Valve describes the Steam Frame as a "streaming-first, wireless VR headset with controllers that can handle the whole Steam library". It is designed for both VR and non-VR catalog, with stand-alone play as well, with special attention to comfort. It is lightweight, with a weight-balanced front-to-rear, modular headstrap and more. The dimensions are set at 175x95x110mm for the core module and facial interface. The core module weighs 185g while the headstrap weighs 245g. It can be used with glasses with a maximum width of 140mm.

The heart of the Steam Frame is Qualcomm's 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X memory and 256GB or 1TB of UFS storage, expandable via a microSD card slot. It uses custom pancake lenses with glass and non-glass optical elements with 110 degree FoV and comes with 2160x2160 resolution LCD screens (per eye) with variable 72 to 144Hz refresh rate. The IPD, or Inter Pupillary Distance, can be set between 60 and 70mm.

The rest of the specs include 2x2 WiFi 7 connectivity with concurrent 5Ghz Wi-Fi and 6Ghz VR streaming, Bluetooth 5.3, two speakers integrated into headstrap and dual microphone array. It will run on SteamOS 3 and come with a rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery that is recharged via back-placed USB-C at 45W.

The headset has several cameras in and out cameras for tracking including four outward facing monochrome cameras for controller and headset tracking and two interior cameras for eye tracking and foveated streaming, as well as IR illuminators for low-light tracking and options for future expansion via front expansion port and dual high speed camera interface (8 lanes @ 2.5Gbps MIPI) / PCIe Gen 4 interface (1-lane). The aforementioned Foveated Streaming is quite an important feature as it is said to improve image quality by over 10x by optimizing detail where your eyes are looking.

The Steam Frame controllers are redesigned to offer a familiar feeling with a split gamepad layout, featuring D-pad, ABXY buttons, new magnetic thumbsticks, triggers, and bumpers, as well as capacitive finger and space tracking.

The Steam library will get the new Steam Frame Verified badge, just like with the Steam Deck, for games that can be run stand-alone, rather than streamed from the PC or the new Steam Machine.

The Steam Frame will launch in 2026, and Valve has yet to announce the price.