Steam Frame release date speculation, price, pre-order and latest news

If you were worried that the world of VR was slowing down, then Valve has a proverbial shot to the arm with the Steam Frame, and we’ve got everything you need to know about it, from release date speculation, what it is, price and specs explained!

Valve announced a slew of hardware, including the diminutive Steam Machine, which still has no word on how much it will cost, though price leaks might give us a clue there.

The Steam Frame, alongside its console sibling, will join the Steam Deck as part of Valve's hardware roster. It’s certainly an interesting time in PC gaming land, with Valve blurring the lines of console and PC.

It will also be more of a direct competitor to the Meta Quest 3, taking ideas from that device's school of thought, as well as building upon the concept.

But, as for that Steam Frame, read on!

When is the Steam Frame release date?

The Steam Frame release date will be "early 2026", according to Valve.

This is the same as The Steam Machine and its Steam Controller, and we can reasonably assume "early 2026" to mean any time between January and April.

As we noted for the Steam Machine price, the ongoing DRAM pricing crisis caused by the proliferation of AI data centres may push this back further, though the Steam Frame is slightly less at risk to these factors due to having less memory onboard overall.

Once an official announcement is made, we will update you asap.

What is the Steam Frame?

The Steam Frame is an all-in-one virtual reality headset akin to the Meta Quest.

Valve’s previous VR headset, the Index, required the user to set up basestations that beamed lasers in order for the headset to track where your head and hands were.

The Steam Frame uses cameras on the device to do this instead, a method called "inside out" tracking.

This makes setup a lot quicker and easier, and those cameras can be used for pass-through viewing so that you can see your surroundings.

The Steam Frame separates itself from its predecessor further by having a system-on-a-chip (SoC) onboard, meaning it is possible to use the device and play games, even when not plugged into a PC.

This SoC is similar to those found in phones, but Valve is using a piece of software called Fast Emulation eXtension (FEX) that can allow PC games to run on it, much like the Steam Deck uses Proton to allow Windows games to run on the Linux operating system.

It won’t be able to play highly demanding titles, but simpler games such as Beat Saber will run perfectly well.

As well as VR titles, you will also be able to use the Steam Frame as a virtual desktop, with windows surrounding you, like the Apple Vision Pro. A use case for this would be to play games on a virtual screen that appears much larger than your own.

When you do want to play demanding VR games from your PC, an included Wi-Fi dongle creates an ultrafast and low-latency dedicated network that streams the game to the Steam Frame, making for a hassle-free experience, so long as you keep the batteries charged up!

Can I pre-order the Steam Frame?

No, you cannot currently pre-order the Steam Frame.

It is available to wishlist on Steam, should you want to be notified the moment that you can pre-order or purchase it.

There hasn’t been any word on whether Valve will employ a reservation system as it did for the Steam Deck when it first came out.

This was done in the wake of COVID, which strained many supply lines, and it was also the first time Valve had manufactured its own console.

Depending on how the DRAM crisis plays out, however, it is still very possible that Valve might need to trickle units out to consumers, unless it has been stockpiling them in significant quantities.

How much will the Steam Frame cost?

Valve has indicated that the Steam Frame will cost less than $1000 (£740 or so).

But even so, that price could theoretically be as high as $999.99 – and again, this previous price indication came before the severity of the DRAM pricing crisis was fully understood, so it could well end up creeping over that line.

Regardless, we can likely expect the Steam Frame to cost more than the Meta Quest 3, also offering more in terms of features.

Once an announcement is made, we will update this page.

Steam Frame specs explained

There are multiple aspects to the Stream Frame: it has the displays, SoC anc controllers, and below you can check it all out!

Headset tech specs

General

• Processor – 4 nm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3, ARM64
• RAM – 16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM
• Storage – 256GB / 1TB UFS storage options (microSD card slot for expanded storage)
• Power – Rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery, one USB-C 2.0 port in the rear, for charging and data, charge with USB-C, 45W
• Modular Headstrap – Headstrap includes integrated dual audio drivers and a rechargeable battery on rear, headstrap weight: 245g, core module can be separated from headstrap, for other headstrap solutions.

Display and optics

• Display – 2160 x 2160 LCD (per eye), 72-144Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental)
• Optics – Custom pancake lenses, glass and non-glass optical elements, large FOV (up to 110 degrees)
• IPD target range – 60mm - 70mm
• Eye glasses max width – 140mm

Cameras and tracking

• Tracking – Inside-out camera based tracking
• Cameras – 4x outward facing monochrome cameras for controller and headset tracking, 2x interior cameras for eye tracking and foveated streaming
• Passthrough – Monochrome passthrough via outward facing cameras
• Low-light support – IR illuminators for tracking and passthrough in dark environments
• Expansion – User accessible front expansion port, dual high-speed camera interface (8 lanes @ 2.5Gbps MIPI) / PCIe Gen 4 interface (1-lane)

Connectivity

• Wi-Fi – Wi-Fi 7, 2x2, dual radios enable concurrent 5GHz Wi-Fi and 6GHz VR streaming
• Wireless Adapter – Wireless adapter included in the box, Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz), provides direct, low-latency link between headset and PC
• Bluetooth – Bluetooth 5.3, 2.4GHz dedicated link for Steam Frame Controllers

Audio

• Speakers – Dual speaker drivers per ear, integrated into headstrap
• Microphone – Dual microphone array

Size and weight

• Size – 175mm x 95mm x 110mm (core module + facial interface)
• Weight – 440 g - core module + headstrap, 185 g - core module

Software

• Operating System – SteamOS 3 (Arch-based)
• Desktop – KDE Plasma

Controller tech specs

Controls and Input

• Motion controls – Full 6-DOF tracking and IMU support
• Gamepad controls – A B X Y buttons (right controller), D-pad (left controller), Full-size magnetic thumbsticks (TMR) with capacitive touch, L & R analog triggers, L & R bumpers, View / Menu / Steam buttons, Dual stage grip buttons
• Haptics – Haptic motor in each controller
• Finger tracking – Capacitive sensing for all input surfaces, capacitive finger tracking

General

• Connectivity – 2.4GHz link to dedicated headset radio
• Size – 126mm x 73mm x 87mm per controller
• Weight – With battery 130g per controller, without battery 107g per controller
• Power – One replaceable AA battery per controller (40hr battery life)

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