This Week in VR: Android XR Goes Big, Steam Frame Hits a Wall, and Myst Returns

This was one of the busiest weeks in VR and XR news this year. Google laid out its full spatial computing vision at The Android Show, three trillion-dollar companies escalated the smart glasses race, Valve's most anticipated headset hit a supply chain snag, and classic gaming made a strong return on PSVR2 and Vision Pro. Here is what you need to know.

Google Goes All In on Android XR

The Android Show on May 12 was Google's biggest XR moment yet. The company revealed a two-tier smart glasses strategy with audio-only AI glasses and display glasses featuring transparent in-lens overlays, backed by fashion partnerships with Warby Parker, Gentle Monster, and Gucci. The Gemini Intelligence branding positions their AI assistant as the central feature across all Android XR devices, from the Samsung Galaxy XR headset to lightweight glasses you wear all day. Read our full breakdown in Google Just Showed Us the Future of Android XR.

Looking ahead, Google I/O kicks off May 19 with hands-on XR glasses demos for the first time and two dedicated spatial computing sessions covering Jetpack SceneCore, ARCore, and the unified XR toolchain. Developers building on Android XR should pay close attention. Our preview covers the key sessions in What XR Developers Should Actually Watch for at Google I/O Next Week.

The Smart Glasses Race Heats Up

With Google's announcement, all three major platform holders are now actively building smart glasses. Meta's Ray-Ban partnership has sold over two million units. Apple is reportedly testing four frame designs for AI glasses launching in 2027. Google is building a platform for Samsung, Warby Parker, Gucci, and others to build on. Our co-founder Evan Marcus broke down what this three-way race means for VR gamers and the broader immersive computing ecosystem in Google, Meta, and Apple Are All Building Smart Glasses. Only One of Them Scares Me.

Steam Frame Faces Supply Chain Headwinds

Valve's Steam Frame is listed as "coming soon" on Steam, but the path to launch just got harder. A global LPDDR5 RAM shortage driven by AI infrastructure demand is forcing Valve to revisit both its timeline and pricing strategy. The headset uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, exactly the type of component that AI data centers are buying in bulk. Nina Castillo dug into the full supply chain picture in The AI Boom Is Eating the RAM That Steam Frame Needs.

Myst and Riven Hit PSVR2

Cyan Worlds is launching remakes of both Myst and Riven on PlayStation 5 and PSVR2 on May 19 at $34.99 each. These are the full PC versions adapted for PlayStation hardware, not Quest ports, with ray-traced reflections and PS5 Pro enhancements including improved rendering resolution in VR. For a platform that has needed compelling content, this is a strong addition. Alex Reeves covered the technical details and why it matters for PSVR2's library in Myst and Riven Remakes Launch on PSVR2 This Monday.

Original Tetris Arrives on Vision Pro

Resolution Games added the original 1984 Elektronika 60 Tetris to Retrocade on Apple Vision Pro, complete with a faithfully recreated Japanese arcade environment. The app now offers thirteen classic titles across two virtual arcades. It is a quiet but meaningful addition to Vision Pro's game library, and a good example of spatial computing putting games into your world rather than putting you into a game world. Nina Castillo covered the update in The Original 1984 Tetris Just Landed on Apple Vision Pro.

What to Watch Next Week

Google I/O starts May 19 with the developer keynote at 10 AM PT. Expect hands-on XR glasses demos, deeper dives into the unified Android XR toolchain, and potentially a public SDK release timeline. Myst and Riven also launch on PSVR2 the same day. And the Steam Frame watch continues as Valve inches closer to a launch announcement. It is going to be another big week.