Introduction to the Steam Frame
Valve has announced its first all-in-one VR headset, dubbed the Steam Frame, which runs SteamOS and is powered by a 4nm Snapdragon SoC. The headset is the primary Snapdragon-based SteamOS device in the marketplace, meaning Valve is supporting Arm with the SteamOS platform, perhaps laying the foundations for an Arm-based gaming handheld future.
Current State of PC Gaming Handhelds
Up until now, just about all PC gaming handhelds in the marketplace are powered by AMD chips. Even the most recent Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are powered by AMD chips, as a substitute of Qualcomm’s own. So far, all official SteamOS devices are also x86 only, with no official support for Snapdragon-based PCs.
Specifications of the Steam Frame
The Steam Frame is Valve’s first Snapdragon-powered SteamOS device, running a 4nm Arm SoC paired with 16GB RAM. The chip will power all the experience, from the OS to the games and the displays. The specifications of the Steam Frame include:
- Weight: 190g core, 435g with headstrap
- Processor: 4nm Snapdragon ARM
- Memory: 16GB Unified LPDDR5 RAM
- Storage: 256GB / 1TB UFS, microSD slot
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7 (2×2), Dual 5GHz/6GHz streaming
- Optics: Pancake optics, 2160×2160 LCD per eye, 72–120Hz (144Hz experimental), as much as 110° FOV
- Tracking: 4x external monochrome cameras, 2x internal eye-tracking cameras, IR illuminator
Future of Arm-Based SteamOS Devices
It’s unknown what chip Valve is using exactly, but we all know Qualcomm offers OEMs a spread of specialist XR chips akin to the high-end Snapdragon XR2+ Gen2 SoC, which could be the best call for a fully-fledged gaming VR headset just like the Steam Frame. A wearable headset is not a gaming handheld in any respect, but that does not imply foundations aren’t being laid with this device. Now that SteamOS officially supports Arm via the Snapdragon XR SoC, it’s only a matter of time before we see SteamOS running on a gaming handheld that is also powered by a Snapdragon SoC.
Impact on the Gaming Industry
It’s quite unlikely that this can be the one Arm-based SteamOS device going forward. With NVIDIA rumored to be launching its N1X chips next 12 months, it’s reasonable to expect we’ll see NVIDIA-powered Arm-based gaming handhelds within the near future too, and SteamOS can be well prepared to support it. Although circuitously, this must also profit Windows on Arm. All Windows-powered gaming handhelds up to now run an x86 processor, regardless that Windows has fully embraced Arm over the past handful of years.
Conclusion
Valve hasn’t announced pricing or exact availability for the Steam Frame, though it has said to expect it to reach sometime in the primary half of next 12 months. The Steam Frame is a transparent competitor to Apple’s Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR headsets, each of that are premium high-end headsets, though Valve’s may have an edge in gaming. The introduction of the Steam Frame and the support for Arm-based SteamOS devices marks a big shift within the gaming industry, and it is going to be interesting to see how games perform on a Snapdragon-based SteamOS device, especially with Proton in the combo.
