How The Steam Frame Compares To Other Vr Headsets

Valve conscionable announced nan Steam Frame, a caller standalone VR headset that tin some watercourse games from a PC and play games locally acknowledgment to an onboard Arm chip. The headset is rather a spot different from Valve’s erstwhile model, nan Index, which had to beryllium tethered to a gaming machine pinch a beingness wire. But it besides stands retired from a batch of different awesome VR headsets connected nan marketplace correct now, for illustration nan Meta Quest 3, Samsung Galaxy XR, and Apple Vision Pro.

A large measurement nan Frame separates itself from nan battalion is its attraction connected streaming your games. That’s each made imaginable acknowledgment to a wireless dongle that comes pinch each Frame: plug it into your PC, and you tin watercourse some your level and VR games to nan headset complete a low-latency connection. I sewage to effort nan streaming for myself astatine Valve’s office while playing Half-Life: Alyx, and I didn’t announcement immoderate discernible lag.

CategorySteam FrameMeta Quest 3Apple Vision ProSamsung Galaxy XR

Colors	Black	White	Silver	Silver
Weight (grams)	185g (core unit), 440g (with caput strap that adds audio and rear battery)	515g	750–800g (depending connected ray seal and headband configuration)	545g, though weight whitethorn alteration if you deterioration nan ray shield aliases not
OS	SteamOS	Meta Horizon OS	visionOS	Android XR
Lenses	Pancake	Pancake	Pancake	Pancake
Screen type	LCD	LCD	micro-OLED	micro-OLED
Resolution	2160 x 2160 per eye	2064 x 2208 per eye	3660 x 3200 per eye	4K per eye
Refresh rate	72-144Hz refresh complaint (144Hz experimental)	72Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz	90Hz, 96Hz, 100Hz, 120Hz	60Hz, 72Hz (default), up to 90Hz
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2	Apple M5 chip	Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2
FOV	Up to 110 degrees	Up to 100 degrees horizontal and 96 degrees vertical	Estimated to beryllium about 100 degrees	109 degrees horizontal and 100 degrees vertical
RAM	16GB unified LPDDR5 RAM	8GB	16GB, reportedly	16GB
Storage	256GB / 1TB UFS retention options, microSD paper slot	512GB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	256GB
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 7, includes dedicated Wi-Fi 6E adapter for low-latency streaming games	Wi-Fi 6E	Wi‑Fi 6	Wi-Fi 7
Tracking, passthrough, and sensors	4 outward-facing monochrome cameras for controller and headset tracking, 2 interior cameras for oculus tracking, outward IR illuminator	2 RGB cameras pinch 18 PPD for full-color passthrough	2 high‑resolution main cameras, 6 world‑facing search cameras, 4 eye‑tracking cameras, TrueDepth camera, LiDAR Scanner, 4 inertial measurement units (IMUs), flicker sensor, ambient ray sensor	2 high-resolution passthrough cameras, 6 world-facing search cameras, 4 eye-tracking cameras, 5 Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), extent sensor, flicker sensor
Eye tracking	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Battery capacity	21.6Wh	19.44Wh	Up to 2.5 hours of “general use”	Up to 2 hours of “general usage”
Starting price	TBA	$499.99	$3,499.00	$1,799.99
Availability	Early 2026	October 2023	October 2025	October 2025

You tin besides play games correct connected nan Frame itself because Valve has gotten SteamOS moving connected Arm; nan headset is equipped pinch a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. Other headsets tin play games locally, excessively — typically games built specifically for their respective platforms. But nan Frame is really capable to tally Windows x86 codification and recompile it successful existent clip utilizing an emulator, meaning that a immense magnitude of nan Steam room will beryllium playable straight connected nan headset without you aliases immoderate developers having to do anything.

That said, you shouldn’t expect to beryllium capable to play high-end games locally connected nan Frame. Valve designer Lawrence nan tells The Verge that developers should target little capacity than they would for a crippled connected Steam Deck. The Frame’s real-time emulation could impact performance; while playing Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades II connected nan headset, some of which are comparatively lower-end games, I saw immoderate stutters that I ne'er spot connected my Steam Deck. (According to Valve hardware technologist Jeremy Selan, this was a bug and nan institution expects to make improvements starring up to and aft launch.)

Valve isn’t sharing a value conscionable yet, but hardware technologist Gabe Rowe did show The Verge that nan institution is aiming for a costs that’s little than nan Index. Meta’s Quest 3 costs $499.99, while nan Samsung Galaxy XR and Apple Vision Pro — 2 headsets that person higher-resolution micro-OLED displays and sensors that support colour passthrough — cost $1,799.99 and $3,499, respectively. If you’re funny really that each compares to nan outgoing Index, we’ve whipped up a comparison below; Valve sold nan Index for $999 pinch nan basal controllers and guidelines stations.

CategorySteam FrameValve Index

Colors	Black	Black
Weight (grams)	185g (core unit), 440g (with caput strap that adds audio and rear battery)	809g
OS	SteamOS	N/A
Lenses	Pancake	Fresnel
Screen type	LCD	LCD
Resolution	2160 x 2160 per eye	1440 x 1600 per eye
Refresh rate	72–144Hz refresh complaint (144Hz experimental)	80/90/120, 144Hz experimental
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	N/A
FOV	Up to 110 degrees	Up to 130 degrees
RAM	16GB unified LPDDR5 RAM	N/A
Storage	256GB / 1TB UFS retention options, microSD paper slot	N/A
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 7, includes dedicated Wi-Fi 6E adapter for low-latency streaming games	Must link headset to PC via DisplayPort, plug cameras to USB 3.0 port, and into a powerfulness outlet for power
Tracking and passthrough	4 outward-facing monochrome cameras for controller and headset tracking, 2 interior cameras for oculus tracking, outward IR illuminator	At slightest 1 guidelines position for tracking, dual 960 x 960 passthrough cameras
Eye tracking	Yes	No
Battery capacity	21.6Wh	N/A
Starting price	TBA	$499 (standalone), $999 (with controllers and guidelines stations)
Availability	Early 2026	June 2019

Valve is group to merchandise nan Steam Frame successful early 2026. I precocious sewage to effort it astatine Valve’s headquarters, and I deliberation nan institution is on to something.