More info (Valve’s Steam Machine and Steam Controller)
More info (Steam Frame vs Quest 3)
More info (Steam Frame vs Valve Index)
More info (Valve could license SteamOS to other headsets)
More info (Valve is not working on a flagship VR title)
More info (Steam Frame will be “Cheaper than Index”)
More info (A Redditor defending Valve’s choices regarding the Steam Frame)
More info (Analysts agree Steam Frame won’t go mainstream)
More info (My personal take on the Steam Frame)
Other relevant news
The new Lynx headset won’t run Android XR
In an unexpected twist of events, French startup Lynx has announced that Google terminated its agreement, and so the headset won’t be able to run Android XR anymore. This is a huge loss for Lynx, if the headset aimed at having some consumer success. If instead it aimed at being a business-oriented headset, it could be even better if it ran its own operating system, because it could be made to be fully open and privacy-compliant, which is something companies would appreciate.
Lynx also teased that this standalone headset will have quite a wide FOV. More details to come in the upcoming weeks.
Samsung to train 20,000 employees with Galaxy XR
Samsung is going to introduce VR training in its company. The plan is to have 20,000 employees using Galaxy XR headsets to learn how to do their job in a more effective way.
It’s not the first time we hear an XR company doing some sort of dogfooding (Meta tried to force its employees to use Horizon Worlds, for instance), but it is the first time I hear it happening at such a large scale. This shows Samsung’s commitment to XR.
Even Realities releases new glasses and ring controller
Even Realities, a well-known smartglasses manufacturer, just announced its second model. Called Even Realities G2, these glasses showcase an even slimmer design than the first ones and have brighter (monochrome) displays. Even Realities are famous for being very lightweight glasses that are comfortable to wear for long periods of time, but at the expense of having more limited features (most importantly, they have no camera). Even Realities G2 is a clear representation of this vision. These glasses can be controlled with a tracking ring, called Even Realities R1.
Both the G2 and R1 devices are now available to order through the company’s website, with the G2 priced at USD $599 and the R1 at USD $249.
ROLI acquires Ultraleap
Ultraleap has a new home. The startup has been acquired by ROLI, a company that produces smart musical instruments. Ultraleap’s technology will be used to build instruments that can react to the hands’ positions, and that can also help people in learning faster how to play them.
On one side, I’m happy that Ultraleap’s technology did not get lost. On the other side, I think it had a much greater potential than just building musical instruments, and this makes me a bit sad.
News worth a mention
The VR Games Showcase has been a feast of announcements of VR games
The November 2025 edition of the VR Games Showcase was packed with announcements of new VR games and updates related to existing VR games. It’s been the usual cool event. But there has been no breakthrough announcement, in my opinion. And the announcement of the Steam Frame the day before kinda overshadowed this event.
Apple now sells PSVR 2 controllers
You can now buy from Apple the PSVR 2 controllers to use with your Apple Vision Pro headset. But they are pretty expensive: they cost $250, so it’s better if you already have a PSVR 2 at home…
VR may make your eyes more lubricated
A controversial experiment revealed that using a VR headset may not make your eyes drier, but can actually thicken the protective fluid that the eyes create. This sounds weird because when we use VR headsets, we usually feel our eyes are drier. The experiment was made on a small set of users and without a control group, so more thorough experiments are necessary to confirm this theory. But it is already fascinating that there is such a possibility.
UG is the game earning the most money on the Horizon Store
If you think about what can be the most profitable game on Quest, for sure the first names that come to your mind are Beat Saber, Gorilla Tag, or Animal Company. But actually, according to Meta, the game earning the most now is UG, a name that I have never heard before. It’s interesting that no one in the main magazines is speaking about this title, which is clearly made for kids.
Galaxy XR is not ideal for adult content
The most interesting social post of the week is a post made by a Redditor that informs us all of the problems of using Galaxy XR to watch porn. Thanks, random Redditor, for your service to the community. I’ll make sure to never buy a used Galaxy XR after having read your first-hand (pun intended) review.
Best Buy is having a great offer on Quest 3S
Best Buy is now offering Quest 3S for as low as $250, together with $110 of perks: a $50 Best Buy gift card, 1 month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners VR game. If you are in the US, this is a great opportunity to jump on the VR train!
Upload VR announces its Winter Showcase
For a showcase that ends, another one starts! Upload VR announced that it will have its Winter showcase in December. Interested developers can submit their proposals to see their games featured there.
Some news about content
- ‘Manifold Garden’ studio to release room-scale VR puzzler ‘Hotel Infinity’ on November 13th
- Inu Atsume VR, a virtual pet simulator, will make its Quest debut on November 20 for $14.99
- Escape from Hadrian’s Wall is a 5th-century VR puzzle game where you navigate the titular location with magical abilities. It has been launched for Quest and PCVR
- Men in Black: Most Wanted promises a new story for the comedic sci-fi franchise on Meta Quest next month. It will debut on Meta Quest on December 5 for $24.99
- How to God, the deity-themed sandbox experience, launches in Early Access on December 4 for $29.99
- VR multiplayer shooter VAIL got a free-to-play Extraction mode in early access on Steam and Quest
More info (Hotel Infinity)
More info (Inu Atsume VR)
More info (Escape From Hadrian’s Wall)
More info (Men In Black: Most Wanted)
More info (How To God)
More info (VAIL)
Some reviews about content
- Lumines Arise is a great rhythm puzzle experience, but maybe just a little bit less cool than Tetris Effect
- Forefront brings a great Battlefield-like experience to VR
- Tracked: Shoot To Survive is a nice survival experience, but its visuals look a bit dated
More info (Lumines Arise)
More info (Forefront)
More info (Tracked: Shoot To Survive)
Other news
Ben Lang digs into the good XR design ideas behind Stormland
David Heaney wrote a very detailed review of the Meta Ray-Ban Display
Meta opens its retail store in LA
An amazing demo from a developer shows proximity-based passthrough. I think this should be implemented in Meta Horizon OS
Someone is integrating Vuforia to work with Quest passthrough
(Thanks Ivan Aguilar for the tip)
News from partners (and friends)
Come to MatchXR!
If you are close to Helsinki, come tomorrow to MatchXR, so we can also meet and chat about immersive realities!
Learn more
Discover FM DUO camera!
Meet the FM DUO, a VR camera that is capable of filming up to 12K @30fps, and 8K @60fps. With built-in RTMP live streaming and 5G connectivity, the FM·DUO will immerse your viewers in real time! The FM·DUO features 2 full-frame CMOS sensors, with 6000 x 6000 pixels each. This allows for high-resolution zooming capabilities. Not only can you narrow in on one subject, but you can also focus on singular details of the subject’s facial expressions, clothing textures, and a multitude of other small details, enabling a much more immersive experience of VR video.
Some XR fun
Russia’s first XR robot’s presentation did not go as planned…
Funny link
A new console: The GabeCube
Funny link
SadlyItsBradley’s fans’ reaction to the Steam Frame
Funny link
The Steam Frame experience
Funny link
Maybe in 2047, we’ll still be “in the early days of XR”
Funny link
I don’t think this is medically accurate…
Funny link
Donate for good
Like last week, also this week in this final paragraph I won’t ask you to donate to my blog, but to the poor people who are facing the consequences of the war. Please donate to the Red Cross to handle the current humanitarian situation in Ukraine. I will leave you the link to do that below.
Let me take a moment before to thank anyway all my Patreon donors for the support they give to me:
- Alex Gonzalez VR
- DeoVR
- GenVR
- Eduardo Siman
- Jonn Fredericks
- Jean-Marc Duyckaerts
- Reynaldo T Zabala
- Richard Penny
- Terry xR. Schussler
- Ilias Kapouranis
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- Immersive.international
- Nikk Mitchell and the great FXG team
- Jake Rubin
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- Wisear (Yacine Achiakh)
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- Marco “BeyondTheCastle” Arena
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- Sb
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- Caroline
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- Matt Cool
- Mark G
- Simplex
- Gregory F Gorsuch
- Paul Shay
- Matias Nassi
And now here you are the link to donate:
Support The Red Cross in Ukraine
(Header image by Valve)
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