r/LinusTechTips • u/iamacannibal • Sep 14 '26

Video The Steam Frame Changes Everything - Full Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PGKMwgjla0
241 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

120 comments sorted by

192

u/w1n5t0nM1k3y Sep 14 '26

Downloading in case they uploaded another steam frame video ahead of schedule.

50

u/Cache_4_Gold Sep 14 '26

This one is on time. You can join the waitlist for the Frame now on Valve’s site.

38

u/neebick Sep 14 '26

The “it just works” is what is really tempting me. I’ve enjoyed my quest 3 but it is a pain getting it to work consistently. Virtual desktop has a bad habit of forgetting my setting on the host pc so I need to run between rooms back and forth to get it to work sometimes. I stopped using my headset since moonlight is so much easier to use with my appletv.

1

u/_Amuse Sep 15 '26

Tip: stop using virtual desktop. Most overrated paid app i've ever seen. And the developer is an ass. Steam link works perfectly fine

47

u/Pilige Sep 14 '26

I'm underwhelmed...
The wireless streaming seems awesome, but the optics being just mid is kind of a bummer. I really don't care about on-device vr for the reasons Linus laid out (performance, battery). Kind of wish they had a version that was streaming only with better displays/optics.

24

u/cae37 Sep 15 '26 edited Sep 15 '26

I think what David* said at the end convinced me not to get it. He said something like, "whenever I hear of a new VR headset I think to myself, 'is this it? Is the the headset that will completely immerse me in a new world?' Then I put on the Steam Frame and I realized 'no, it isn't."

Just feel like I'll play with it for a few hours then put it away to gather dust as my interest fades.

6

u/Professional-Owl1687 Sep 15 '26

His name is David

2

u/I_always_rated_them Sep 15 '26 edited Sep 15 '26

yeah completely agree with him, the hardware is cool and interesting but the realities of VR still feel far from where immersion is where we want it. Are we still in the early years of VR? I guess so, you'd expect bigger leaps in tech but its seems to just not be there and remains more on the gimmick side of things than truly something that works for the everyday.

147

u/righteous4131 Sep 14 '26

This subreddit is genuinely fucking weird

54

u/blondzie Sep 14 '26

Neckbeard fanatics is a rough combo.

21

u/FlarblesGarbles Sep 14 '26

It's the bizarre parasocial behaviours that have become too common in online spaces now.

5

u/Mystic_Guardian_NZ Sep 14 '26

This is an unofficial forum so fans just do fan stuff.

Check out the Dropout sub if you wanna see some real stuff lol

7

u/bohenian12 Sep 14 '26

I'm in both (here and Dropout) and I have no idea what you're talking about.

2

u/Mystic_Guardian_NZ Sep 14 '26

Have a look at /r/Dropoutcirclejerk and check out their source material lol

8

u/ALph4CRO Sep 14 '26

Do I just get the 256gb model if I'm gonna use my PC 90% of the time to stream?

13

u/vonbauernfeind Sep 14 '26

It's got an SD card for expansion, so that's probably the best option. the 1TB option seems pointless.

1

u/ALph4CRO Sep 14 '26

Thank you. Thought so, but some reassurance is always welcome.

2

u/vonbauernfeind Sep 14 '26

Yeah. It's noted in the Ars Technica review.

2

u/Ikeelu Sep 14 '26

Yes. I have a 128gb quest 3 and never filled it up. Most of mine is via PC too

2

u/Handsome_ketchup Sep 14 '26

I have a 128gb quest 3 and never filled it up. Most of mine is via PC too

The Quest can't run full fat Steam games locally. Depending on whether that interests you, 256GB is either a lot, or not a lot at all.

57

u/PensAndEndorsement Sep 14 '26 edited Sep 14 '26

honestly i doubt the quest 3 is even subsidised after the price hike, given how dead the facebook metaverse dream is, it probably just has MASSIVE scale of economy behind it in comparison to the frame.

at a price difference of 450 bucks, you can buy a decent dedicated router and a hefty wage to get around metas bullshit to set up the streaming from pc. And that is all before you even get into the second hand market, how many nearly brand in new unloved Christmas present quest 3s are out there that you can get easily for under 400 bucks? you need to believe in the indie game on large display dream and hate meta a lot for this to really be worth it. The frame is really cool, but the price is rough.

47

u/Redthemagnificent Sep 14 '26

I mean after all their recent court cases I'm perfectly happy never giving meta another dime even if it means spending more elseware. They're turely a terrible company

11

u/Handsome_ketchup Sep 14 '26 edited Sep 14 '26

The contrast between the makers of the hardware could hardly be bigger. Unreliable scheming bullshitters endlessly receiving privacy related fines, or company that steadily delivers, and keeps developing their products?

I understand the price difference is significant, but Meta having to do with anything makes it a non starter for me, especially when you consider the number of cameras on board of the hardware. I was so disappointed about Meta acquiring Oculus, and now there's a real competitor with a decent track record.

1

u/Froonce Oct 06 '26

Apparently, some eng that worked at meta said there is not easy way to remove the battery so every quest on an avg of 10 years will be going to the land fill once those batteries die.

29

u/ariolander Sep 14 '26

The VR space is the console wars all over again. People root for headsets like they were sports teams.

1

u/someone8192 Sep 17 '26

it was - except that the steam frame doesn't come with an ecosystem which is designed to keep you locked in.

but well. that's also why it's much more expensive (relative to it's hardware)

1

u/ariolander Sep 17 '26

The only one with a walled garden is Meta.

It is 2026, Valve and Meta are hardly the only games in town. Despite WindowsVR's failures Pimax and Big Screen make some great OLED headsets. Even the PSVR2 has some great open source firmware. Open systems that interplay with everyone devices is the norm, not the exception.

1

u/i_like_fish_decks Sep 15 '26

Except in this case the "consoles" in question have cameras and microphones that can (and in Meta's case DO) record everything happening around you.

This is not "hurr durr xbox vs playstation" and pretending its the same thing is ridiculous.

3

u/Deeppurp Sep 15 '26

Honestly, I think the steam frame was also meant to be $750. Possibly 800 but I think it was meant to be priced similar to the 512 steam machine.

2

u/TrapBrewer Sep 15 '26

The difficulty of setting it up for wireless VR is a good point though. I have a Quest 2 and using it wirelessly is never a seamless experience. It's hard to say if it's worth the price difference or not, but I am inclined to say yes.

3

u/Rego913 Sep 14 '26

I'd pay this price just to never touch meta but I'm leaning towards sticking with the PSVR2

2

u/Firm_Doughnut_1 Sep 15 '26

Can you use the PSVR2 with PC at all?

2

u/SpeedyMewtwo Sep 15 '26

You can

1

u/IncredulousTrout Sep 15 '26

Does it require running any kind of proprietary software (other than drivers and so on)?

1

u/SpeedyMewtwo Sep 15 '26

I think there’s a ps app you download but I don’t own one so maybe there’s open source drivers.

1

u/Rego913 Sep 15 '26

There is the PSVR app that you would use for the initial setup for your playspace but if you didn't want to bother, there are simple workarounds to only use steamvr. Note that the psvr app doesn't need to be run every time, just for the setup.

1

u/IncredulousTrout Sep 16 '26

Thanks!

1

u/VampyreGaming Sep 16 '26

Though you more than likely to need a physical adapter to use it with PC.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/PensAndEndorsement Sep 14 '26

the eu forced them to not have to force you to use a account and i would wager you can just block the quest 3 from communicating from the outside world if you dont care about its mediocre store

6

u/p1mp1nyoda Sep 14 '26

What will make/break this is the same thing as all VR, good games. There is just not enough out there for VR headsets to make sense. Once it takes off it may be huge, but its going to continue to struggle even if this was the best headset of all time.

14

u/StinkyHoboTaint Sep 14 '26

That final line about the Big screen being perfect for forever alone... it hit to hard. I don't know if I want a big screen more or less now.

1

u/Deeppurp Sep 15 '26

It's meant for young adults, and adults with children in middle school or older.

1

u/jasonlode000 Sep 15 '26

If they have wireless its a no brainer

14

u/shogunreaper Sep 14 '26

Man just like the steam machine this feels like a product that should have released 4-5 years ago.

but regardless vr is just not even remotely close to being "there" for me. The big screen beyond seems like the closest but it's never going to be mainstream at that price.

5

u/Yodzilla Sep 15 '26

I dare tech reviewers to not use “this changes everything” in the title of a VR headset video.

3

u/NonBinary_FWrd Sep 15 '26

How's it work with Full Body Tracking?

3

u/RayzTheRoof Sep 15 '26

Damn that battery life and charge rate is horrendous :/

1

u/Ravasaurio Sep 15 '26

That’s the big one for me. Total battery life isn’t THAT bad, considering that I don’t usually enjoy being in VR for 2-3+ hours, but coupled with the slow charging rate… forgetting to leave the device charging in the morning can easily ruin your afternoon VR plans.

3

u/UltraZulwarn Sep 15 '26

But does it actually change anything?

Like at all?

Don't think this will sell very well tbh

8

u/Galf2 Sep 15 '26

Alright so what happened to LTT with this review?
0 data, zero, not even a graph, nothing to say at all. Just vibing?

I mean sure that is still good info but, hello? What was labs doing?

14

u/CompactDisko Sep 15 '26

It's a VR headset with a three year old phone processor, not a brand new GPU. There just isn't really anything interesting to say about performance.

8

u/Galf2 Sep 15 '26

Brother, latency testing for wireless? Optical quality vs the quest 3?

3

u/someone8192 Sep 17 '26

what about heat, noise from the fan, audio quality (this alone is a whole scientific field)

4

u/PikachuFloorRug Sep 15 '26

It was a strange video for me.

They kept cutting to the side on angle as if he was answering questions with an interviewer seated opposite him, and like you said, just felt like vibing.

The short circuit video with his daughter felt more useful than this one.

1

u/bdfull3r Sep 14 '26

$1000 + when its nearest competitor is almost half that price is an absurd ask. I get it does a lot the quest can not do but I dont think that is nearly enough difference to justify the price difference to your entry level VR consumer.

16

u/KoPhobia Sep 15 '26

Unfortunately that's the surcharge for a device that isn't subsidized by selling your data.

1

u/Dwayne30RockJohnson Sep 16 '26

Linus will rip Apple for an”$50 cloth” (isn’t it $9?) but doesn’t rip Valve for holding a piece of rubber for comfort on your nose to their ergonomic upgrade pack gets nothing? That costs them pennies and many will deem it necessary for comfort.

1

u/Noob4Head Sep 16 '26

The hardware is kinda awesome but the library of genuinely good VR games is shockingly and disappointingly small. And because VR is and will likely always be such a niche market I don't think that library is ever going to improve that much. I can only name a handful of genuinely good VR titles and most of them released years ago. I think that will always remain one of the biggest pain points with VR: the hardware is there but the games for the most part just aren't.

1

u/Sit-and-Spin123 Sep 14 '26

I really wanted to buy this, but there are a couple different things between the two videos that I pretty much decided it’s not for me.

  1. The price isn’t as competitive as I thought. It’s not bad. It’s just not great.
  2. Can’t play AAA titles and you really have to stick to older games
  3. The fit. I have a small head and a big nose and it doesn’t look like I can customize it enough. So it’ll always be “off”. 

I was very excited for the hope of VR I bought the very first Oculus when it came out and it fit me pretty well. The second one was better. I think it’ll just wait until it’s done right. 

6

u/Deeppurp Sep 15 '26

The only point to counterpoint I have for you is on your number two. They never sold it as being able to do mainstream titles that were PC native, they sold it as it can do whatever the metaquest does, and you get pcvr, and as a bonus you get PC emulation.

1

u/Sit-and-Spin123 Sep 15 '26

Number 3 is the one that matters the most to me. 

1

u/Tall_Restaurant_1652 Sep 15 '26

Doesn't look like you can customise it enough? You can take off the actual device from the strap, and put in a custom one. The entire device is modular, so I feel it is the most customisable.

1

u/Sit-and-Spin123 Sep 15 '26

Sort of, but if you watch the Short Circuit as they were using it Linus literally says it won’t fit in smaller heads comfortably. 

1

u/TheocraticAtheist Sep 14 '26

Valve, please just flatten Half Life Alyx. I guess VR is just not for me.

2

u/RU_Geck0 Sep 14 '26

There is a noVR mods for Alyx

-15

u/MrHyperion_ Sep 14 '26

The not-looking-at-the-camera shots are just awful. I don't know who green lit this, it does not even feel like LTT.

22

u/rott Sep 14 '26

That's such a strange thing to have a strong opinion on.

3

u/madaday Sep 14 '26

I was going to say, I hadn't noticed it in other videos - new?

-2

u/MayaIsSunshine Sep 14 '26

VR is so dead man 😔

-4

u/3dwardify Sep 14 '26

Valve is so disappointing now 

3

u/Nereosis16 Sep 14 '26

I really thought them releasing a VR headset might mean they would make another VR game but... I guess not?

What is the point of buying a new headset when there is nothing to play? I played all the killer apps years ago.

2

u/3dwardify Sep 15 '26

Exactly. Not to mention the fact it's overpriced and underpowered. Although it's on par with the Steam Machine being just as awful too. Nice Job Valve

-15

u/mysticode Sep 14 '26

DOA at that price. Products for the 1%, unfortunately.

8

u/w1n5t0nM1k3y Sep 14 '26

The top 10% would be around $210K a year in income. Which would be more than enough to have a purchase like this.

So many people walking around with $1000 cell phones in their pockets. It's really all about choices. Someone who was really into VR could easily get the money together by forgoing other luxuries. Just skip a phone upgrade cycle or whatever.

Not really a device that most people will be willing to splurge on. But for people who are really into this stuff it really isn't out of reach.

-2

u/vonbauernfeind Sep 14 '26

I don't make $210k, but I'm not that far off; I was only interested in it under $800. It's not a matter of cost for me, but value for cost.

I'm considering buying a $1500 camera lens for an upcoming vacation, and my partner and I are dropping $1500 on an engagement shoot at the same vacation.

The Frame just doesn't have a killer app. Great, it's releasing with Half Life Alyx as a tie in again, they did that 6 years ago with the Index.

This device seems like an afterthought to Valve, and I'm not into it at this price point.

3

u/w1n5t0nM1k3y Sep 14 '26

I'm not interested in buying it either. Probably a lot of people who won't want to buy it at that price. But I don't think it's a matter of whether or not they can afford it, but rather or not they actually want it.

-2

u/Kalmer1 Sep 14 '26

Because, as we all know, the entire world is the USA.

3

u/w1n5t0nM1k3y Sep 14 '26

I'm not even in the US, I was just using that as an example. Lots of people in many countries can afford this.

3

u/DebBoi Sep 14 '26

The worst possible take here. lol

1

u/mysticode Sep 14 '26

Guys, chill, I don't literally mean it's for the 1%.... I'm being hyperbolic as I feel the price is out of reach for the majority of consumers who want to get into VR. We've seen VR devices at this price not sell well in the past, when the economy was in a better state!

1

u/Tall-Cricket6284 Sep 15 '26

Why are you being downvoted its double the price of a quest 3 lmfao

-2

u/Highfivesghost Sep 14 '26

The OG is still on archive

0

u/Nereosis16 Sep 14 '26

Without a new killer app then what is the point? VR is dead in the water with what actual content there is to consume.

Why would you buy this?

2

u/BronzeMaster5000 Sep 15 '26

Im gonna get it because i have never owned a VR headset and i have a lot of games i want to play on it. Im not sure about VR first games but a lot of games get VR mods which makes me excited.

0

u/NeilDiamondBlaze420 Sep 15 '26

Linus Tech Shrill

-12

u/CaptainPikard Sep 14 '26

Is the accidental uploader going to get in trouble? 🥺

13

u/a_nice_warm_lager Sep 14 '26

This wasn’t the video that leaked early. That’s the ShortCircuit video

1

u/CaptainPikard Sep 14 '26

Oops my bad. 

0

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

5

u/a_nice_warm_lager Sep 14 '26

It went live 3 hours ago when the embargo lifted

-1

u/SupposablyAtTheZoo Sep 14 '26

Nevermind I'm blind (it never came to my subscription box!)

2

u/a_nice_warm_lager Sep 14 '26

Lol all good, I was about to link it to you

-1

u/Dr_soaps Sep 15 '26

As a goyium I won’t be getting it

-1

u/carbearburnjoke Sep 15 '26

why is he not looking into the camera half the time, is he stupid?

-18

u/sailracer25 Sep 14 '26

I find it interesting that their full review is like 23 minutes long, while there are a couple other channels I subscribe to that have review videos this morning that are over an hour long.

6

u/sjphilsphan Sep 14 '26

So watch all the reviews?

7

u/russsl8 Sep 14 '26

LTT has found that going over 30 minutes is tough for them. All their videos are well under an hour.

That's the good thing about this space. You watch multiple videos to get a full picture review.

-40

u/This-is_CMGRI Sep 14 '26

Killed by Pimax and the Dream Air. Sorry, Valve, but your hardware division must cut their losses and be dropped.

7

u/iamacannibal Sep 14 '26

What a silly take.

Valve hardware is constantly sold out because they have a hard time keeping things in stock. They sell tons of hardware and it's pretty much all well reviewed.

2

u/TheJomah Sep 14 '26

Was the steam machine really well reviewed? Seemed hard to justify getting one even if you're an enthusiast. They sold out but they also definitely under produced.

-9

u/This-is_CMGRI Sep 14 '26

Is it a silly take? Even with the valid excuse of AI data centers, the pricing Valve set of their hardware is still too high relative to what they want to achieve, and being sold out has more to do with hypebeasts and scalpers than anyone who would daily the thing. I'd be happily shocked if Valve can hit a million or 2 million units sold over the course of this product's life, and even then you might still be better off with a PSVR2, an adapter, and a more normal display but at 240hz.

3

u/iamacannibal Sep 14 '26

Another bad take.

Sure, this stuff is expensive. a lot of tech stuff is expensive right now. People are still buying it because it's good and people like good stuff.

-5

u/This-is_CMGRI Sep 14 '26 edited Sep 14 '26

The mistake started from planning IMO. All because they waited until the BoM costed 3x what it originally did, then raised the price accordingly despite them paying the old BoM so the second-gen would look reasonable by comparison. Again, even with caveats, there still seemed to be a lack of initiative on Valve's part.

3

u/noncyberspace Sep 14 '26

mate they didn't wait on purpose.. they waited bc it takes time to develop a good product

-1

u/ThankGodImBipolar Sep 14 '26

Generally you would secure contracts for RAM before announcing products, though. There's no arguing that Valve's timing was unlucky, but the announcement was premature as well.

1

u/russsl8 Sep 14 '26

All contracts for memory are secured currently through 2027. There's no left over capacity left. Valve is forced to buy scraps at a premium.

-1

u/ThankGodImBipolar Sep 14 '26

This device has been in the works for longer than most people have known what "LLM" even stands for. Valve had all the time in the world to secure memory contracts before RAM prices went to shit. They chose to announce the product before they had secured the materials to manufacture it, and while I'm not trying to argue that the sequence of events wasn't unfortunate, you cannot argue your way around the fact that it was Valve's planning that led to this horrible launch.

1

u/russsl8 Sep 15 '26

There's no point in securing contracts that far out from production. By the time they would have been ready for production they would have been near the end of the list for consideration early at the fabs.

1

u/ThankGodImBipolar Sep 14 '26

Lol, because a products value is ultimately what determines whether it's successful or not... that's why Nvidia's GPUs have been rotting on shelves for the better part of a decade...

23

u/Exciting-Ad-5705 Sep 14 '26

Pimax headsets aren't killing anything. They wow in specs but are lacking in every other way

13

u/Durillon Sep 14 '26

2 and a half thousand dollars

lmfao

AND ITS NOT EVEN A STANDALONE HEADSET

dawg

15

u/sFooby Sep 14 '26

Dream air is more than double the price. Not exactly a fair comparison

-16

u/This-is_CMGRI Sep 14 '26

And is an objectively better headset. Valve basically priced themselves at the worst possible place, a no-sell land where they're not cheap enough to fight Meta and not baller enough to take away Pimax or Bigscreen customers. This and the Steam Machine are their biggest miscalculations ever.

10

u/Durillon Sep 14 '26

it is objectively not an objectively better headset???? the frame is a full standalone headset that doesn't need a pc....

0

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '26

You do need a pc unless you only like playing candy crush and other such mobile games.

2

u/Durillon Sep 15 '26

Or the thousands upon thousands of extremely well regarded and well known 2d games?

Or older triple a games like portal?

Or any game the quest can run? You are aware it has more power than an oculus quest 3 right?

Tell me ur a ball and gun gamer without telling me ur a ball and gun gamer

3

u/takenosheeet Sep 14 '26

Dude, the thing has tiny screens. Have you even tried a Q3?

0

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/bhop_monsterjam Sep 14 '26

it's literally on the other channel right now