Valve has already committed to the Steam Frame launch sometime this summer, and a fresh clue has just appeared. Portal 2 just got given its Steam Frame compatibility rating, which shows the classic Valve puzzler is rated as Playable.
This rating is surprising, as Portal 2 has long been a favorite for VR gamers. However, Valve cites the game’s lack of support for the Steam Frame’s native resolution as the main reason for it only getting a Playable rating.
Regarding the rest of the game, Valve notes that it does support the headset’s default controller configuration, handles Steam Frame controller icons properly, has default graphics settings that perform well, and has readable interface text. In other words, the game runs perfectly well, but you won’t be able to play at the full resolution of the headset.
As to that resolution, the Steam Frame is a big step up in resolution from the Valve Index. That headset came with a 1,440 × 1,600 resolution display for each eye, while the Steam Frame jumps up to 2,160 × 2,160.
The new headset also adds standalone gaming capabilities, so you can use the headset either connected to a PC or on its own – in a similar vein to the Meta Quest 3, for instance. In contrast, the Valve Index could only be used when connected to a PC. It’s this standalone gaming ability that is being tested with the Steam Frame compatibility rating, with compatibility when connected to a PC, depending on the rest of your PCs hardware, which Valve can’t test.
These specs mean this headset isn’t set to become one of the best VR headsets for sheer image quality. However, it should be a big upgrade over the Index, and expectations are high that it will offer a smooth, easy-to-use experience, as gamers have become accustomed to with recent Valve hardware.
The new Steam Frame compatibility rating, meanwhile, works in just the same way as the Steam Deck compatibility rating and the newly-added Steam Machine rating. Valve will test each game with the devices and provide a rating of Unsupported, Playable, or Verified, where Unsupported means the game is effectively unplayable, perhaps due to a complete lack of support, an anti-cheat that is incompatible with SteamOS, or due to controls not working, for instance.
Meanwhile, Playable means just that: the game will work, but, as demonstrated above, some aspects of the game might not perform in an ideal manner. Finally, Verified is Valve’s official seal of approval that a game works perfectly well on the device.
Valve confirmed the Steam Frame release window a few weeks ago, confirming it would be arriving this summer. However, it hasn’t further clarified exactly when that will be. The Steam Machine just launched, around eight weeks after the Steam Controller, so a release towards the tail end of August seems likely, giving Valve a few weeks to allow the Steam Machine launch to pass before moving on to the Steam Frame.