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Valve Steam Frame Is Here: How Good Is This VR Headset?

Part Steam Deck, part VR headset and, yes, it plays Half-Life Alyx. Here’s everything I’ve discovered so far. Read more about the Valve Steam Frame on CNET.com: Steam Frame, Reviewed: Valve’s Ambitious VR Headset Feels Like an Experiment in Progress Timecode Chapters: 00:00 Valve Steam Frame 00:33 A Portable Steam Deck For Your Face 00:57…

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Part Steam Deck, part VR headset and, yes, it plays Half-Life Alyx. Here’s everything I’ve discovered so far.

Read more about the Valve Steam Frame on CNET.com:
Steam Frame, Reviewed: Valve’s Ambitious VR Headset Feels Like an Experiment in Progress

Timecode Chapters:
00:00 Valve Steam Frame
00:33 A Portable Steam Deck For Your Face
00:57 Design
01:17 Ergonomic Pack
01:47 A Challenge for Glasses Wearers
02:19 Viewing Experience
03:09 Foveated Streaming
03:41 Standalone Features
04:11 VR and Processor
05:11 Half-Life: Alyx
05:54 Controller Covered in Sensors
06:43 Pass-Through Cameras
07:28 Modular Design
08:00 Linux and Customizability
08:18 Not All Games Will Work
08:50 How Is It As A Steam Deck
10:13 Early Products and Valve
11:00 Expect More Later
11:26 The Future of VR, Headsets and The Steam Frame

Video Credits:
Host: Scott Stein
Scripted by: Scott Stein
Producer: Numi Prasarn
Camera: Numi Prasarn
Video Editor: Mitch Chang
Thumbnail Designer: Cole Kan

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#steamframe #valve #vrheadset #vr #virtualreality #vrgaming #vrgames #vrgameplay

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36 Comments

36 Comments

  1. @Leeroyfraiman5

    September 14, 2026 at 1:02 pm

    Hello, I am first to comment. Does anybody notice?

    • @CNET

      September 14, 2026 at 1:12 pm

      Yes. We see you

    • @Leeroyfraiman5

      September 14, 2026 at 1:14 pm

      @CNETyay thx for your response

    • @quanhair5023

      September 14, 2026 at 1:46 pm

      @CNET stream VR from the Steam Machine?

    • @TechnotMe

      September 14, 2026 at 2:09 pm

      No

  2. @CNET

    September 14, 2026 at 1:12 pm

    Read more about the Valve Steam Frame on CNET.com: Steam Frame, Reviewed: Valve’s Ambitious VR Headset Feels Like an Experiment in Progress

  3. @Tesko249clips

    September 14, 2026 at 1:21 pm

    I’m pretty hyped that it FINALLY went live, after more than half a year of waiting

    • @GordonJDick

      September 14, 2026 at 1:36 pm

      i’m disappointed in the high price. The waiting continues on my end.

  4. @LordExtrasus

    September 14, 2026 at 1:32 pm

    thats all very nice… but can it run VTOL VR?

  5. @GordonJDick

    September 14, 2026 at 1:35 pm

    the price is disappointing. Slightly higher than i could budget for. It’s almost twice the price of the quest3. The only deciding factor for me personally is the comfort. When i put on the quest3 i instantly felt like i had a brick on my face and i started to sweat profusely. This was after only a few minutes during an attempt to pair it using my tablet… and that attempt failed because my tablet is 8 years old and couldn’t run android 10 or higher. I’ll have to wait for another month to save enough for the higher price of the frame.

  6. @Kayzef2003

    September 14, 2026 at 1:58 pm

    It runs weaker than the steam deck????😳😳😳

    • @patricks8430

      September 14, 2026 at 2:31 pm

      @Kayzef2003 steam deck has a laptop processor in it. The frame has a mobile processor.

    • @damianabregba7476

      September 14, 2026 at 5:15 pm

      The games part of computing tops at 7 Watts. It still has to compute tracking etc. Where Deck doesn’t

    • @supersaiyaman11589

      September 14, 2026 at 6:29 pm

      vr should not ever be compared to something like the steam deck or non vr because they are totally different things for different purposes.

  7. @SpudGunTechie

    September 14, 2026 at 2:22 pm

    “I thought testing this as a standalone is the really unique factor.” I don’t really agree. I think the wireless streaming via foviated streaming is the most unique factor. I am also interested in the standalone mode, but if standalone was your focus, I personally think you mistargeted.

    • @damianabregba7476

      September 14, 2026 at 5:11 pm

      ​​@SpudGunTechie I don’t agree. Seeing how much can it be pushed on Standalone through FEX and such on this Linux device is an unique feature. Others already test the streaming stuff, so a different perspective is more valuable.
      Modding your existing library of old games to run directly on the device. Testing the standalone does expose limits how far can you actually go with it.

      Other reviewers focused on standard VR stuff like any other headset.

      This is almost exactly what I was looking for, where all the others missed

    • @Pilotw4ve

      September 14, 2026 at 5:57 pm

      @damianabregba7476 Valve said it themselves- “It’s a streaming device first”

    • @SpudGunTechie

      September 14, 2026 at 6:36 pm

      @damianabregba7476 I do agree that the Fex aspect is important and super interesting. I just don’t agree standalone headset usage is the unique thing to focus on here, especially since standalone performance is mediocre. People should know that it’s not great performance, but just saying, I’m not really a PC gamer, I’m just going to explore the standalone mode that this device is not focused on is a strange tack.

  8. @Frazec_Atsjenkov

    September 14, 2026 at 2:55 pm

    2:50 Eye-tracking is NOT unusual for a VR set of that size. The Pimax Dream Air, Dream Air SE, and Big Screen Beyond 2E are all smaller AND have eye-tracking…

  9. @bdanka50

    September 14, 2026 at 3:12 pm

    Lemme get this straight. $1000+. Black and White passthrough. No more powerful than a Metaquest. Half Life Alyx is the big app, an early 2020 release. I’m gonna pass. But, I’ll bet (kind of like how the Steam Deck ushered in the handheld PC, this likely will promote other companies to make their own and they’ll do it better over the long term.

    • @FlowerBearTTV

      September 14, 2026 at 8:33 pm

      I don’t know if meta quests are a proper comparison here just because of how different the profit models are.

  10. @ansonleJH1

    September 14, 2026 at 4:05 pm

    Like some of the others here I also disagree with only considering this device as a stand alone. The foveated streaming makes a world of difference in the VR headset space. It’s understandable to try to focus on specific aspects when trying to differentiate your content from other Youtubers, but with such a narrow focus yet asking the title question “How Good Is This VR Headset?” it needs to be a more encompassing of the overall benefits and drawbacks.

  11. @jordirapper

    September 14, 2026 at 4:51 pm

    1049 for this? Just no!

  12. @Mightypepino76

    September 14, 2026 at 5:06 pm

    Stop with all this BS sponsored video. This is nothing more than a display strapped to your face. Not enough power for the price. I love steam but this is a joke for well over a 1000 dollars. It’s weaker than the steam deck and barely more than the quest 3 at double the price. The battery is absolutely terrible. VR software is thin unless your able to mod games on a very expensive PC which most do not have and do not want to figure out.

    • @supersaiyaman11589

      September 14, 2026 at 6:24 pm

      one of the major points to the steam frame for me is the wi fi 6 dongle that comes with it that alone is worth the price to me to have the freedom of movement that the quest 3 doesn’t offer. it will be next year before i get one however.

  13. @Aragorn7884

    September 14, 2026 at 5:10 pm

    Charging extra for a head strap is GD nuts 🤑

    • @user-ts2dy6lx2l

      September 14, 2026 at 5:26 pm

      Charging a lot for it too. Couldnt even include the nose piece to keep the light out.

  14. @JorgTheElder

    September 14, 2026 at 5:22 pm

    Spend the extra $60 for three Velcro straps and the nose blocker and you won’t get as much O-Face. (Yes, $60 for three Velcro straps is highway-robbery, but hey there are more yachts to buy.)

  15. @thomaskerr2477

    September 14, 2026 at 5:30 pm

    thans for your time. but with what i paid for the quest 3 with 512 and bobover halo straps and hot swapaping battery for uk price was 565 tpo 600 pounds i bought when AVP came out , and the quest 3 using game native it can play standalone steam frame steam frame beatsaber works prity well . for me i going for urxr 1 and xreal aura as urxr1 will eventualy use android xr puck, i use android and windos as my 2 base osa . but am going get piston v for dule out the box and ugradable duel os windos and steam os or bizite and also using android xr puck will give me 3 os . the urxr1 glass will be modulaer yes only 90 fov but in 3 years time be better and doint need to keep glasses only the brain , same gose for xreal aura and android xr swap glasses in 4 years swap brain for 5 years ime . the steam frame chip is nearly 4 years old quest is 3 yearold . valves softwere is were it shins but only becouse otheres havent cought up but game native already uses parts of for android so quest 3 and android xr . so i will not be geting staem fram for 400 to 600 pounds more than my quest 3. and i have 5070 nivida and 32gram laptop last year nearly 1 year ago

  16. @johnny.T.3322

    September 14, 2026 at 6:19 pm

    1300 bucks, no thanks

  17. @Pilotw4ve

    September 14, 2026 at 6:22 pm

    Pretty much consistent with other reviews – an upgrade but not the big upgrade over quest 3 that ppl thought it would be

  18. @anewworldishappening

    September 14, 2026 at 6:23 pm

    valve cosmos 2.

  19. @ZaxBaka

    September 14, 2026 at 6:53 pm

    I just can’t rap my head around paying $450+ MORE for a device that literally has half the battery life, practically same performance, much worse cameras, significantly less and older exclusives games, and is mostly meant for STREAMING games, not playing natively compared to Meta Quest 3.

  20. @JadesCorner17

    September 14, 2026 at 7:58 pm

    Cant wait. Going to be awesome

  21. @FR-Patriots

    September 14, 2026 at 8:37 pm

    Not worth it at $1059-$1299. Meta Quest 3 was $499. Foolish to buy this when Meta Quest can do full color pass through and this can’t. ROFL

  22. @tugcable8304

    September 14, 2026 at 9:29 pm

    For 1,000.00 dollars, what new VR experience does this headset offer that I could not have experienced before?

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Valve Steam Frame: Hands On

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You can find the products mentioned in this article linked below
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*CNET may get a commission on these offers

Read more about Apple AirPods 5 on CNET.com:
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Video Credits:
Host: David Carnoy
Scripted by:David Carnoy
Producer: Numi Prasarn
Camera: Numi Prasarn
Video Editor: JD Christison
Thumbnail Designer: Tharon Green

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#AirPods5 #AppleAirPods #AirPodsReview #Earbuds #TechReview #AppleTech

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