Valve's Steam Frame VR headset is finally official and it's coming in 2026

"Valve made a triumphant return to the hardware market with the Steam Deck and its OLED-toting counterpart, and now it's having another crack at virtual reality with the Steam Frame. The Steam Frame is the long-rumored headset from Valve that had previously been codenamed "Deckard." The company also announced a new Steam controller and PC called the Steam Machine. All three devices are coming in 2026."

"The Steam Frame has an optimization feature called Foveated Streaming. Valve says this uses low-latency eye-tracking to optimize the detail in the image wherever your eyes are looking. The company claims it can offer a "10x improvement in image quality and effective bandwidth." Foveated Streaming is said to work for every game in your Steam library. The headset has dual 2160 x 2160 LCD panels with refresh rates of up to 144Hz."

"As for audio, the Steam Frame has dual stereo speakers on each side with support for high-fidelity audio. Valve says the speakers on each side are "oriented in opposite directions to cancel out vibrations," which can impact the tracking system. Speaking of which, the headset has hour high-res monochrome characters for controller and headset tracking. Valve says there are infrared LEDs on the outside of the device that can help support tracking in dark environments."

Valve is returning to virtual reality with the Steam Frame, a wireless, streaming-first headset that supports VR and flatscreen games. The system uses a plug-and-play 6GHz wireless adapter with a dual-radio setup—one radio for streaming audio and visuals and one for Wi‑Fi—to reduce interference. The headset features Foveated Streaming that leverages low-latency eye-tracking to prioritize image detail and claims a 10x improvement in image quality and effective bandwidth across Steam games. Hardware highlights include dual 2160 x 2160 LCD panels up to 144Hz, custom pancake lenses, dual stereo speakers per side with vibration-cancelling orientation, infrared LEDs, and high-res monochrome tracking elements.

Read at www.engadget.com