TL;DR: An early ShortCircuit video leaked Steam Frame details: a $60 Ergonomics Accessories Kit, AA-battery controllers (≈40 hours), included wireless 6GHz adapter, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 running SteamOS with FEX x86 emulation, sharp display with edge fringing and monochrome passthrough, and unconfirmed reports Valve plans a native Half-Life: Alyx build.
Voice: Hassam NasirSpeed
0:00 / 3:15
Use left and right arrow keys to seek audio.
ShortCircuit, the unboxing channel run by Linus Media Group, accidentally published its Steam Frame first impressions video ahead of Valve’s embargo yesterday. The 17-minute video, titled “Our First 30 Mins With The Steam Frame,” was live long enough for copies to be saved and shared across Reddit and social media before being taken down.
The Steam Frame’s price and release date are still unconfirmed, but the leak revealed several details Valve hasn’t made public. The most concrete new information is the price of the Ergonomics Accessories Kit, which will be sold separately for $60. That bundle includes an extra headset head strap and Knuckles-style controller straps.
The controllers themselves use replaceable AA batteries rather than the built-in rechargeable cells that shipped with the Valve Index, with Valve claiming around 40 hours of operation per set. The box contains two controllers, a wireless adapter, a glasses adapter, a USB-C cable, and an information booklet.
- Read more: Leaked Steam Frame unboxing video hints at an imminent launch
- Read more: The Steam Frame could be priced at $1,500 at launch, according to insider
Linus noted the headset felt well-balanced on the head and that wireless streaming from a PC showed no obvious drop in quality during a range test. The included 6GHz wireless adapter handled the connection, though the Steam Frame can also connect through an existing 6GHz Wi-Fi network.
PC streaming from a Steam Machine was not yet working on the review unit’s software build, and Valve was apparently still working on it at the time of filming. The test was therefore run from a Windows PC instead.
The bigger software detail buried in the leak is that Valve is reportedly working on a standalone native build of Half-Life: Alyx that would run directly on the Steam Frame rather than being streamed from a PC. This follows earlier reports of Steam backend references to a dedicated “Frame Alyx Promo,” suggesting Half-Life: Alyx may be included with Steam Frame purchases. Valve has not confirmed any of this.
The headset runs SteamOS on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ARM processor and can already handle x86 games through FEX emulation. Linus described the display as sharp, with some colour fringing toward the edges of the optics. The passthrough mode is monochrome and showed visible seam lines. The ABXY buttons on the controllers also drew some criticism. These are early impressions from a pre-release unit, so take them as a direction rather than a final verdict.
What does the Steam Frame include in the box besides the headset and controllers?
Besides the headset and two controllers, the box includes a wireless adapter, a glasses adapter, a USB-C cable, and an information booklet. Valve also showed a separate Ergonomics Accessories Kit, but that is sold separately for $60 and includes an extra headset head strap and Knuckles-style controller straps.
Question #2
How does the Steam Frame’s 6GHz wireless adapter compare with using an existing 6GHz Wi‑Fi network?
The headset’s included 6GHz wireless adapter handled the PC streaming connection in the test, and the story says the Steam Frame can also connect through an existing 6GHz Wi-Fi network. It does not give a performance comparison between the two, so no difference is stated.
Question #3
What changes does Valve’s standalone Half-Life: Alyx build need to make for the Steam Frame’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 hardware?
Valve’s standalone Half-Life: Alyx build would need to be a native version that runs directly on the Steam Frame instead of being streamed from a PC. The only other detail given is that it would target the headset’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 based SteamOS hardware, and separate reporting says the work is still not finished and would require a lot more work.
Question #4
Will Half-Life: Alyx be bundled with Steam Frame purchases, and what does the “Frame Alyx Promo” reference imply?
Half-Life: Alyx is not confirmed to be bundled with Steam Frame purchases. The story says backend references to a dedicated “Frame Alyx Promo” suggest Valve may be planning to include the game with the headset, but Valve has not confirmed that.
Have a question that isn’t listed here? Ask below, and TweakBot will answer it.
This also isn’t the first time the Steam Frame has leaked. Back in August, a Steam client update briefly exposed eight finished setup and unboxing videos, covering everything from IPD adjustment to controller pairing and the Ergonomic Accessories Kit. That said, the headset’s price remains unconfirmed, though Valve insider Tyler McVicker predicts it could land at around $1,500 following Qualcomm’s Snapdragon price hike in September.
