Valve rejoins the VR hardware wars with standalone Steam Frame

Summary

Valve also tells Ars that streaming to the Steam Frame will be “as efficient as possible,” maximizing battery life from the included 21.6 Wh battery. “Standalone battery life will be much more variable, depending on the game and its settings,” Valve Engineer Jeremy Selan and Designer Lawrence Yang told Ars via email. OK, but where's the outward display with fake eyes? Valve OK, but where's the outward display with fake eyes? Valve Black is the new black. Valve Black is the new black. Valve OK, but where's the outward display with fake eyes? Valve Black is the new black. Valve A knob on the underside of the headset, presumably for adjusting the distance between the individual lenses. Valve A knob on the underside of the headset, presumably for adjusting the distance between the individual lenses. Valve The cushioned rear of the strap will hold the Steam Frame lens housing tightly to your head. Valve The cushioned rear of the strap will hold the Steam Frame lens housing tightly to your head. Valve A knob on the underside of the headset, presumably for adjusting the distance between the individual lenses. Valve The cushioned rear of the strap will hold the Steam Frame lens housing tightly to your head. Valve While a wired PC connection would go a long way toward addressing those battery-life and extra latency concerns, Valve said the Steam Frame won’t even support it as an option. “We’re focused on a robust wireless streaming experience, which is why we included a dedicated wireless adapter, have a dedicated radio on the headset just for streaming, and invented a new streaming technology to optimize the streaming experience (Foveated Streaming),” Selan and Yang told Ars. A low-weight modular “core” All told, the Steam Frame comes in at just 440 grams, a welcome and sizeable reduction from the 515 grams of the Quest 3. Interestingly, Valve’s spec sheet also specifically calls out the 185 gram “core” of the headset hardware, which comprises all the main components beside...