Scott Hayden

Scott Hayden is an editor at Road to VR who focuses on virtual and augmented reality, with a long-running, high-volume beat on XR hardware, smart glasses and immersive content. His coverage is distinguished by sustained, hands-on reporting that connects new devices and experiences to how they actually work for users, rather than treating them as generic gadget news. He has been professionally reporting on XR for nearly a decade and has written more than 4,000 articles for Road to VR, bringing seasoned context to a space that has shifted from early experiments to mainstream products.

Smart Glasses and Wearable XR

Hayden tracks smart glasses as they move from concept hardware into consumer products and fashion partnerships. He has reported on Samsung’s first smart glasses expected to debut at a Galaxy Unpacked event, treating them as part of a broader shift toward everyday wearable XR rather than a niche headset category.

Recent coverage includes regulatory filings and approvals that signal upcoming launches from brands such as Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, with attention to how design, partners and distribution shape the chances of smart glasses gaining real-world adoption.

He follows accessories and add-ons around these devices, such as strap systems designed for active VR gaming, and looks closely at how comfort, stability and input options influence whether glasses-style hardware can support longer and more dynamic sessions. Across this work, he writes in straightforward terms about capabilities, limitations and what the hardware stage actually means for both consumers and developers building hand-tracked applications for these platforms.

VR Glasses and Headset Hardware

Headset and glasses hardware is a core strand of Hayden’s reporting, and he treats each device as part of a competitive XR landscape rather than in isolation. He publishes detailed comparisons of Meta VR glasses, Quest 3 and Steam Frame, breaking down specs and features to show how different approaches to displays, passthrough, controllers and comfort stack up against one another.

Review pieces on accessories such as the Arcturus Vision Steam Frame add-on focus on practical performance - he describes the change as “literal night and day” and backs that with attention to optical clarity, ergonomics and value. His archive includes coverage of haptic gloves from HaptX, noting that they have become smaller and cheaper while still remaining bulky and expensive, a formulation that illustrates his habit of balancing progress against persistent trade-offs. He has followed multiple generations of dedicated VR headsets, including compact devices teased by HTC ahead of major conferences, and earlier platforms like the HTC Vive as they navigated component shortages and restocking cycles.

That long hardware arc allows him to situate each new device in the history of XR, tracking recurring issues such as motion sickness, cabling, price and content support.

VR Games, Mods and Content

Hayden’s reporting on content spans major licensed titles, indie projects and the modding community. Recent work includes coverage of a Titanfall 2 VR mod that brings the series’ fast, movement-heavy shooter design into VR, where he flags both the appeal and the demands it places on players who can handle that level of intensity.

He has provided hands-on impressions of Neon Genesis Evangelion VR, focusing on how hand tracking and combat systems are implemented in practice and why this particular take on an established anime property stands out. Earlier articles cover titles such as Marvel Powers United VR, Mario Kart VR moving beyond Japan to London, and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2, giving consistent attention to lineup details, platform availability and how familiar franchises translate to immersive formats. His reviews of games like Seeking Dawn and lists such as “15 VR Horror Games for an Immersive Fright This Halloween” show a willingness to separate visual ambition from gameplay quality, and to highlight when chores, pacing or comfort issues undermine otherwise strong concepts.

He also spends time on experimental and narrative-driven projects, including early adventure games like Ethereon and Leap Motion-driven experiences from the 3D Jam era, reflecting an interest in XR as a storytelling and interaction medium as much as a gaming platform.

Industry Events and Developer Ecosystem

Beyond devices and content, Hayden reports from major industry events and follows the business and developer ecosystem around XR. He covers conferences such as Meta Connect, including developer keynotes and state-of-the-union presentations, often embedding livestreams and summarising the most consequential announcements for hardware, software and tools. His reporting tracks investment, accelerators and grant programs, with pieces on VR fitness startup YUR securing funding, applications for HTC’s Vive X AR/VR accelerator, and WEVR’s $1 million VR grant program for storytellers.

He links these initiatives to concrete outcomes such as new apps, studios and experimental projects, rather than treating them as abstract funding news. Earlier in the field’s growth, he chronicled challenges like living in VR for a month and cultural moments such as South Park’s treatment of the Oculus Rift, documenting how mainstream attention and early adopters shaped public perception of VR.

Across events and ecosystem coverage, he writes as someone who has watched XR move from Kickstarter chairs and foot controllers to platform competitions and developer contests for VR glasses, keeping the focus on how each step shifts opportunity for creators and companies in the space.

Over nearly a decade of continuous coverage, Hayden’s work forms a running record of XR’s progression from niche experiment to a layered industry of smart glasses, VR headsets, content libraries and funding pipelines. His reporting is direct, detail-led and grounded in repeated contact with hardware, software and events, which allows him to distinguish short-lived hype from durable shifts in the virtual and augmented reality landscape.