URXR One Power Hub: do you need it for Steam Deck or iPhone?

The URXR One has no battery. Whatever you plug it into powers it, and how much power that USB-C port can give decides which features you get. That's why the same glasses run 6DoF on a laptop but only 3DoF on a Steam Deck.

Here's what to expect on each device, and when the $69 Power Hub is worth buying.

The power tiers

Your port gives	Typical devices	What you get
15 W or more	Most Thunderbolt and USB4 laptop ports, ROG Xbox Ally X	Everything: 6DoF, 1440p at 90Hz, passthrough
About 7.5 W	Steam Deck and most handhelds	Direct mode with 3DoF
About 4.5 W	Phones	Not enough alone. Add the Power Hub, or try Ultra Low Power Mode.

The glasses draw about 7 W with hand tracking off. Full 6DoF takes over 8 W, and peaks reach 15 W. Unseen Reality says the glasses only take what the port offers. The worst case is fewer features or a reconnect, never damage to your device.

Its answers differ a little on where 1440p cuts out. One says it needs 15 W. Another says it switches off below about 7.5 W. Either way, the glasses drop to 1080p on their own, so you always get a picture.

Power isn't the only thing 6DoF needs. The cameras need light and something to look at. In a very dark room, the glasses fall back to 3DoF. Unseen Reality says a dim room with patterned furniture holds up better than a bright one with blank white walls.

Laptops: plug straight in

Windows laptops and Macs connect directly with the cable in the box. No hub needed. If the port gives 15 W, you get every feature. Unseen Reality says most Thunderbolt and USB4 ports do.

A few things worth knowing:

• Your computer sees a normal monitor. It's 2560×1440 at 90Hz, a 16:9 shape. Not ultrawide.
• Locked work laptop? No problem. Direct mode needs no driver, no install and no admin rights. The glasses handle the tracking themselves.
• Multiple screens need the app. URXR Connect is planned for Windows in November 2026. The Mac version comes after that, with no date yet.
• Mac mini works too. Unseen Reality says you can run one with no physical monitor at all.

Compatibility checkerMacBook Air (M5) + URXR OneWorks

Steam Deck: works, in 3DoF

The Deck plugs straight in and runs Direct mode. SteamOS can't run the URXR Connect app, so you get one big screen, not several.

The Deck's port gives about 7.5 W. That covers 3DoF, which tracks your head turning. For 6DoF, where the screen stays pinned in the room even as you lean or move, you need 15 W.

Unseen Reality adds a warning. The Deck's power can sag when a game pushes it, and the glasses may reconnect. For a Deck, it recommends the Power Hub, which also takes the glasses off the Deck's battery.

Compatibility checkerSteam Deck OLED + URXR OneWorks

Picking glasses for your Deck? Our best AR glasses for Steam Deck compares the options, including why a 16:10 screen matters.

ROG Ally, Legion Go and ROG Xbox Ally X

Unseen Reality lists Windows handhelds like the ROG Ally and Legion Go for a direct connection, in Direct mode only. Most handheld ports give about 7.5 W, so plan on 3DoF.

The ROG Xbox Ally X is the exception. Unseen Reality says its USB4 port supplies the full 15 W, so you get every feature straight from the port.

Compatibility checkerROG Xbox Ally X (2025) + URXR OneWorks

Phones and tablets: two options

A phone port gives about 4.5 W. That can't run the glasses in their normal mode. You have two ways around it.

Option 1: the Power Hub. It sits between your phone and the glasses. MIXED reports it has a 10,000 mAh battery. It powers the glasses while passing your phone's video through, all down one cable. That gets you the full experience: 6DoF, passthrough and 1440p.

• It costs $69 now. Unseen Reality says the price will rise to $99 later, with no date yet.
• It ships separately, in December 2026.
• You can plug a wall charger into it while you use the glasses.
• Unseen Reality expects roughly 3 hours or more per charge. It hasn't published a final runtime.

Option 2: Ultra Low Power Mode. Unseen Reality added this on October 22. It runs the glasses at 5 W, so a compatible phone can drive them directly.

You keep	You lose
3DoF tracking	Passthrough. The background turns black, so you can't see the room.
1080p	1440p
All four screen sizes	6DoF
Portrait and landscape	Travel Mode
Brightness control

On a plane, Unseen Reality says 3DoF still works in steady flight. Taxiing, takeoff, landing and turns may throw it off.

The catch: Unseen Reality hasn't said which phones count as compatible. In a pre-release hands-on it published, a tester's Xiaomi 15 Ultra couldn't drive the glasses reliably. That was before this mode existed, so treat phones as a try-it-and-see for now.

iPhone owners, read this

Your iPhone needs a USB-C port that sends video. That's the iPhone 15 and newer, minus the iPhone Air, 16e and 17e. Here's the full list of iPhones that work with AR glasses.

Two more things to know:

• The Power Hub is waiting on Apple. Its MFi certification is still pending. Unseen Reality says the Hub will work without it, but some iOS features may be limited until it's done.
• The iOS app comes later. URXR Connect is planned for iOS in December, and it needs Apple's approval. Until then, you get Direct mode, which mirrors your screen.

Android phones and Samsung DeX

Galaxy phones work through the Power Hub, and DeX shows up like any other screen. Unseen Reality says it's still testing DeX-specific behavior. Other Android phones work if they send video over USB-C and can supply enough power. Want a desktop on your Galaxy? Here's our Galaxy guide.

Nintendo Switch and consoles

Switch. You need a third-party powered adapter that splits power in from video out, plus the Power Hub. Unseen Reality doesn't sell the adapter.

Switch 2. It isn't on Unseen Reality's list. The Switch 2 only sends video through its dock's HDMI port, and Unseen Reality doesn't officially support HDMI to USB-C adapters. It says those rely on workarounds that a firmware update can break, and it plans to share a list of ones its team has tried. Our Switch 2 guide explains the dock setups.

PlayStation 5 and Xbox. Not yet. Unseen Reality says they're still being tested.

What about other hubs and docks?

A third-party hub can work if it does real power pass-through and passes full DisplayPort video. Unseen Reality warns about cheap "splitters" that just split the power pins. Without a proper power controller, they won't negotiate correctly. It hasn't certified any third-party hubs yet.

Stick with the cable in the box, too. It's matched to the glasses.

So, do you need the Power Hub?

You'll use it with	Need the Hub?
A laptop	No
A Steam Deck	Not for 3DoF. Yes for 6DoF, or to save the Deck's battery.
A ROG Xbox Ally X	No
A phone	Yes, for passthrough and 6DoF. Maybe not, if 3DoF on a black background is enough.
A Switch	Yes, plus a third-party adapter

More on the URXR One

• Shipping, price and timeline: our URXR One tracker
• Backed it? Here's what backers need to know now
• Wear glasses? See URXR One prescription lenses
• Still deciding? Read XREAL Aura vs URXR One