Steam Frame could arrive today as an early review video slips online

Valve still hasn’t announced the Steam Frame’s price or exact release date, but a leaked review video suggests the company could be preparing to launch its new VR headset today. The roughly 17-minute video appeared early on ShortCircuit, the secondary YouTube channel operated by Linus Media Group, featuring Linus Sebastian going through the headset and sharing his first impressions.

The video was quickly made private, indicating that it was published before the embargo expired, although it remained online long enough for copies to spread across the internet. The timing is especially interesting because Valve is expected to begin its Steam VR sale today at around 10 AM Pacific Time, with reservations for the Steam Frame reportedly set to open at the same time.

The unboxing provides a closer look at the headset, controllers, and included accessories, while confirming several details that Valve has previously revealed. The Steam Frame is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, allowing it to operate as a standalone VR device rather than requiring a PC for everything.

Valve is also putting considerable emphasis on wireless PC VR. The headset supports Wi-Fi 7 and comes with a dedicated 6GHz wireless dongle for streaming games from a PC. While the dongle isn't necessary for users with a suitable Wi-Fi setup, having a dedicated adapter should make it easier to establish a stable connection. During the hands-on session, Linus reportedly found the wireless experience difficult to distinguish from playing through a wired connection while testing Half-Life: Alyx on a Windows PC.

The controllers use replaceable AA batteries rather than the built-in rechargeable batteries found in the Valve Index controllers, with the leaked impressions suggesting they can last for up to 40 hours. However, not everything received praise. The ABXY buttons were criticized, while the LCD displays reportedly showed some color fringing despite otherwise appearing sharp. The monochrome passthrough mode also exhibited noticeable stitching between the camera feeds.

The Steam Frame's biggest missing detail remains its price, but the leak does reveal that Valve's optional Ergonomics Accessories Kit will cost $60 (around €51 / £45). It includes an additional headset strap and Knuckles-style controller straps.

If the launch rumors are accurate, we may only be hours away from finally getting the headset's official price and reservation details. As always, for the latest news on the Steam Frame, Valve hardware, VR headsets, and developments across the PC gaming industry, be sure to follow our dedicated hardware coverage.