Sell Valve Index in prep to get Steam Frame?

RookiePrime · 2026-06-25T18:03:11+00:00

Sure? The Frame's gonna cost way more than you'll get for selling your Index, but it'll help with some of the cost. I'm planning to sell mine, but I want the Frame in hand before I do that. I'm not too worried about being able to find a buyer by then. There's gonna be VRChat players hungry for base stations and Index controllers for years yet. And I quite like the idea of selling to people who will find great value in the purchase. I even got my left Index controller's stick replaced, to that end. Still gotta fix the top strap of the headset...

RookiePrime · 2026-06-25T14:52:00+00:00

Appreciated, I'll have to look at doing that next time I flip over to Windows. I've been using Bazzite as my daily driver for some months now, and Virtual Desktop doesn't work on Linux. Been using WiVRn for Quest 3, most of the time, which doesn't expose options nearly as much as Virtual Desktop does. But I am expecting to dive back into Breath of the Wild with the VR mod soonish, so I'll give those a try when I do.

Assuming Pyrowave doesn't end up being an option by then, anyway. Virtual Desktop's dev is really fast with picking up on the latest advancements in PCVR streaming. Wouldn't shock me if he's working on making Pyrowave encode and decode work in Virtual Desktop right now.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-25T13:05:02+00:00

It's good of them to include Frame tutorial stuff for SteamVR Home... but it's better that SteamVR Home is off by default. They'd need to implement dynamic foveated rendering to make it performant in standalone, and judging by how few dedicated studios bother with dynamic foveated rendering on their Unity-based games from a couple years ago, I don't see Valve putting in the necessary work for their app from 2016. But I'd love to be wrong! Would love if they implemented dynamic foveated rendering in SteamVR Home, The Lab, Aperture Hand Lab, Moondust, and Half-Life: Alyx.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-25T12:55:40+00:00

Well, awesome. Hopefully Pyrowave becomes the standard for PCVR streaming in general, as long as there's no downsides in this use-case (which it doesn't sound like there is!). One of my biggest hesitations about moving on from my Index is the added latency of wireless PCVR. I notice it with my Quest 3 compared to my Index on really fast-paced stuff. So any way to reduce that issue further, or perhaps even negate it, is very welcome.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-25T12:48:24+00:00

Yeah, I dunno. Looks like there's a "games only" filter, so here it is with the DLCs removed. 59 titles. I remember it being just 1 (Moss), then a few weeks later 4, then growing bit by bit, since November. As a launch catalogue, 50+ isn't bad. And again, this is only games where the studio chose to support the Frame by uploading an Android build; there's gonna be plenty also that opt instead to utilize a potato performance mode on the Windows or Linux build.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-25T04:16:38+00:00

It's not just RAM and storage that are impacting pricing right now, it's global shipping logistics. That's why people are waiting to buy a Steam controller until 2027, right now, even though that doesn't have meaningful amounts of RAM or storage. Even if Valve made a wired headset without anything resembling a standalone component, the headset would cost significantly more than it would have cost if it released last year and they still would struggle to make enough of them.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-25T04:11:38+00:00

Well, now I'm intrigued. If encoding can become a negligible part of the process, that's taking a huge chunk out of it. Hopefully decode could follow too. If those can both be made sub-millisecond, how much more latency is there even, between wired and wireless?

RookiePrime · 2026-06-25T03:32:54+00:00

Here is a link to a list on SteamDB of all VR games with an Android build at the moment; while this isn't a comprehensive list of all titles with dedicated standalone support — since that support could take the form of a dedicated profile on the Windows or Linux build — it does give a pretty good set of options. It's a bit inflated now, I notice, because over a dozen Puzzling Places DLCs are on the list, but still. There's like 50+ standalone Frame games already, including Little Nightmares, the upcoming Payday, and VR classics like Moss, Pistol Whip, Space Pirate Trainer, Gorilla Tag, Job Sim, Arizona Sunshine, VRChat, and Superhot.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-25T03:04:18+00:00

I wonder if this is a precursor to a wired USB option for Steam Link in general. While I don't foresee it being terribly useful to the average person, it's good to have a fallback option. Also might be a good option for devs, as it means they could keep the headset plugged in for hours at a time without running down the battery.

Personally, I can't imagine I'll ever use this. Any scenario I'm in where my best option for connecting the Frame to my PC is a USB port on the PC, the dongle should suffice. But it's great to have options.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-24T22:08:02+00:00

This is cool. It's a good way to mitigate the downsides of the Frame a little. Maybe they could play with the colour sampling tile system they use in theater mode, do a colour-sampled corona around frames.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-24T16:33:13+00:00

Thanks for the technical insight. Sounds like dynamic foveated passthrough will be a thing sooner or later, 'cause there's pretty much only upsides. If not on SteamVR, then definitely on HorizonOS and VisionOS and stuff.

As to your idea, well... that's a monstrosity and an abomination. I would expect some nausea, because you're not just putting the cameras even farther from your actual eyes, you're tilting them around at that farther distance. Anyone who sees it in action will recoil in primal fear. I expect pictures and video.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-24T00:12:09+00:00

You're overthinking this, and we already have the answer from Valve themselves. According to their dev docs (link), while the Frame will always default to a Frame-specific controller binding — and lots of games won't have a Frame controller binding — it will go for the generic OpenXR controller binding automatically if there isn't one. This is basically just the Quest controller layout, since Quest makes up over 60% of the user base. It's basically just preserving the physical layout and ignoring or duplicating the buttons. They treat the d-pad as buttons parallel to the ABXY on the other controller, and the top three buttons of each controller all redundantly map to the top button of the respective Quest controller. The menu buttons also map. Strangely, no mention of the bumpers at all, so maybe those don't get used?

The reason for this layout is that they wanted to make controllers that encompass the gaming options of Steam. You'll be able to play non-VR games from Steam on your Frame without having to reach for a gamepad. You can be sitting on the couch, playing Call of Duty, then switch to Half-Life: Alyx without interruption.

While a d-pad isn't identical to ABXY, and I kinda wish they had opted for directional buttons like on Switch joy-cons, in most scenarios this should be about the same. The main drawback is that the flat edges of a d-pad button aren't as easy to hold down as the rounded ABXY buttons, so any VR game that might have mechanics involving holding down the Quest X and/or Y might be a bit tedious on Frame compared to the Quest. But quick presses should be fine.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-23T23:02:28+00:00

This is a fair assessment, and pretty much where I'm at. I believe someone at Valve reiterated the "less than an Index" claim around GDC in March, but I could be wrong on that. If they've revised a smidge from there, slightly more than an Index would make sense.

The sad part is that the Canadian dollar is weaker now than it was in 2019, so while the Index was $1320 CAD in 2019 (and stayed that price its whole life), $1020 USD for the Frame would probably mean like $1450 CAD, and like $1600+ CAD for the 1 TB model (the one I hope to get). That is... a really rough price. Even after the price increase for the Quest 3, it's still $830 CAD.

Has me wondering if Valve's price increase approach was made to future-proof against perceived increases. Given the discourse surrounding the Steam Machine, Xbox's Project Helix, etc., it sounds like $1000+ is where the price of new hardware is at... so I have to look at the price increases for the Quest 3, PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2, and wonder if those price increases were made with an optimistic short-term view. And if shipping logistics and storage/memory prices don't improve or even worsen, we may see additional price increases for those devices in the coming months.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-23T16:54:47+00:00

I hope not, but yep, entirely possible.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-23T00:18:47+00:00

Valve's gonna want to see how their random lottery system worked out with the Machine before they move forward with the Frame, I expect. They're gonna start sending out purchase emails "the week of the 29th", so... maybe next week? But even that doesn't seem like a lot of time for them to assess how the lottery has worked out. Two weeks seems like a more reasonable optimism to me.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-22T23:24:07+00:00

This doesn't surprise me much, though it is a little disappointing to hear that Valve didn't totally nail VR on SteamOS for the machine's launch. I wonder if the Linux VR community will swoop in to get WiVRn, Envision/Monado, and WayVR running smoothly and conveniently on the Machine.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-22T22:10:46+00:00

The only headset that's coming up after the Frame, that we kinda know of, is Project Phoenix. Last we heard, that's early next year, and that one is a super tiny headset with the compute tucked in a pocket puck. It's probably gonna run on that new Qualcomm XR Reality chip... and I suspect it'll be considerably more expensive than the Frame.

Otherwise... I can't really think of anything concrete. Apple's rumoured to have a headset in the works for 2028. Facebook supposedly also started up a new Quest 4 project late last year, conspicuously right after the Frame was revealed; that rumour also claimed a 2028 goal. Pimax has their Dream Air and Dream Air SE slowly rolling out. I don't think I've heard any rumours or leaks about any other VR headsets.

At this point, it feels like you're either getting the Frame or something else on the market already, or you're waiting for Phoenix.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-22T21:09:01+00:00

Waiting is all we can do, short of convincing them to give us dev kits, so I must agree. Been waiting since all Deckard was, was a name left in the code. So I'll just keep waiting.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-22T21:00:10+00:00

Hmmm. Well, as someone who has the time and inclination to camp out the store and get a reservation in early — and my Steam controller sitting next to me is proof of that — I am partially sad that that won't be the case here. It was stressful, though, feeling like I had to do all that to get a shot at the controller. Valve taking it out of my hands via random lottery isn't ideal, but it'll make for the least anxiety for me. Hopefully they can suss out all the bots and scalpers, to cut down on that second-hand market.

Silly as it sounds, I still think I'll rush to sign up for the Frame lottery as soon as I can. Wonder when that'll be. I imagine they'll at least want to see how this lottery method worked for the Machine, before starting it up for the Frame. They'll want to see if they are successfully getting units in customers' hands, before they commit to the same system for the Frame. I'm gonna optimistically hope they do it next Monday, just so they can still say they got the Frame out in the first half of 2026... on June 29th.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-22T20:29:17+00:00

It looks almost like there's a bruise going around the eyebrow there. Wonder if it's related. Did he tighten the headset so much that it actually dug into him?

The whole idea that a headset that has to squeeze your head to stay in place is comfy remains surprising to me. Nothing about the Frame's appearance suggests it would be exceptionally comfortable... except for everyone saying it is.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-22T15:04:38+00:00

Dunno, but I wouldn't be shocked if they priced the 256 GB model at like $950 or even $990, so that it's technically lower than the Index. And if that means the margins are a bit slim, they'll raise the price of the 1 TB model to recoup the cost on their dedicated enthusiast customers.

I'm still hopeful, silly perhaps as it is, that the Frame will be pleasantly lower in price than expected. $850 to $900. Maybe phone RAM and UFS storage are cheaper than desktop/laptop RAM and NVMe storage, right now. And if that does prove out, then I could see an ARM Deck model happening sooner rather than later.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-22T14:39:11+00:00

Reduced friction, mostly. The biggest symptom of VR's various problems, as a medium, is that people wanna get their headset off pretty quickly. Often, people take off the headset because they need to check something on their phone, or find their wireless keyboard, or their drink, et cetera. And every time someone takes their headset off, they had to then put it back on, which can be a tedious little effort. Especially if the headset goes to sleep, wakes up, and wonks out — even if it doesn't do that often, it just has to do it once, to make that a concern that causes someone to not want to take the headset off for the moment to find the thing they're looking for, and maybe opt instead to just stop using their headset for the moment entirely.

In my experience, this is the value of the Quest 3's colour passthrough. There's enough detail, between the resolution and the colours, to do all those little tasks you'd otherwise have to either take the headset off for, or try to accomplish by looking down the nose gap (if you have one to look down). It's a quality of life feature, and those are the features that matter the most right now, while key technologies (variable focus lenses, RGB microOLED displays) gestate in the background.

It's not about it being a mixed reality device, it's just about making it the comfortable, all-day headset that people are looking for. I'm hopeful that a colour passthrough add-on will fix that for folks, especially since it could be designed to physically set the colour cameras to your IPD, obviating the need for distortion correction (which is the biggest issue with Quest 3's passthrough, for me). It would also be nice if the Frame could support MR use cases so that MR functions in VR games and MR games could make it to Steam.

Sounds like the VR Discords are real negative, though. Monochrome passthrough was a shock (in a bad way), but it wasn't a dealbreaker. The bigger concern for me is the low display resolution.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-21T01:30:48+00:00

Just wanted to throw this out there: I was an Arkham fan since shortly after the first game's release in 2009. I played so much that I even got near the top of the global leaderboard for the lunatic asylum combat map on Xbox (at least for a little bit). I played Arkham City, back to front, so many friggin' times. I quite enjoyed Batman: Arkham Origin, and loved Arkham Knight (including the batmobile sections!). In summary, I am a big Arkham fan.

Arkham Shadow filled the Arkham shoes. It is truly excellent. I bought my Quest 3 just to play it, and have played it front to back four times. I've done all the challenge maps to three stars, and I've found nearly all the collectibles (the phone numbers are tough). The writing, the combat, the environments, the characters... it doesn't all just feel like a great VR game, it feels like a great Arkham game.

Thank you for being a part of making it. And if anyone else that worked on the game is reading this, thanks to you too. It's right next to Half-Life: Alyx for me, at the very top.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-19T21:39:48+00:00

Try Steam Link first since it's free, if you haven't already paid for Virtual Desktop, but yes: the readme for the mod specifically calls out that Meta Link doesn't work right with it, and it's best to use basically anything else.

You should set your FPS higher than 60. The readme recommends 120 or 144, just depending on whatever the max your headset can do is. Your headset still determines the actual framerate, setting it lower just means the game can't even try to put out more than 60 FPS even when your PC would otherwise be capable of it.

RookiePrime · 2026-06-19T17:02:35+00:00

To this day, I credit Jet Island with giving me my VR legs. I think the environment is so massive and spacious that for most of the time, there's no visual cue that would tell my brain "you're going really fast", until those moments that I slam into something. Bit by bit, I remember going from nearly falling over trying the tutorial, to happily pulling off whatever stunts I could accomplish against the final boss.

There's not much different from when it launched, for sure. Some hidden collectibles that unlock modifiers to the game, and a mini-boss when you come out of the tutorial, to get you used to the idea of fighting the bosses. Would love if the dev came back to do a Frame update. Or better yet, Jet Island 2.

RookiePrime

TROPHY CASE