Valve has just announced Steam Frame, its new VR headset that can play games streamed directly from your PC using a dedicated streaming stick And Play Windows games locally thanks to an Arm chip built into the headset itself. Plus, Valve is also moving on from its previous VR headset, the Valve Index, which it “is no longer manufacturing,” designer Lawrence Yang explains. The Verge,
The Index, a high-end headset that had to be tied to your PC to work and used external “Lighthouse” base stations for tracking, was released in 2019. In his review, my colleague Adi Robertson praised its visuals and its controllers, though criticized its $999 cost.
But since then, corded headsets have also fallen out of favor. Meta has sold millions of its standalone Quest VR headsets that can play games without a PC connection and track your position without additional base stations. Even more expensive headsets, like the Apple Vision Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy XR, have taken a standalone approach.
Frame is not exactly a sequel to Index. But it improves on the older headset with some of its specifications; For example, the resolution of the Index’s LCD screen is 1440 x 1600 per eye, while the Frame offers 2160 x 2160 per eye. If you like the Index’s “Knuckles” controllers and how you can strap them directly onto your arm, you’ll be able to purchase alternative straps for the Frame’s controllers so you can do the same thing.
And Valve is extremely confident in the Frame’s 6GHz wireless streaming adapter as a replacement for the physical cord. In our brief demo at Valve HQ, streaming worked great.
This could be the end of Valve’s Lighthouse base stations, which were actually first released with the HTC Vive in 2016. If you’ve already installed Lighthouse base stations in your home, don’t expect to use them with the Frame in the near future, if ever.
“With Steam Frames, we’re not working on Lighthouse support for it,” Yang says. Instead of clearing a room with lasers like the Lighthouse, the Frame currently uses four monochrome cameras and an IR illuminator to determine its position in 3D space, though it also has a modular accessory port that can support additional cameras.
Stream Frame is set to launch in early 2026. Valve hasn’t shared a specific price for it yet, only telling us it’ll be cheaper than the $999 index.