Valve is entering the standalone virtual reality market with the Steam Frame, a headset starting at $1,059 that is designed to run games on its own hardware or stream them from a PC. The 256GB kit costs $1,059, while the 1TB Steam Frame kit is priced at $1,299. Reservation sign-ups close Thursday, September 17, at 10 a.m. Pacific, and Valve says purchase emails will begin going out September 18.
The company is pitching the device as a lighter alternative to older PC-focused virtual reality systems. With its head strap attached, the Steam Frame weighs 440g. The standalone module weighs 185g, while the strap weighs 245g. It enters a market where standalone headsets have generally prioritised convenience and PC-based systems have offered access to larger game libraries.
The headset runs SteamOS 3 on a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, with 16GB of LPDDR5X memory. The base kit includes 256GB of UFS storage. Valve says the software can run native Linux-on-Arm applications and emulate Windows games. It is also compatible with Android APKs.
Each eye uses a 2160 by 2160 LCD display behind pancake lenses. Refresh rates range from 72 to 144Hz, though Valve labels the 144Hz setting experimental. The Steam Frame uses inside-out tracking through four monochrome cameras and has a battery rated at 21.6 Wh. Valve has not given typical battery-life figures or a field-of-view specification. It says internal eye-tracking cameras enable foveated rendering, while details of face tracking have yet to be set out.
Wireless networking is central to the device's design. The Steam Frame includes Wi-Fi 7 on two radios, allowing it to function as a standalone machine or as a client for games streamed from a PC. The box includes a 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E wireless adapter for PC streaming, alongside Bluetooth 5.4 support.
Valve will include the headset, both Steam Frame Controllers and a copy of Half-Life: Alyx in every kit. The game, released in 2020, is being offered as a native ARM64 port and serves as the device's flagship title. At release, Valve says 130 titles have been verified for the Steam Frame library. How quickly that library will expand remains unclear.
The package has a few caveats familiar to anyone who has bought consumer electronics lately. A power supply is absent from the box. Valve's 45W power supply unit, supplied with a 2.5-meter cable, costs $29. The company will also sell a $59 Ergonomic Accessories Kit containing two controller hand straps with battery doors, a top strap and an extended light blocker. A $49 Accessory Replacement Kit includes a spare face gasket, head cushion and standard light blocker.
The Steam Frame's price places it above the budget end of the standalone market while offering an alternative to premium PC virtual reality systems. Valve's waiting-list approach points to a constrained initial rollout. The company has yet to set out its wider availability plans beyond excluding South Korea, and it has not detailed streaming latency, bandwidth requirements, controller battery life, warranty terms or return policies.
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