Why There's No New Game for the Steam Frame
When Valve announced the Steam Frame, Machine, and Controller back in November, there was this undercurrent of hope that the company would release some secret new game to complement its new hardware. And, now that the Steam Frame is here, completing this round of Valve hardware, it's clear that there is no new game coming to support it. Instead, Valve is supporting its new VR headset with…
Valve announced the Steam Frame, Machine, and Controller in November, sparking hope for a new game to complement the hardware. However, when the Steam Frame arrived, it became clear there was no new game to support it. Instead, the company is focusing on compatibility, launching the headset with Half-Life: Alyx, the original VR launch title for the Valve Index in 2019.
The pricey hardware, including advanced VR tech, makes it unlikely many will rush to buy it. Valve's focus on compatibility stems from the Steam Frame using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, commonly found in smartphones. Their priority was getting a broad range of games to work out of the box, not just one big title. While many 2D games run smoothly on ARM-based hardware, standalone VR games still face challenges.
Valve is actively working to optimize PCVR games designed for Windows to run on ARM, but the process is still underway. Despite some VR games showing progress, like Beat Saber, standalone VR performance is still a work in progress. The current situation seems to suggest that standalone VR might be better addressed by Meta Quest 3 instead.
Written by urgent.news from IGN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
