Steam Frame gets its first compatible game – and it’s a classic from Valve
Another sign of progress?
🙌 Valve just certified Portal 2 as the first Steam Frame compatible game
👍 A compatibility report notes it should perform well on Steam Frame in its default configuration, and that it should work well with the controllers
🤷♂️ However, a caveat at the top of the report states that it doesn’t support the headset’s native display resolution
🤔 This could be an indication that a long-awaited official Portal 2 VR port is coming, or just more backend work from Valve as the Steam Frame nears a full release
The Steam Frame just got its first compatible game, and it’s a classic Valve title to boot.
As per insider @SadlyItsBradley on X, Portal 2 has become the first game to receive a Steam Frame compatibility rating as part of the device’s ability to play x86-based Windows games standalone on its ARM-based build on SteamOS.
An associated screenshot of Portal 2’s compatibility rating notes that “all functionality is accessible when using the default controller configuration”, and that the game “shows Steam Frame controller icons”. It also says that “in-game interface text is legible on Steam Frame” and that “this game’s default graphics configuration performs well on Steam Frame.”
However, the caveat at the top of the report notes that the game “doesn’t support Steam Frame’s native display resolution and may experience degraded performance” as a result.
Portal 2 hasn’t been natively available in VR ever, hence the caveat at the top of the report, but this could indicate that we might be getting a proper VR port of the classic title soon. It also just might mean you can play the game in 2D mode natively on the Steam Frame.
There has been an unofficial port of Portal 2 in VR floating around for years, plus the Aperture Hand Lab title released in 2019 is one of the only first-party Valve VR endeavors to take place in the Portal universe.
This kind of backend prep is further indication that the Steam Frame is coming soon. We’ve gotten a range of new details on Steam Frame in recent weeks besides this, such as new photos of the device and an array of backend updates Valve has done for the device, adding in icons for connectivity and an unboxing video, too.
The Steam Frame is anticipated to launch as soon as next month, according to @SadlyitsBradley, who noted a similar launch timeline to the Steam Machine. Rumors had pointed to launch news coming last week, although that seems to be wishful thinking at this point.
Alongside the release date, we also don’t know Steam Frame’s price. Our own predictions put it at between $899 and $999 for the base 256GB model, making it more expensive than an equivalent Meta Quest 3, but under the $1,000 mark Valve charged for the full-kit version of its previous Index VR headset, as it had originally pledged to do.
It might be slow progress, but it appears that the Steam Frame is coming, slowly but surely.
Up next: Steam Machine’s 4K gaming promise was too good to be true, and now Valve admits it
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.