Valve’s Steam Frame combines a lightweight design, balanced battery placement, high-refresh-rate displays, and highly capable motion controllers to deliver a polished virtual reality experience. Its 440-gram headset is lighter than the Quest 3 and comfortable for extended use, although glasses wearers may struggle with the narrow interior, and the connected rear battery makes strap adjustments less convenient.
Comfortable design with a few compromises
The Steam Frame has a sleek black shell and a glossy front that give it a futuristic appearance. At 440 grams, it weighs 75 grams less than the Quest 3, which makes it more comfortable to wear. Valve places the 21.6-watt-hour lithium-ion battery at the back of the head strap to improve balance.
Comfortable padding helps prevent the headset from feeling hot while running demanding games. However, because the battery connects to the headset with a cable, adjusting the elastic strap can be somewhat awkward.
Glasses wearers face the main comfort limitation. The Steam Frame includes a spacer that adds depth and clips magnetically between the headset’s interior and the padded face gasket, but the interior was still too narrow for glasses. Users who cannot wear contact lenses can buy custom prescription lenses from Zenni, although they cost extra.
Audio, tracking, and display quality
When worn, the headset’s dual speakers deliver audio from the arms directly into the ears. Physical volume controls are easy to reach on the left side. The sound lacks bass but is highly directional, helping create an immersive VR experience.
Dual microphones support voice control, while an outward-facing camera handles positional tracking and provides a pass-through view. That view is limited to bluish black and white. A top-mounted dial adjusts the lens spacing for the desired interpupillary distance, and an interior switch locks the setting in place.
The two LCD pancake lenses are decent but not exceptional. Valve uses a resolution of 2,160 by 2,160 pixels per eye, producing crisp visuals and readable text. Fine details in the notepad in Half-Life: Alyx, for example, were easy to read, although individual pixels become visible on closer inspection. Rumors suggest the headset may already have been revised with an Organic EL model.
The headset has a 110-degree field of view, providing a broad virtual viewing area. Its refresh rate ranges from 72 to 120 Hz and can reach 144 Hz in experimental mode. Games therefore appear exceptionally smooth when running on Steam Frame.
Controllers are the standout feature
The controllers may be the strongest part of the package. Their dual grips resemble the Quest 3 controllers but add a complete gamepad layout across the pair. They use the same precision tunnel magnetic-resistance thumbsticks found on regular Steam controllers, along with a D-pad on the left, ABXY face buttons on the right, two shoulder triggers, and corresponding bottom buttons.
Squeezing a grip switches the device from controller mode to a laser pointer, making it possible to select items in VR. Full six-degrees-of-freedom tracking provides accurate position sensing, while strong haptics deliver reliable vibration. Per-finger capacitive sensing enables more subtle and precise interactions with virtual objects.
A standard controller can also connect to the Steam Frame over Bluetooth, but the included controllers are so capable that there is little reason to use another option. They are highly versatile VR controllers.
What can you play?
Photo: Matt Kamen
Setup follows a familiar routine for VR users: install any necessary updates and create a safe play area to avoid hitting furniture. Afterward, users can sign in to their Steam account directly on the Steam Frame.
The headset runs SteamOS 3, the same operating system used by the Steam Deck and Steam Machine. Its home screen floats in the VR environment, and the library lets users install games directly on the headset.
Source: www.wired.com