ShortCircuit, the unboxing channel run by Linus Media Group, accidentally published its Steam Frame first impressions video ahead of Valve's embargo yesterday. The 17-minute video, titled "Our First 30 Mins With The Steam Frame," was live long enough for copies to be saved and shared across Reddit and social media before being taken down.
The Steam Frame's price and release date are still unconfirmed, but the leak revealed several details Valve hasn't made public. The most concrete new information is the price of the Ergonomics Accessories Kit, which will be sold separately for $60. That bundle includes an extra headset head strap and Knuckles-style controller straps.
The controllers themselves use replaceable AA batteries rather than the built-in rechargeable cells that shipped with the Valve Index, with Valve claiming around 40 hours of operation per set. The box contains two controllers, a wireless adapter, a glasses adapter, a USB-C cable, and an information booklet.
Linus noted the headset felt well-balanced on the head and that wireless streaming from a PC showed no obvious drop in quality during a range test. The included 6GHz wireless adapter handled the connection, though the Steam Frame can also connect through an existing 6GHz Wi-Fi network.
PC streaming from a Steam Machine was not yet working on the review unit's software build, and Valve was apparently still working on it at the time of filming. The test was therefore run from a Windows PC instead.
The bigger software detail buried in the leak is that Valve is reportedly working on a standalone native build of Half-Life: Alyx that would run directly on the Steam Frame rather than being streamed from a PC. This follows earlier reports of Steam backend references to a dedicated "Frame Alyx Promo," suggesting Half-Life: Alyx may be included with Steam Frame purchases. Valve has not confirmed any of this.
The headset runs SteamOS on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ARM processor and can already handle x86 games through FEX emulation. Linus described the display as sharp, with some colour fringing toward the edges of the optics. The passthrough mode is monochrome and showed visible seam lines. The ABXY buttons on the controllers also drew some criticism. These are early impressions from a pre-release unit, so take them as a direction rather than a final verdict.
Frequently Asked Questions
Open a question for an answer from TweakTown's coverage of this news, or ask your own below.
What does the Steam Frame include in the box besides the headset and controllers?
How does the Steam Frame's 6GHz wireless adapter compare with using an existing 6GHz Wi‑Fi network?
What changes does Valve's standalone Half-Life: Alyx build need to make for the Steam Frame's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 hardware?
Will Half-Life: Alyx be bundled with Steam Frame purchases, and what does the "Frame Alyx Promo" reference imply?
Have a question that isn't listed here? Ask below, and TweakBot will answer it.
This also isn't the first time the Steam Frame has leaked. Back in August, a Steam client update briefly exposed eight finished setup and unboxing videos, covering everything from IPD adjustment to controller pairing and the Ergonomic Accessories Kit. That said, the headset's price remains unconfirmed, though Valve insider Tyler McVicker predicts it could land at around $1,500 following Qualcomm's Snapdragon price hike in September.
