How Steam Frame compares to other VR headsets

Valve just announced Steam Frame, a new standalone VR headset that can stream games from a PC and play games locally thanks to an integrated Arm chip. The headset is very different from Valve’s previous model, the Index, which had to be linked to a gaming PC using a physical cord. But it also stands out from a lot of other major VR headsets on the market right now, like the Meta Quest 3, Samsung Galaxy XR, and Apple Vision Pro.

One big way Frame separates itself from the pack is its focus on streaming your games. All of this is made possible thanks to the wireless dongle that comes with each frame: plug it into your PC, and you can stream both flat and VR games to the headset over a low-latency connection. I got to experience streaming myself at Valve headquarters while playing Half-Life: AlexAnd I didn’t notice any noticeable delay.

You can also play games directly on the frame itself because Valve made SteamOS run on Arm; The headset is equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. Other headsets can play games natively as well, usually games designed specifically for their respective platforms. But The Frame is actually able to run and recompile Windows x86 code in real-time using an emulator, which means a huge amount of Steam’s library will be playable directly on your headset without you or any developer having to do anything.

However, you shouldn’t expect to be able to play high-end games natively on the Frame. says valve designer Lawrence Yang Edge Developers should aim for lower performance than they would for a game on the Steam Deck. Real-time emulation of The Frame may affect performance; While playing Hollow Knight: Silk Song and Hades II On the headset, both of which are relatively low-end games, I saw some stuttering that I never saw on my Steam Deck. (According to Valve hardware engineer Jeremy Silan, this was a bug and the company expects to make improvements before and after launch.)

Valve hasn’t announced the price yet, but hardware engineer Gabe Rowe told us so Edge The company aims to cost below the index. The Meta’s Quest 3 costs $499.99, while the Samsung Galaxy If you’re interested in how this all compares to the outgoing index, we’ve done a comparison below; Valve sold the Pointer for $999 with the necessary controllers and base stations.

Valve is scheduled to release Steam Frame in early 2026. I recently tried it out at Valve headquarters, and I think the company is On something.