Hardware
The Steam Frame has a visor-like design; Valve stated that the base unit had a weight of 185 grams (0.408 lb), and 440 grams (0.97 lb) when the default facial interface and strap is installed. It uses LCD displays viewed through pancake lenses, with a per-eye resolution of 2160×2160, and support for refresh rates of 72, 120 and 144 Hz, and physical interpupillary distance adjustment via a knob. [1] [2] [3] It will support eye tracking, which can be used for foveated rendering. [3]
The Frame will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system-on-chip with 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory. It will be sold in models with 256 GB and 1 TB of internal storage, expandable via microSD. [3]
It will utilize inside-out tracking, with four monochrome passthrough cameras and an infrared emitter for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). Its motion controllers are similar in design to the Touch Plus controllers used by the Meta Quest 3, but with a button layout similar to standard gamepads for improved compatibility with non-VR games, including a D-pad on the left controller and four face buttons on the right. The analog sticks will use tunneling magnetoresistance, making them less susceptible to stick drift. [3]
Valve has described the Frame as a modular device, and will release CAD files and specifications to allow for the development of third-party accessories and attachments. The device includes an expansion port with a lane of PCI Express gen 4 connectivity and a MIPI camera interface; Valve suggested that the port could be used for accessories such as face tracking, depth sensors, and color passthrough cameras. [3]
Software
The Frame will run a version of Valve's Arch Linux-based SteamOS, supporting both VR and non-VR games from Steam. It will include various compatibility layers for OS and processor support, including Proton for Microsoft Windows games, FEX-Emu for emulating x86 software on ARM, and an Android Open Source Project (AOSP)-based runtime environment with sideloading support—which will allow VR apps developed for Android-based headsets such as Meta Quest to be readily published for Frame. [4] [3] Similarly to Steam Deck, the Steam storefront will mark games tested for compatibility with the headset as being "Steam Frame Certified". [3]
VR software can also be wirelessly streamed to the Frame from a gaming PC using Steam Link, with Valve emphasizing this functionality by promoting the device as a "streaming-first" headset. It will be bundled with a USB Wi-Fi 6E adapter, allowing the headset to establish a direct 6 GHz connection to a PC that bypasses the local area network to reduce latency and congestion. Use of the adapter is optional, and users can still use their own local Wi-Fi networks. [1] [2] [3] The second-generation Steam Machine will offer integration with Frame, including the ability to wake the device over the network to launch a game for streaming. [3]
