Steam Frame release date speculation grows as huge shipment of Valve's VR headset arrives

Hopefully, there will be enough Steam Frame stock when the time comes

(Credit: Valve)

• 😲 Valve has just received a huge 1.6-tonne shipment of Steam Frame devices into its US warehouse

• 🏋️‍♂️ It’s one of the largest shipments of the device yet and continues the steady stream it has received in recent weeks

• 🤔 This could suggest Valve is getting ready for the hotly-anticipated pre-order by making sure it has enough stock

• 👍 Valve also recently added a new game to its new ‘Great on Frame’ Steam category as internal prep work continues ahead of the headset’s launch

Valve has just received one of its biggest Steam Frame shipments yet, suggesting a release date for the headset isn’t too far off.

As per Steam Hardware Updates on X, around 1,656kg (or 3,651lbs) of Steam Frame HMD and controller accessories have arrived at Valve’s US warehouse.

That’s one of the heftiest individual shipments Valve has received for the device, and marks one of the newest it’s gotten in recent times.

The X account has been keeping a close eye on the number of shipments Valve has gotten, with last week’s flurry taking the then total to 15 shipments of the Steam Frame.

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 to hand ahead of the hotly anticipated Steam Frame pre-order reveal.

In other Steam Frame news, Valve recently launched a new category for ‘Great on Frame’ games on Steam, after the headset got its first certified game – Portal 2 – and Valve certified its own VR showcase games for the headset with Aperture Hand Labs and The Lab.

Steam Hardware Updates has also noted that another new game has been added to the category, with Titan Isles being added.

This all points to a launch being very close, it would seem. On that note, the Steam Hardware Updates account has stated that they expect the wait between the Steam Machine’s release and Steam Frame’s announcement to be shorter than it was for the Steam Controller and the Steam Machine.

For reference, the gap between the Steam Controller announcement and the Steam Machine’s was 49 days (between May 4 and June 22).

Both this account and other insiders have indicated all the prep work being done suggests that the Steam Frame could launch in the next few weeks, as the updates follow a similar pattern to when Valve was prepping the Steam Machine before its launch a few weeks ago.

All we can do as things stand is keep waiting, and it seems like it won’t be too long before we know more officially about the Steam Frame.

Up next: Steam Machine’s ‘red line of death’ may have been greatly exaggerated

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.