Steam Frame devkits are soon on their way to developers and might arrive before the end of the year
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Valve surprised many people last month when it announced three new pieces of hardware at once. Alongside a new Steam Machine and an updated Steam Controller, the company also revealed a brand-new VR headset called Steam Frame. This headset marks a big change from Valve’s earlier VR hardware, the Index, which requires you to be wired up to a gaming PC.
Steam Frame goes in a very different direction – it’s a standalone VR headset, akin to the Meta Quest. Valve describes it as a wireless, lightweight, and comfortable VR headset. You can still connect to your gaming PC for more power, but it should even run Half-Life: Alyx in standalone mode. It also ships with two controllers, which Valve says can be used not only for VR games but also for regular non-VR titles – they don’t strip down the amount of inputs like most other VR controllers.
Now, it looks like Valve is getting ready to take the next step, as Steam Frame development kits, also known as devkits, will reportedly start shipping to developers later this year.
Steam Frame development kits are on the way
For those who may not know, devkits are special versions of gaming hardware that are sent to game developers before a product fully launches. Developers use them to test their games, fix bugs, improve performance, and make sure everything works properly on the new system. In short, devkits help ensure that games are ready on day one and run smoothly for players.
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This new information comes from game developer Brian Lindenhof, who shared an update on X. Brian revealed that Valve has approved his request for Steam Frame hardware. According to the message he received, Valve confirmed that once all the final details are completed, a tracking number will be sent when the hardware ships. This strongly suggests that devkits will start shipping very soon, possibly before the end of the year. For reference, the Steam Frame doesn’t launch until early 2026.
This is great news for both the developers and players. If developers get access to Steam Frame early, it increases the chances that more games will support the headset at launch. Brian also answered some questions from users about what developers are allowed to share. He explained that the beta agreement limits what they can talk about. Developers can share their own game experience and how their game runs on Steam Frame.
However, they are not allowed to comment on how other developers’ games perform. At the moment, there is also no clear answer on whether developers can show the Steam Frame interface, as they are still waiting for clarification from Valve.
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