We still don’t know exactly when Steam Frame, Valve’s standalone VR headset, is set to launch, although now the company has confirmed both it and Steam Machine are slated to arrive this summer.
Valve previously aimed to launch Steam Frame and Steam Machine, its console-style PC, in early 2026.
Due to the ongoing component crisis though, which has seen RAM and storage prices skyrocket, Valve said in February it had to rethink release and pricing around both devices.
Now, Valve has at least confirmed in a Steam news update that its wayward VR headset and Steam-flavored mini-PC are coming sometime this summer.
As a part of the announcement, Valve reiterated it’s added both Steam Frame and Steam Machine to its Verified program, which lets users know how well a game works across specific Steam hardware, including Steam Deck.
While Valve says Steam Frame primarily targets wireless PC play, specific games can also feature a Steam Frame Standalone Verified badge.
According to Valve’s guidelines, flatscreen games must run at a minimum 30 fps at 1,280 x 720 during normal play, whereas standalone VR titles must run at a minimum of 72 fps at 1,728 x 1,728 during normal play. Valve says VR games below 1,440 x 1,440 will appear with an ‘Unsupported’ badge, which notably won’t stop users from buying or attempting to play the game in question.
Although Valve seems to be getting its ducks in a row for the launch of both Steam Frame and Steam Machine on the software side of things, one very big missing piece of the puzzle is pricing.
Considering Valve announced last week that Steam Deck is getting a sizable price hike, bringing an increase of $240 to $300 to its handheld gaming PC, it could be a sign of sticker shock yet to come.
Still, if Valve is confident enough to announce a summer release window now, we should know sooner rather than later.
