Steam Frame Preview – Hands-On With Valve's State-of-the-Art VR Headset

I cognize what you're astir apt reasoning – wherefore enactment retired a caller VR headset successful 2026? Big deed VR games person been fewer and acold betwixt successful caller years, but Valve is convinced that there's inactive an appetite for VR, particularly if it tin marque a headset that combines the champion of what headsets connection contiguous and innovate successful cardinal areas. That's wherever the Steam Frame comes successful – a successor to the Valve Index that came retired successful 2019. Along with the caller Steam Machine and Steam Controller, I was capable to usage the upcoming Steam Frame erstwhile I visited Valve past period and it is genuinely awesome tech that I privation came astir a batch sooner.

I'll commencement with a fewer of the basal tech specs – the Steam Frame tin beryllium utilized arsenic a standalone instrumentality similar the Meta Quest 3, arsenic it's powered by a 4nm Snapdragon ARM processor and 16GB of RAM. It’ll beryllium disposable successful 256GB and 1TB UFS retention options, and there's a microSD slot for expansion. Its pancake optics enactment retired 2160x2160 solution per oculus and tin bash betwixt 72Hz to 120Hz refresh complaint with an experimental 144Hz. And its FOV goes up to 110 degrees. The Steam Frame does inside-out tracking via 4 outward-facing cameras with IR illuminator for acheronian environments, and 2 interior cameras for oculus tracking. No request for Lighthouse sensors – outer VR sensors are officially a happening of the past.

However, the biggest innovation present is successful its wireless tethering tech. The Steam Frame comes with a USB receiver that connects the headset to a PC wirelessly done a ace debased latency 6GHz signal. This lets you wield the powerfulness of your PC without cables tying you to it and without immoderate jarring lag that'd marque you sick. I tested this myself playing astir 15 minutes of Half-Life: Alyx connected the Steam Frame and conscionable anecdotally, it ran flawlessly – of course, this was nether cleanable conditions, but question tracking, gesturing with the controls, and representation prime were each connected point, surviving up to my representation of playing it connected the Index via a wired transportation erstwhile I reviewed the crippled backmost successful 2020. And with WiFi 7, it'll enactment simultaneously erstwhile connected to the net without interference.

Because of the bandwidth and velocity afforded by the 6GHz wireless signal, Valve is capable to wield a caller method called foveated streaming. With oculus tracking, the headset is capable to admit wherever you're looking and instantly absorption resources determination for optimal representation prime and highest solution to the disposable area. It's a akin thought to foveated rendering, wherever the crippled itself volition dedicate your system's resources to amended grip the load for show and graphics. But with foveated streaming, it's happening astatine the hardware level, truthful it's not thing developers request to interest astir implementing. Either way, it's cardinal to recognize that this is not needfully affecting halfway show – alternatively it's to guarantee that the wireless provender stays lag-free and looking its best.

Both the state of crisp built-in tracking and accelerated wireless connectivity, on with the powerfulness of a due gaming PC, makes for the perfect VR experience. But that's not each the Steam Frame excels at. It's reasonably lightweight overall, and its value organisation makes it consciousness similar a earthy hold of yourself alternatively than a front-loaded ceramic strapped to your head. Its artillery is really connected the rear of the headstrap, truthful it's much balanced than different VR headsets, and if you request to plug in, the USB-C larboard is besides connected the backmost truthful the cablegram stays retired of your way. The padding astir the headset is plushy and was comfy successful the abbreviated clip I utilized it, and the strap was easy adjustable to get the close fit.

The Steam Frame runs SteamOS natively, truthful you get the aforesaid interface and prime of beingness features arsenic you would a Steam Deck oregon upcoming Steam Machine, including the vantage of Proton. But I was amazed by however overmuch I enjoyed the virtual theatre acquisition erstwhile utilizing the Steam Frame. Like different VR headsets, you're capable to play non-VR games wrong of it done a "fake" TV that SteamOS projects wrong the headset's virtual space. And connected the Frame, it looked truly crisp. I played astir 10 minutes of Hades 2 astatine 4K with the virtual surface blown up to its maximum size, similar having a 100-inch TV I didn't person to bargain and acceptable into my surviving room. This benignant of acquisition isn't new, I know, but the seamless integration done SteamOS besides makes it precise casual to use, and the ace accelerated wireless tech means you tin play PC games with the afloat spot of your strategy astatine debased latency. I did announcement a spot of stuttering astatine times with the representation rendering, akin to surface tearing, but further investigating successful the aboriginal has maine funny astir however reliable it's going to be.

While Valve is intending the Steam Frame to beryllium chiefly utilized with the wireless tether for robust VR experiences, the interior hardware is decent capable for definite games. I played the puzzle escapade crippled Ghost Town, and portion it ran smoothly, it was visually a spot muddy, which speaks to the competent but precise humble powerfulness of the Snapdragon ARM processor. But the ARM compatibility is awesome for moving little demanding stuff. To beryllium wide though: Don't expect Half-Life Alyx to beryllium playable consecutive disconnected the internals of the Steam Frame.

The caller Frame controllers are besides an improvement of the fantabulous Index controllers, including capacitive interaction sensors for recognizing manus gestures and the grip of your fingers. The artillery slots are placed truthful arsenic to not get successful the mode of this, arsenic they request 1 AA artillery each and should past for astir 40 hours of use. They diagnostic the TMR magnetic sticks and HD haptics you spot connected the caller Steam Controller, and person each the features you've travel to expect from a accepted gamepad to make parity crossed each sorts of games. The Index controllers were bulky, for sure, but I bash miss however their strap-pad plan latched onto my hands to consciousness much in-tune with VR. Conversely, the Frame's usage a much modular wrist strap design, which feels little similar an hold of my hands, but makes them much versatile arsenic controllers.

Lastly, I should notation the built-in speakers, which sounded coagulated and are cleverly tucked into the headstrap, arsenic is the integrated microphone. Unlike the Index, they're not existent off-ear headphones but alternatively integrated into the headband similar the Quest 3, which creates a benignant of bubble of dependable astir your head.

When looking astatine the large picture, the Frame is 1 portion of a larger Steam ecosystem that Valve has established and volition support growing. There's a console-like PC successful the Steam Machine, a caller state-of-the-art Steam Controller, the precise palmy Steam Deck handheld, and present a smartly designed VR headset. Valve is furthering its assertion successful PC gaming with each of these devices hitting marketplace portion having SteamOS and Proton mature capable to presumption itself arsenic a superior level holder.

Hardware lives oregon dies by its price, and similar the Steam Machine, Valve doesn't person thing to stock rather yet. For reference, a 512GB Meta Quest 3 goes for $500 astatine regular terms arsenic of now, truthful the Steam Frame volition person to astatine slightest vie successful that range. We'll cognize for definite erstwhile we get person to its aboriginal 2026 release, and erstwhile we find out, you'll decidedly perceive it from america first.

But the Frame successful peculiar begs the question of wherever VR gaming is contiguous and wherever it mightiness beryllium going successful the future. As idiosyncratic who got successful connected time 1 reviewing the archetypal HTC Vive and Oculus Rift backmost successful 2016 and keeping up since then, I'm a small perplexed by the authorities of VR games – particularly with thing arsenic technically large arsenic the PlayStation VR2 getting precise mild bundle support. I thought Half-Life: Alyx acceptable a barroom truthful precocious that others would effort to scope with the anticipation of getting a question of large caller VR games successful the process, but specified wasn't truly the case. Not to accidental determination aren't noteworthy games that've travel retired since then; Asgard's Wrath 2 was 1 peculiar crippled that stretched what I thought was possible. But successful the 9 years it has deed commercialized gaming, VR has remained a niche and possibly Valve is good with that truthful agelong arsenic it has the go-to portion of hardware for that niche.

For much sum of Valve's caller hardware, cheque retired our hands-on previews of the Steam Machine and Steam Controller, arsenic good arsenic our interrogation with Valve astir the Steam Frame.