Valve has launched Steam Frame, a wireless VR headset designed to stream games from a PC while also running compatible titles directly through SteamOS.
The headset combines dedicated wireless hardware for PC streaming with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, 16GB of memory and an ARM64 version of SteamOS. Valve says more than 100 games are already Steam Frame Standalone Verified, while users can stream their broader Steam libraries from another PC.
Streaming is central to Steam Frame
Steam Frame supports Wi-Fi 7 and includes a Wi-Fi 6E adapter that creates a dedicated 6GHz connection between the headset and a PC. Its dual-radio design allows one connection to handle the game stream while another maintains regular Wi-Fi connectivity.
Valve is also introducing Foveated Streaming, which uses eye tracking to concentrate the highest image quality where the player is looking. Areas outside that region can be transmitted at lower detail to reduce bandwidth requirements.
Valve says the technique typically provides more than a 10-fold improvement in image quality and effective bandwidth. That figure comes from Valve rather than independent testing.
Another feature, Multi-Link Streaming, can route data across multiple available connections at once and adapt as network conditions change. Valve says both technologies work at the streaming layer, so individual games do not need to add support.
SteamOS runs directly on the headset
Steam Frame can also operate without a gaming PC for supported titles.
Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor is paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X memory and either 256GB or 1TB of UFS storage. A microSD slot provides additional capacity.
The headset runs SteamOS 3 and uses Valve’s Steam Frame Standalone Verified program to identify VR and non-VR games that can run locally on its ARM-based hardware.
For display hardware, Steam Frame has a 2160-by-2160 LCD panel for each eye, custom pancake lenses and refresh rates between 72Hz and 144Hz. Valve describes the 144Hz mode as experimental.
Two internal cameras provide eye tracking, while four outward-facing cameras handle headset and controller tracking without external base stations. The cameras also provide monochrome passthrough.
Controllers support VR and regular games
Steam Frame’s controllers are designed for both VR and traditional games.
They support six-degree-of-freedom motion tracking and capacitive finger sensing, while also providing familiar gamepad controls including ABXY buttons, a D-pad, thumbsticks, triggers and bumpers.
Each controller uses a replaceable AA battery, with Valve estimating about 40 hours of battery life.
Steam Frame itself uses a rechargeable 21.6Wh battery and charges over USB-C at up to 45W. A dedicated power adapter is not included, although Valve says a Steam Deck charger or another compatible 45W-or-higher USB-C adapter will work. Valve sells its own adapter for $29.
The 256GB Steam Frame costs $1,059 in the U.S., while the 1TB version costs $1,299. Half-Life: Alyx is included.
Valve opened reservations on September 14 and randomized the initial queue on September 17 rather than assigning units on a first-come, first-served basis. Purchase emails began going out September 18, and Valve’s product page now directs new customers to join the waitlist for either model.
Steam Frame extends Valve’s SteamOS hardware approach into VR, combining standalone gaming with a wireless connection to the much larger Steam library available on PCs.
Leave a Reply