Steam Frame unboxing video leaks early, featuring Half-Life Alyx gameplay and $60 Ergonomics Accessories Kit
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Valve still hasn’t announced the Steam Frame’s price or exact release date, but another leak suggests the company may be getting very close to launching its new VR headset (today seems to be the day). This time, a full unboxing and first-impressions video accidentally went live before the embargo was lifted, featuring Linus Sebastian of Linus Tech Tips fame.
The video was published on ShortCircuit, the secondary YouTube channel operated by Linus Media Group, under the title ‘Our first 30 mins with the Steam Frame.’ It was quickly made private, suggesting it wasn’t supposed to go live yet. However, the roughly 17-minute video remained available long enough for copies to be saved and shared elsewhere online.
Everyone seems to expect the Steam Frame will be finally launched today. Valve will be kicking off its Steam VR sale later today, expected at 10 AM Pacific Time, and reservations for the new VR headset are rumored to appear at the same time.
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Steam Frame unboxing from LTT
The unboxing shows the headset itself, its controllers, and the accessories included in the package. The Steam Frame is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, allowing it to operate as a standalone device. We’ve already seen Valve’s official unboxing/setup guides leaked, but this is the first from a third-party reviewer.
Valve is also heavily focusing on wireless PC VR. The headset supports Wi-Fi 7 and comes with a 6GHz wireless dongle for streaming games directly from a PC. The dongle isn’t strictly required if users already have a suitable Wi-Fi setup, but including one should make it easier to get a stable connection without relying entirely on a home network.
During the hands-on session, wireless streaming was reportedly difficult to distinguish from a wired experience. The test unit was connected to a Windows PC rather than a Steam Machine, with Half-Life: Alyx used to put the headset through its paces. However, Linus does claim Valve is working on a native version of Alyx to run directly on the Steam Frame, standalone.
“That’s basically the bottom line. This is not about delivering a significantly sharper, or higher refresh rate, or whatever, it’s about cutting the wire. That’s it, it’s that smooth, it’s just working.”
Linus Sebastian
The video also gives us a better look at the Steam Frame controllers. Unlike the Valve Index controllers, which have built-in rechargeable batteries, these use replaceable AA batteries. They’re reportedly capable of providing up to 40 hours of gameplay before the batteries need replacing.
Not everything received praise during the first impressions. The ABXY buttons on the controllers were one area of criticism, while the headset’s LCD panels reportedly showed some color fringing despite otherwise looking sharp. The monochrome passthrough also displayed noticeable stitching between camera feeds.
The Steam Frame itself still doesn’t have an official price yet. However, the video confirms that Valve’s optional Ergonomics Accessories Kit will cost $60 as an optional extra. It includes an additional headset strap and Knuckles-style controller straps.
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