Steam Frame: A New Way to Play Games

Valve has introduced the Steam Frame, a new VR headset that is both simple and complex. Unlike the Valve Index, it does not have fancy finger-tracking controllers but instead uses a more conventional gamepad layout. The goal of the Steam Frame is to allow users to play a wide range of VR and non-VR games directly from the device's onboard storage. The Steam Frame uses an ARM-based Snapdragon chip, which presents both challenges and opportunities. One of the main challenges is that Android games are built for ARM hardware, while PC games are typically designed for x86 architecture. To address this, Valve is incorporating FEX, an x86-to-ARM emulator, into SteamOS. This will allow the Steam Frame to run PC games as well as Android VR games. Valve has also announced plans to allow Android VR titles to be published on Steam, opening up new possibilities for gamers. The company is focused on making the gaming experience seamless and accessible, with the Steam Frame offering a familiar interface and a wide range of games. Valve is also sending Steam Frame dev kits to game developers to help identify compatibility issues. This is similar to the strategy used before and after the launch of the Steam Deck. The company is intentionally focusing on the core gaming experience and has not made the Steam Frame ready for mixed reality, although it can handle it with the right hardware additions. The Steam Frame is an open platform, allowing users to load whatever software they want. This is in line with Valve's philosophy of providing an open and accessible gaming experience.