First Look at Steam Frame Welcome Tour After Valve Confirms Summer Launch
▼ Summary
– Dataminers found references to the Steam Frame in the latest Steam Client Beta, and setup screens for the “Welcome Tour” have been shared online.
– The Welcome Tour is the initial setup for the Steam Frame, allowing users to pair the VR headset via a 6GHz wireless adapter or use it as a standalone device powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.
– The leaked graphics are incomplete, using placeholder text and still referring to the Frame by its old codename “Deckard.”
– Valve confirmed the Steam Frame is shipping this summer and expanded its Verified program to cover Steam Machine and Steam Frame.
– Valve uses the “Dashboard Frame” branding instead of “Windows,” and the headset’s price remains unknown amid concerns over rising component costs.
An early glimpse of the Steam Frame Welcome Tour has surfaced online, offering the clearest look yet at Valve’s upcoming VR headset ahead of its confirmed summer launch. Dataminers uncovered a trove of references to the device in the latest Steam Client Beta, just one day after Valve officially published Steam Machine and Steam Frame Verified requirements in new Steamworks documentation. Now, users have accessed the setup-style screens that will greet first-time owners.
The Welcome Tour is designed to appear when you power on a new Steam Frame for the first time. From there, users can immediately pair the headset with a computer using its 6GHz wireless adapter. Alternatively, you can skip this step entirely, as the Frame operates as a standalone device powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip,reportedly capable of running demanding titles like Half-Life: Alyx.
Brad Lynch, a well-known VR enthusiast and reliable source of datamined content, shared the Welcome Tour graphics on social media. The screenshots reveal an incomplete state, with placeholder ‘Lorem ipsum’ text still in place, and the device is still referred to by its old ‘Deckard’ codename. Even so, this marks another significant milestone toward launch, now officially pegged for this summer.
Valve confirmed the timeline in a Steam Community post: “Today we are expanding the Verified program to include Steam Machine and Steam Frame, both of which are shipping this summer. As with Steam Deck Verified, the goal is to help customers understand the out-of-box experience for a given title on these new devices, and how smoothly a game will run with no user work or configuration required.”
One telling detail: Valve is sticking with Frame branding throughout the interface. Instead of labeling different sections as ‘Windows’,as many might expect,the company uses the term ‘Dashboard Frame’ to maintain consistency.
Everything appears to be falling into place, but the biggest unknown remains price. Current forecasts look uncertain, especially after Valve was forced to raise the cost of its Steam Deck handheld due to rising memory and storage costs. With the summer window now locked in, all eyes are on what Valve will charge for its next-generation VR hardware.
(Source: Pcguide.com)
