A damaged clock is correct finally – after months of leaks and speculation Valve has lastly debuted the Steam Body, a model new VR headset that’s swinging on the present king (the Meta Quest 3) in a significant manner.
The brand new headset boasts some spectacular specs, doubtlessly world-class software program help, and a design that would make it the all-day headset that the Samsung Galaxy XR and Apple Vision Pro want they may very well be.
Specs: The Steam Frame is the clear winner
Overall, the Valve headset is an upgrade on the Meta Quest 3, with the Steam Frame either matching or beating Meta in (almost) every metric.
Valve’s contender boasts 16GB instead of 8GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage instead of topping out at 512GB. And while the smaller storage Frame model is only 256GB, it has an SD slot so you can expand its storage), plus a “4nm Snapdragon ARM Processor.”
The Meta Quest 3’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 matches this description, however Valve’s determination to not identify the chipset suggests it is choosing one thing newer – maybe an unannounced XR2 Gen 3.
You’ll additionally discover the optics and visuals must be on par between the 2 as each units boast pancake optics and an LCD display screen setup with a 2,160 x 2,160 pixel per eye decision (the Meta Quest 3’s is a barely completely different 2,064 x 2,208 per eye). Each additionally supply a variable refresh charge of as much as 120Hz – the Steam Body can truly push itself to 144Hz with an experimental setting.
The obvious downgrade on the Steam Body, nonetheless, is the return to monochrome digital camera passthrough (in different phrases, black and white somewhat than full coloration). This implies the Body shall be a digital actuality headset at the beginning, not the blended actuality affair Meta, Samsung, Apple, and others have targeted on lately.
Throughout MR’s early days this wouldn’t be a foul factor, and in equity most MR video games of be aware supply efficient VR modes too, however it does really feel like a shocking tweak on what seems like a secure headset components in 2025. Nonetheless, Valve has additionally teased a “consumer accessible enlargement port” which leaves the door open to the potential of an optionally available module that provides full-color passthrough at an added price.
Software: Finally, a true Meta rival?
I’ve said it before and don’t know if I will ever stop saying it: Meta has superb software in HorizonOS. This has meant it has the perfect entry to apps and video games amongst standalone headsets. The one rival that got here shut as a VR platform is Steam, however that hasn’t been a standalone platform… till now.
The Steam Body runs on SteamOS – the identical because the Steam Deck and new Steam Machine – and that may very well be the leg-up a Meta rival has wanted. There’s no want to incorporate caveats right here like I’ve needed to do with Android XR and visionOS – we all know SteamOS has a broad catalogue of VR and non-VR functions able to go, and that library will solely proceed to develop.
Mix that with the Steam Body’s inbuilt direct-to-PC wi-fi adapter for wi-fi PCVR gaming and you’ve got a machine that I really consider Meta ought to fear about from a software program perspective – particularly if the much-rumored new Steam exclusives see the sunshine of day.
Design: The Frame is a true all-day headset
Design-wise, VR headsets are much of a muchness. We don’t yet have precise battery life details for the Steam Frame to compare it to the Meta Quest 3, but I’m worried it might be shorter because the Frame is much lighter than its rival: it weighs 435g compared with 515g.
What’s more, Valve describes it as having a “modular design” with weight details specifically outlining the weight without the battery strap at just 190g. This is most likely because the strap is removable like on the HTC Vive XR Elite, permitting the Body for use as a pair of VR goggles offered you join it on to an influence supply.
If that’s the case this wouldn’t simply be a Quest 3 killer, that is an all the things killer.
Neglect sporting a cumbersome Samsung Galaxy XR or Apple Vision Pro at your desk all day for XR productiveness full with a multi-monitor setup. If the Steam Body can boast a complicated XR desktop format in its 190g kind – heck even in its 435g kind – I can’t see why you’d select the rest (particularly factoring in its versatility in different areas as a standalone VR machine).
Price: At what cost?
The most important yet-to-be-answered question is price: Valve hasn’t told us how much a Steam Frame will cost.
Now, looking at the specs I can assure you that it will cost more than a Meta Quest 3, and leaks very much support that assessment.
It’s tipped to cost $1,200 (around £915 / AU$1,830). That would sandwich it between the Meta Quest 3 ($499.99 / £469.99 / AU$1,049.99) and the Samsung Galaxy ($1,799, availability and pricing for other regions is TBC), and this feels right.
The Steam Frame has more RAM than the Quest 3 and likely a better chipset, as well as eye-tracking sensors which we only see in more premium headsets. But it also doesn’t offer the ultra-crisp OLED panels of the Galaxy XR, as a substitute choosing shows corresponding to Meta’s headset.
The Steam Body costing greater than the Quest 3 isn’t any dangerous factor inherently.
As I’ve highlighted, the Steam Body has strong {hardware}, and a standalone SteamOS has the markings of a very viable HorizonOS different. On paper, this seems prefer it is likely to be the very best VR headset for avid gamers and folk who need an ideal greater finish possibility.
The Meta Quest 3, nonetheless, seems set to retain its title because the mid-range / funds king, with the Meta Quest 3S an much more temptingly-affordable providing for a lot of.
Early verdict: the exciting VR headset we needed
Right now it’s impossible to declare a ‘winner’, but the Steam Frame might very well be the most exciting VR headset we’ve seen in some time.
If Valve can stick the landing, everyone in the XR space should be worried. The only potential drawback is that a higher price tag could overly restrict the Steam Frame’s appeal and leave the Meta Quest 3 as the reigning champion.
It’s an exciting time in the XR space, and the Steam Frame’s 2026 launch can’t come soon enough.
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