👀 Review units for the Steam Frame have reportedly been sent out
📅 Units were sent out as of yesterday, which could mean an announcement on price/release date in two weeks
🤔 The Steam Machine had a similar rumored window, which would make sense to apply for the Steam Frame
🤞 If Valve also announces the device before the end of meteorological summer (Sept 22), then it also fulfils its promise of delivering hardware in “summer” 2026
Review units of the Steam Frame have reportedly been sent out, suggesting that a release date and associated announcement might not be that far away.
Steam Hardware Updates on X posted a cryptic Tweet stating that “I can confirm that reviewers #### ### ##### ##### as of ###### 24” in response to user @GogoXR who’d talked about review units for the device.
People have already decoded the message from Steam Hardware Updates, working it out to be “I can confirm that reviewers have the Steam Frame as of August 24”
If review units have been sent out by Valve, it means the product is in the hands of press and influencers, with an embargo date looming.
With Steam’s previous hardware releases, it seems like it was following a two-week review window, and the product’s availability was officially announced alongside the first wave of reviews.
For reference, it had been reported that reviewers had the Steam Machine in hand in mid-June, with reviews and such going live ten days later.
If it’s the same here, then the Steam Frame’s pre-order and release date announcement could arrive within the next two weeks.
Steam Hardware Updates also posted that they expect the device to “officially launch in under 30 days” judging by the way that the USA refers to astronomical summer, which ends on September 22, rather than meteorological summer, which ends on August 31.
If Valve launches the Steam Frame by September 22, it will still mean the headset launches in summer 2026, as Valve had promised most recently.
All signs have pointed to an imminent launch for the headset for some time, especially as the headset recently cleared one of its final regulatory hurdles, suggesting a launch is very close otherwise.
Moreover, the Steam Frame has well over 50 verified games for the new ‘Great on Frame’ category Valve launched, including a wide range. We’ve also seen Steam Frame accessories appear on Amazon.
Up next: Steam Frame startup screen leaks as release date reveal draws closer
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.