By Metaverse Watcher staff. Published November 3, 2026. Dates and prices checked against maker announcements and reporting on November 3, 2026. We will update this tracker when a date, price or spec changes.
The next twelve months of VR hardware look nothing like the old Quest cycle. Valve’s Steam Frame is out but still sold through a queue, Pico has a premium headset with a quarter but no date, and Meta’s next device is not a Quest at all. This tracker sorts every upcoming VR headset for 2026 and 2027 into what is confirmed by the maker, what is only reported, and what it means if you are deciding whether to buy now or wait.
Looking for glasses rather than headsets? Our separate upcoming smart glasses tracker covers Samsung, Snap, XREAL and Meta’s display glasses. If you want to buy today, start with our best VR headsets of 2026 guide.
Upcoming VR Headsets at a Glance
| Headset | Maker | Release window | U.S. price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Frame | Valve | Launched Sep 14, 2026; order emails by December or in 2027 | $1,059 (256GB), $1,299 (1TB) | Confirmed, reservation queue only |
| Pico Space Pro | Pico (ByteDance) | Q4 2026, no exact date | Not announced | Window confirmed by Pico; date and regions unknown |
| Meta VR Glasses | Meta | Spring 2027 | $1,299.99 | Confirmed; no preorders yet |
| Crystal Pro | Pimax | Shipping target spring 2027 | $1,399; $1,899 with 60G AirLink | Confirmed target; $1 reservations |
| Quest 4 (“Griffin”) | Meta | Second half of 2027 at the earliest | Not announced | Reported only; Meta has not announced it |
Valve Steam Frame: Out, but Not Off the Shelf
Steam Frame is technically a released product, but most people who want one are still waiting, so it belongs on this list. Valve launched it on September 14, 2026 at $1,059 for 256GB and $1,299 for 1TB, with Half-Life: Alyx and a wireless PC adapter in the box and a $29 power supply sold separately, according to the Steam Frame store page. It runs SteamOS on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 16GB of memory and 2160 × 2160 LCD panels per eye at up to 144Hz. Passthrough is monochrome.
Buying is the hard part. Reservation signups closed on September 17, purchase emails began on September 18, and each email gives the buyer 72 hours. In its October update, Valve told reservation holders that their order email will arrive either by December or in 2027, and that the 2027 group will get more detailed timing by January. The waitlist moves only after a region’s reservation queue is used up. We explain how to check your own window in our Steam Frame order wait guide.
Who should wait for it: PC VR players with a large Steam library who want wireless play and can live without a holiday delivery. Our Steam Frame vs Quest 3 comparison covers the trade-offs in detail.
Pico Space Pro: A Quarter, Not a Date
Pico’s premium headset, formerly known as Project Swan, was supposed to launch at a Beijing event on September 2. On August 24, Pico cancelled that event in a post on its official Weibo and Bilibili accounts and moved the release to the fourth quarter of 2026, saying it wanted time for “a major upgrade to the software experience.” Pico has described the device as using dual 4K micro-OLED displays, custom spatial silicon and Pico OS 6, as Spatial Insider summarized, but it has not given a price or launch regions.
There are two signs of a U.S. release. UploadVR found FCC filings for a “Mixed Reality Computer” with separate entries for a headset and a tethered puck, with short-term confidentiality running to February 28, 2027. And U.S. reseller Knoxlabs, in an October 24 note, said release is targeted for December 2026, after an earlier listing that VR.org reported showed an enterprise configuration at $2,899 for February 2027. Pico has confirmed neither the price nor either date, so treat both as reseller claims.
Who should wait for it: buyers who want a lighter, high-resolution Vision Pro alternative and are comfortable with Pico’s patchy availability outside Asia and Europe. Our Galaxy XR vs Vision Pro guide covers the two premium headsets it would compete with.
Meta VR Glasses: Meta’s Next Device Is Not a Quest
Meta announced Meta VR Glasses at Connect on September 23, 2026, and its announcement says they go on sale in spring 2027 for $1,299.99. The device puts about 100 grams on the face and moves the battery and processors into a puck you clip to a belt or carry in a bag. Meta describes a “5K” micro-OLED display, eye and hand input, and multi-screen virtual desktops as the core pitch. Meta has not opened preorders or named an exact date.
Road to VR’s spec comparison, which we summarized here, lists 2,412 × 2,288 pixels per eye, up to 120Hz and about 37 pixels per degree, but a 70 × 66 degree field of view, which is noticeably narrower than Quest 3’s roughly 110 degrees horizontally. Touch Plus controllers are supported but not bundled, and Meta says every Quest game will be playable on the device with those controllers.
Who should wait for it: people who mainly want movies, sports, workouts and a portable multi-monitor setup. It is a premium media and productivity device first. For games, the Quest 3 remains the better value.
Pimax Crystal Pro: Wireless PC VR, Spring 2027
Pimax unveiled the Crystal Pro on October 6 at $1,399, or $1,899 bundled with its third-generation 60GHz AirLink kit, which costs $599 on its own. Pimax quotes 2,880 × 2,880 quantum-dot LCD panels per eye with mini-LED local dimming, a 110-degree horizontal field of view, 35 pixels per degree and eye tracking. Standalone use runs on a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1, the chip from the Quest 2 era, and power comes from an external 16,000mAh battery rather than one inside the headset. Our launch report has the full breakdown.
On timing, the Pimax Frontier FAQ says hands-on demos start in Q4 2026, the headset will be at CES in January 2027, and the current shipping target is spring 2027. Pimax has a history of slipping ship dates, so we would treat spring as a target rather than a promise.
Who should wait for it: PC VR enthusiasts who want the highest resolution in a wireless headset and already own a strong GPU. Pimax lists an RTX 2070 as the minimum.
Meta Quest 4: Reported for Late 2027 at the Earliest
Meta has NOT announced a Quest 4, and it showed no new Quest at Connect. Everything known comes from reporting. In December 2025, internal memos reported by Business Insider and confirmed by UploadVR described a gaming-focused next-generation headset meant to be a “large upgrade” over Quest 3 while improving unit economics, which suggests Meta may stop selling it near cost. UploadVR’s understanding is that it ships no earlier than the second half of 2027, possibly in 2028, and firmware researcher Luna has reported the codename “Griffin.”
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth has said the company has “two devices on the roadmap,” which UploadVR read as confirmation that Quest 4 was not cancelled. One of those two devices turned out to be Meta VR Glasses. Meanwhile, Meta is winding down older hardware, as covered in our report on Quest 2 and Quest Pro end of support.
Should you wait for it? No. A headset that is unannounced and reported for late 2027 is not worth skipping two holiday seasons for.
Upcoming Headsets vs What You Can Buy Today
| Headset on sale now | U.S. list price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Quest 3S (128GB) | $349.99 | Cheapest modern standalone VR |
| Meta Quest 3 (512GB) | $599.99 | Best all-round headset for games |
| PlayStation VR2 | $399.99 list, often out of stock | PS5 owners |
| Bigscreen Beyond 2e | $1,159 | Ultralight, high-end PC VR |
| Samsung Galaxy XR | $1,799.99 | Android XR, media and productivity |
| Apple Vision Pro (M5) | From $3,699 | Apple users, spatial computing |
Prices for headsets on sale now are list prices from our best VR headsets guide. Retail deals will change through Black Friday on November 27, so check the retailer before you buy.
Should You Buy Now or Wait?
- You want VR games this year: buy a Quest 3 or Quest 3S now. Nothing on this list replaces them for gaming before late 2027. Our Quest 3 vs Quest 3S guide helps you pick, and our best Quest 3 games list covers what to play.
- You play mostly on a PC through Steam: reserve a Steam Frame if you can wait, or stream to a Quest in the meantime with our guide to playing PC VR games on Quest.
- You mainly want a big private screen: Meta VR Glasses in spring 2027 are the device to watch, at roughly a third of Vision Pro’s price.
- You want maximum PC VR clarity: compare the Crystal Pro’s spring 2027 target with the Bigscreen Beyond 2e, which ships today.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Meta Quest 4 coming out?
Meta has not announced it. Reporting from UploadVR points to the second half of 2027 at the earliest, possibly 2028. Meta’s next confirmed headset is Meta VR Glasses in spring 2027.
When does the Pico Space Pro come out?
Pico says the fourth quarter of 2026 but has not named a day, a price or regions. A U.S. reseller has said December 2026; that is not a Pico announcement.
Can I still buy a Steam Frame before Christmas?
Only if you already hold a reservation and your window says December, and even then Valve has not said how fast December orders ship. Valve has given waitlist members no date.
Are Meta VR Glasses a Quest replacement?
Not for most gamers. They are far lighter and sharper, but their field of view is much narrower and controllers are sold separately.
Sources: Valve; Meta Connect 2026 announcements; Pimax; Pico via UploadVR; UploadVR on Meta’s headset roadmap; VR.org.