Steam Frame release date edges closer as new shipments of Valve’s headset arrive
Let's hope that means plenty of stock for launch
👀 Valve has just received yet another Steam Frame shipment into the US
📈 This takes the total number of shipments over recent weeks to 15
📦 It suggests Valve is preparing enough stock for a busy pre-order campaign
👍 It also recently certified more games for the headset and introduced a new category for Steam Frame titlesbra
Valve just can’t stop importing the Steam Frame into the US, suggesting it’s piling up stock for an immediate launch of the long-awaited VR headset.
As per Steam Hardware Updates on X, Valve received another ‘virtual reality headset’ shipment on July 8, taking the total number of Steam Frame shipments to 15.
The account’s post then notes that it points to Valve doing something “within the coming weeks” for the device, which would line up with what we’ve been expecting for some time now.
Valve has received a steady stream of shipments of the device in recent weeks, similar to the lead-up to both the Steam Controller and the Steam Machine launching. Clearly, Valve wants to ensure it has stock on hand ahead of the hotly anticipated Steam Frame pre-order reveal.
Valve has been undertaking a lot of prep work ahead of the device launching, such as the headset getting its first compatible game – Portal 2 – while in more recent days, Valve also certified its own first-party VR showcase games, Aperture Hand Lab and The Lab.
Valve also launched a new ‘Great on Frame’ games category on Steam specifically for games optimized and certified for the device, which is the first official front-end mention we’ve got of the device so far, suggesting something is afoot.
Recent weeks have also thrown up even more details ahead of the Steam Frame’s release, such as an unboxing video, a range of new photos of the device and extensive prep from Valve itself, including our first look at the headset’s first virtual environment that’ll be familiar to fans of the original Valve Index.
All of this suggests the Steam Frame could launch in the next few weeks, according to one insider, as the updates follow a similar pattern to when Valve was prepping the Steam Machine before its eventual launch a few weeks ago.
A further, perhaps more optimistic theory is that the Steam Frame could launch this week – specifically, it could even be announced today – as the Steam Summer Sale concluded yesterday, leaving Valve with a clear calendar.
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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.