Steam Frame First Impressions: Here's What Valve's New VR Headset Can Do

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00:00I know what you're probably thinking. Why put out a VR headset in 2026? Big hit VR games have

00:09been few and far between in recent years, but Valve is convinced that there's still an appetite for

00:13VR, especially if it can make a headset that combines the best of what headsets offer today

00:18and innovate in key areas. That's where the Steam Frame comes in, a successor to the Valve Index

00:23that came out in 2019. Along with the new Steam Machine and Steam Controller, I was able to use

00:28the upcoming Steam Frame when I visited Valve last month and it is genuinely impressive tech

00:33that I wish came out a lot sooner.

00:41I'll start with a few of the basic tech specs. The Steam Frame can be used as a standalone device

00:46like the MetaQuest 3, as it's powered by a 4nm Snapdragon ARM processor and 16GB of RAM. It'll

00:53be available in 256GB and 1TB UFS storage options and there's also a microSD slot for expansion.

01:00It's pancake optics put out 2160x2160 resolution per eye and can do between 72Hz to 120Hz refresh rate

01:09with an experimental 144Hz. And it's FOV goes up to 110 degrees. The Steam Frame does inside-out tracking via

01:16four outward-facing cameras with IR illuminators for dark environments and two interior cameras for eye

01:22tracking. There's no need for lighthouse sensors anymore, as external VR sensors are officially

01:27a thing of the past. However, the biggest innovation here is in its wireless tethering tech. The Steam Frame

01:33comes with a USB receiver that connects the headset to a PC wirelessly through a super low latency 6GHz

01:40signal. This lets you wield the power of your PC without cables tying you to it and without any jarring

01:46lag, that'd make you sick. I tested this myself, playing about 15 minutes of Half-Life Alyx on the

01:51Steam Frame, and just anecdotally, it ran flawlessly. Of course, this was under perfect conditions,

01:57but movement tracking, gesturing with the controls, and image quality were all on point, living up to

02:02my memory of playing it on the Index via a wired connection when I reviewed it back in 2020. And with

02:07Wi-Fi 7, it'll work simultaneously when connected to the internet without interference. Because of the

02:13bandwidth and the speed afforded by 6GHz wireless signals, Valve is able to wield a new technique

02:18called foveated streaming. With eye tracking, the headset is able to recognize where you're looking

02:23and immediately focus resources there for optimal image quality and the highest resolution to the

02:28visible area. It's a similar idea to foveated rendering, where the game itself will dedicate your

02:34system's resources to better handle the load for performance and graphics. But with foveated streaming,

02:39it's happening at the hardware level, so it's not something developers need to worry about

02:43implementing themself. Either way, it's key to understand that this is not necessarily affecting

02:48core performance. Rather, it's to ensure that the wireless feed stays lag-free and looking its best.

02:58Both the freedom of sharp built-in tracking and fast wireless connectivity, along with the power of a

03:03proper gaming PC, this makes for the ideal VR experience. But that's not all the Scene Frame excels at.

03:09It's fairly lightweight overall, and its weight distribution makes it feel like a natural

03:13extension of yourself, rather than a front-loaded brick that's strapped to my head. Its battery is

03:17actually on the rear of the head strap, so it's more balanced than other VR headsets I've used,

03:22and if you need to plug in, the USB port is also on the back, so the cable stays out of your way.

03:27The padding around the headset is plushy and was comfortable in the short time that I used it,

03:30and the strap was easily adjustable to get the right fit. The Steam Frame also runs on SteamOS

03:35natively, so you get the same interface and quality of life features as you would on the Steam Deck

03:40or the upcoming Steam Machine, including the advantage of Proton. But I was surprised by how

03:45much I enjoyed the virtual theater experience when using the Steam Frame. Like other VR headsets,

03:50you're able to play non-VR games inside of it through a fake TV that SteamOS projects within

03:55the headset's virtual space. And on the frame, it looked really crisp. I played about 10 minutes of

04:00Hades 2 at 4K with the virtual screen blown up to its maximum size, like having an 100-inch TV I

04:06didn't have to buy or fit into my living room space. This kind of experience isn't new, I know,

04:11but the seamless integration through SteamOS also makes it very easy to use, and the super-fast

04:15wireless tech means you can play PC games with the full strength of your system at low latency.

04:21I did notice a bit of stuttering at times with the image rendering, similar to how screen tearing looks,

04:26but further testing in the future has me curious about how reliable it's going to be.

04:30While Valve is intending the Steam Frame to be primarily used with the wireless tether for

04:34robust VR experiences, the internal hardware is decent enough for certain games. I played the

04:40puzzle adventure game Ghost Town, and while it ran smoothly, it was visually a bit muddy,

04:44which speaks to the competent but modest power of the Snapdragon ARM processor.

04:49But the ARM compatibility is impressive for running less demanding stuff.

04:53To be clear though, don't expect Half-Life Alyx to be playable straight off the internals of the Steam Frame.

05:02The new frame controllers are also an evolution of the excellent index controllers,

05:06including capacitive touch sensors for recognizing hand gestures and the grip of your fingers.

05:11The battery slots are placed so as to not get in the way of this, as they need one AA battery each,

05:16and should last for about 40 hours of use. They feature the TMR magnetic sticks and HD

05:21haptics you see on the new Steam controller, and have all the features you would come to expect

05:25from a traditional gamepad to create this parody across all sorts of games.

05:30The NX controllers were bulky for sure, but I do miss how their strap pad design

05:34latched onto my hands to feel like they're in tune with the VR itself.

05:38Conversely, the frames use a more standard wrist strap design, which feels less of an extension of my hands,

05:43but makes them more versatile as controllers. Lastly, I should mention the built-in speakers,

05:49which sounded solid and are cleverly tucked into the head strap, as is the integrated microphone.

05:54Unlike the index, they're not actual off-ear headphones, but instead integrated into the headband

05:59like you see on the Quest 3, which creates a sort of bubble of sound around your head.

06:04Now, when looking at the big picture, the Steam Frame is one piece of a larger Steam ecosystem that

06:09Valve has established and will keep growing. There's a console-like PC in the Steam machine,

06:14a new state-of-the-art Steam controller, the very successful Steam Deck handheld,

06:18and now a smartly designed VR headset. Valve is furthering its claim in PC gaming,

06:23with all of these devices hitting market, while having SteamOS and Proton mature enough

06:28to position itself as a serious gaming platform holder. But the frame in particular begs the question

06:33of where VR gaming is today, and where it might be going in the future.

06:37As someone who got in on it on day one, reviewing the original HTC Vive and Oculus Rift back in 2016,

06:43and keeping up since then, I'm a little perplexed by the state of VR games,

06:47especially with something technically great as the PSVR 2 getting very mild software support.

06:52I thought Half- Alyx set a bar so high that others would try to reach,

06:56with the hope of getting a wave of great new VR games in the process, but such wasn't really the case.

07:02That's not to say that there are noteworthy games that have come out since then,

07:06such as Asgard's Wrath 2, but it's remained a niche in the years since.

07:10And perhaps Valve is fine with that, so long as it has the go-to piece of hardware for that niche.

07:16Hardware lives or dies by its price though, and like the Steam Machine,

07:19Valve doesn't have anything to share quite yet.

07:22For reference, a 512GB MetaQuest 3 goes for $500 at regular price as of now,

07:27so the Steam Frame will have to at least compete in that range.

07:31We'll know for certain when we get closer to its early 2026 release,

07:34and when we find out, you'll definitely hear it from us first.

07:38If you need the lowdown on all of Valve's newly announced hardware,

07:40check out our hands-on previews of the Steam Machine and Steam Controller.

07:44And to keep up with everything in the world of games and tech, stick with IGN.

08:01Now for all you have above us, put it in the end of the Rust lane.

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