At some point, a broken clock turns out to be right: after months of leaks and speculation, Valve finally introduces the Steam Frame, a new virtual reality headset that is in no way inferior to the current king (Meta Quest 3).
The new headphones have impressive specs, potentially top-notch software support and a design that could make them the all-day headphones that the Samsung Galaxy XR and Apple Vision Pro have been waiting for.
Technical specifications: Steam Frame is the clear winner
Overall, the Valve headset is an improvement over Meta Quest 3, and Steam Frame matches or beats Meta in (almost) every metric.
Valve’s competitor has 16GB instead of 8GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage instead of a maximum of 512GB. And while the smallest storage model only has 256GB, it has an SD card slot so you can expand the storage, as well as a “4nm Snapdragon ARM processor.”
The Snapdragon Meta Quest 3
You’ll also notice that the optics and optics of the two devices should be equivalent, as both devices have pancake optics and an LCD screen with a resolution of 2160 x 2160 pixels per eye (the Meta Quest 3 has a slightly different resolution of 2064 x 2208 per eye). Both also offer a variable refresh rate up to 120 Hz; Steam Frame can even boost up to 144 Hz in an experimental environment.
The most obvious downside to Steam Frame, however, is the return to monochrome cameras (in other words, black and white instead of color). That means the Frame will primarily be a virtual reality headset, and not the mixed reality business that Meta, Samsung, Apple and others have focused on in recent years.
In the early days of MR, this wouldn’t have been a bad thing, and to be fair, most major MR games also have effective VR modes, but this seems like a surprising change from what appears to be a stable formula for headsets in 2025. However, Valve has also announced a “user-accessible expansion port”, which leaves color transfer open to an additional cost option.
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Software: finally a true meta-rival?
I’ve said it before and I don’t know if I’ll ever stop: Meta has great software in HorizonOS. This means it provides the best access to apps and games among standalone headphones. The only competitor that comes close as a VR platform is Steam, but it hasn’t been a standalone platform until now.
Steam operating system
Steam Frame runs on SteamOS, just like Steam Deck and the new Steam Machine, and this could be the advantage a meta-rival needs. There are no caveats here, as I did with Android XR and visionOS: we know that SteamOS has a large catalog of VR and non-VR apps, and that library is only going to grow.
Combine that with the Steam Frame’s integrated wireless direct-to-PC adapter for wireless PCVR gaming and you have a device that I think Meta should be interested in from a software perspective, especially when the much talked about new Steam exclusives hit the market.
Design: The Ramen is a true all-day headset
Is this the return of the Vive XR Elite’s best design feature?
In terms of design, virtual reality headsets attract attention. We do not yet have exact details on the autonomy of the Steam frame to compare it with the Meta Quest 3, but I fear that it will be shorter because the frame is much lighter than its competitor: it weighs 435 g against 515 g.
Additionally, Valve describes it as a “modular design”, and the weight information specifically mentions the weight without the battery strap at just 190 grams. This is probably due to the fact that just like the HTC Vive
If so, it wouldn’t just be a Quest 3 killer, but an everything killer.
Forget about having a large Samsung Galaxy XR or Apple Vision Pro on your desk all day and enjoy XR productivity with a multi-monitor setup. If the Steam Frame in its 190 gram form, even in its 435 gram form, is a demanding XR desktop design, I don’t see why you’d go for anything else (especially given its versatility in other areas as a standalone VR machine).
Price: at what price?
The biggest question left unanswered is price: Valve hasn’t told us how much a Steam Frame will cost.
Looking at the specs now, I can assure you that it will cost more than a Meta Quest 3, and the leaks clearly support this assessment.
Price is expected to be $1,200 (approximately £915 / AUD 1,830). That would put it between the Meta Quest 3 ($499.99 / £469.99 / AU$1,049.99) and the Samsung Galaxy ($1,799, availability and price for other regions TBA), and that seems about right.
The Steam Frame has more RAM than the Quest 3 and possibly a better chipset, as well as eye-tracking sensors that we only see in high-end headsets. However, it doesn’t offer the ultra-sharp OLED panels of the Galaxy XR, instead using screens similar to those on the Meta headphones.
Samsung’s Galaxy XR headphones are likely to be more expensive than the Steam Frame
That Steam Frame costs more than Quest 3 is not in itself a bad thing.
As I noted, Steam Frame has solid hardware and a standalone SteamOS has the makings of a very good alternative to HorizonOS. On paper, it appears to be the best VR headset for gamers and those looking for a good high-end option.
However, it looks like the Meta Quest 3 will retain its title as mid-range budget king, and the Meta Quest 3S represents an even more attractive and affordable proposition for many.
First verdict: The exciting VR headset we needed
It’s impossible to declare a “winner” just yet, but the Steam Frame might be the most exciting VR headset we’ve seen in a long time.
If Valve manages to stick the landing, everyone in the XR space should be worried. The only potential downside is that a higher price could unnecessarily limit Steam Frame’s appeal and make Meta Quest 3 the reigning champion.
We live in exciting times in the XR space and the launch of Steam Frame 2026 can’t come soon enough.
