I was trying to diagnose how on earth does this thing drain battery even when plugged in. It's in 5V mode, ffs. Temporarily fixed this by using my thinkpad charger, but I guess I need to get new a brick after all.

If anyone else has charging issues, I used Powersupply and Mission Center in the screenshot.

Hello!

In the troubleshooting post I mentioned I've been messing around with the Frames wireless streaming in order to improve the consistency of the experience.

I've now done some testing, and here are the results and some advice that can be gleamed from them.

1. Do not plug the dongle directly into your motherboard USB ports. It REALLY does not like the noisy RF of the motherboard. If possibly, use a USB extension cable to let it sit a bit away from the PC.

2. You may not need multi-link. In good conditions even a single 5GHz connection can suffice. If one of the multi-link connections is bad, it may make things worse.

3. Lowering target bitrate and foveated streaming resolution can help A LOT. It can can make a just barely stuttery connection, completely stable.

4. Lowering bitrate helps with latency (duh). On a good connection, you can get as low as 2ms. This will affect picture quality, but in some games it is not noticable.

5. If you can't set the dongle up in a way that works well, you may get better results using your existing wifi instead (even without a router).

Test 1

• Motherboard 6GHz connection
• Router 5GHz connection
• No problems. 5-8ms over router, 10-20ms over motherboard connection.

Test 2

• Host motherboard 5GHz connection
• Router 6GHz connection
• No problems. 4-8ms over router. 10-20ms over motherboard connection.

Test 3

• Dongle 5GHz connection (Motherboard USB)
• Router 6GHz connection
• Barely noticable stutter. 4-8ms over router. 10-300ms over dongle connection.

Test 4

• Dongle 6GHz connection (Motherboard USB)
• Router 5GHz connection
• Unplayable. 7-40ms over router. 10-300ms over dongle connection.

Test 5

• Router 6GHz only
• Perfect experience. 4-8ms.

Test 6

• Motherboard 5GHz only
• 10-15ms. Stuttery but playable. Becomes very nearly stutter free when target bitrate set to 50 and foveated streaming resolution slightly lowered.

Test 7

• Dongle 5GHz only (USB extension)

• 10-20ms. Very minor stutters but quite playable. Does not cope with higher bitrates or foveated streaming resolutions.

Test 8

• Dongle 6GHz only (USB extension)

• 5-10ms. Perfect at lower bitrates, but stutters when pushed higher.

How do I use something other than the dongle for the second connection?

Go to Remote Play settings on the frame, there, change connection management from "Steam" to "Custom". Set an SSID you like and note the password.

For the host PC, find and connect to this SSID. Steam Frame will now use this connection as if it is the "steam frame adapter".

How do I tweak streaming bitrate?

VR settings, Video, "open remote settings" then "Steam Link". You can also access this setting on the host system directly.

Here you can set a target bitrate as well as set a foveated streaming resolution.

Sorry for the poor title but in every 3D shooter I have it set so left trigger activates my gyro, this is to get precision movement while ADS. What I have right now is on a soft pull it activates gyro, and on full pull activates gyro and send the left trigger command. So no issue there.

What I want is if I hold soft pull to hipfire, it cannot send the full pull command, but full pull only sends on a quick pull. Basically the problem is I get tense or hold my controller odd and send a full pull which makes me aim down sights. I've tried the hipfire exclusive settings and a few others but I can't seem to get what I want. I tried a mode shift to activate on soft pull but I probably set up something wrong.

My band aid fix I've been using is L4 activates the gyro so I'm not out of luck if I can't get this going.Hopefully this makes sense I'm very tired rn

Hello, everyone!

We are proud to announce that a tiny patch version 0.10.10b is out on Flathub!

Depending on your app-store it might be a while until you see the correct text.

I think it would be cool to collaborate on a list of free VR apps (games, experiences, and other VR software) that we have tested to work well on frame and would recommend to others. Even older ones that have been around for a long time could still be fun for those of us who are newbies to VR. I'm going to try all the free apps I can and feel like while I'm starting out and getting the hang of it, before I start shelling out for paid ones. It would be useful to state whether it worked in standalone or streaming mode too. I'm mostly interested in standalone for now since my old gaming box has a fairly old and underpowered GPU.

Here are a couple to start with:

Standalone - Arcturus Vision Gaussian XR - cool technical demo.

Standalone - BoomXR - nice basic(?) rhythm exercise/boxing game. It worked perfectly for me and I enjoyed the game and the workout. I think that this will hold me over for a while until I get Beat Saber, Synth Riders, Thrill of The Fight 2, Dragon Fist, etc.

Which accessories are you all getting for your frame? It would be nice to compile a list of suggestions here. All the official accessories were sold out when I ordered my Frame, but I was OK with that. I have a laptop charger that I'm using to charge it, and the ergonomic kit doesn't seem really essential.

This is what I'm considering getting or already ordered (in the US):

Case I looked at a bunch of options but they seem either too expensive, too ugly, or have disappointing functional design. I think I'm going to go with a DSLR camera case instead because I think it would work just as well but look better and be more versatile. My plan is to put the headset by itself with a lens protector on one side of the camera bag divider, the controllers on the other side, and charger, cables, battery packs, etc., in an external pocket. I'm looking at this one in particular, which seems to be the a good size, price, and look for me, and is available from a nearby camera shop for the suggested price: https://www.kfconcept.com/KF13.179_5l-camera-sling-bag-urban-wander-05-black

Update: the case above worked like I expected. it's a snug fit for the headset standing on its end, but I think it's good.

Power Bank I'm looking at this one (INIU 10,000mah PD 45W), which is available from the local Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/product/iniu-portable-charger-markets-smallest-10000mah-pd-45w-power-bank-with-layout-usb-c-cable-for-iphone-samsung-pixel-etc-black/CZW8VCWVTF/sku/6670987

Cable to connect a battery in my back pocket with the Frame while I use it. Someone suggested a coiled cable, which I thought was a good idea. I found this one (Smallrig 5730) which is not only coiled but has one angled connector, on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/127902849864

Update: a couple of people in the discussion below have suggested not using a coiled cable because of weight and the coils possibly pulling at the battery pack. Try at your own risk or wait for confirmation of how well this works.

Lens Protector to protect the lens and screens from damage, not only from sunlight, but also from scratches, impact, etc. Found this one on eBay too (unfortunately shows out of stock right now, but you may find it or something similar elsewhere): https://www.ebay.com/itm/366526245964?var=636238931153

Can anyone think of anything else or have better suggestions in place of the items above?

Edit: I just added my country. It may be helpful if everyone making suggestions includes the country or at least continent to help others know if they may or may not find that item available to them.

Anyone here playing Step-On-It on the Steamdeck with bluetooth controllers in local multiplayer?

I cannot get the game to recognize both my controllers. I got an 8bitdo lite and an 8bitdo pro 2, they both work fine in tons of other games.

Step-on-it only recognizes the Steamcontroller (the deck itself) and the 8bitdo lite by name, I cannot select the 8bitdo pro 2 somehow, even though it is connected and working. The steamcontroller works fine when selected, just not practical when I want to use the deck docked.

I am running the linux native version, if that matters, happy to try the windows version if it can help. I have set controller order as 1) 8bitdo pro2, 2) 8bitdo lite, 3) steamcontroller.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/67647677

I have seen a lot of people argue you must use a 45W output power bank, probably because it's the charger output Valve recommends for continuous play.

I have yet to pass 30W during play (admittedly I play with 100℅ brightness, not 120%). It will charge at a miserably slow rate, but if I start a session at full battery, I also end the session with a full battery.

If you own a 30W power bank already, it is not some strict requirement to upgrade it for the frame, just make sure to use the right output port.

I ended up on the wait list from the lottery, but I received an email at 2am this morning that I'm now in the reservation queue. My Steam account also says the same. There may be hope for waitlisters after all!

I posted earlier about initial impressions and how VR streaming wasn't working on Fedora but I did finally get that working so I figured I'd post an update.

Last week I had installed some codecs that were recommended to me by a user in the other thread but that only got the "pancake" game streaming working. After installing all of the codecs for AMD here, the VR streaming started to work: https://rpmfusion.org/Howto/Multimedia?highlight=%28%5CbCategoryHowto%5Cb%29

I'm not sure what specific ones fixed it, but I switched to full ffmpeg, installed the additional codecs, and did everything in the "Hardware codecs with AMD" section. I've seen some other troubleshooting tips that say to add an ENV variable to the launcher, but I didn't have to do that.

After a reboot it worked without any problems (don't forget to pair the wifi dongle from the headset).

Non-VR game streaming is just about perfect. I didn't notice any lag when playing Hollow Knight: Silksong nor was there any stuttering. However, VR streaming still needs some work. I loaded up Half-Life: Alyx and successfully streamed to my headset, but it stuttered quite a bit and often dropped the video for a few seconds. When streaming from Windows on the same PC it worked much better but did still occasionally drop. My play area is in the same room as the PC so I doubt it's a distance thing.

You'll definitely want to use the SteamOS and SteamVR betas to try this, but it does feel like I'll be able to finally get rid of my Windows partition soon.

pretty interesting, even though I don't understand all of it ahah

My main concern with the Frame was the inside out controller tracking. I play Beat Saber at a very high level, and I've never been completely happy with my Index. I've been able to try all the Quests over the years but none of them impressed either.

But holy valve!

The Frame controllers track EXTREMELY WELL!! I feel like I finally got my original Rift back, and on LINUX!

So if you, like me, worried that the controllers would not perform in fast-paced games like Beat Saber, don't. I can't tell if they quite beat the original CV1 touch controllers, but it's close enough that I've finally stopped pining for the CV1.

I've been buying physical media and want to save digital copies for SD card. I had no issues with my CD for music but DVDs don't work.

I have an optical drive that I plug in and it works. VLC with libdvdcss installed through Discovery failed. I tried MakeMKV but it doesn't detect the optical drive.

I am in the Steam Machine 2026 reservation queue now. Please convince me NOT to buy one. I don't really have a gaming PC right now. I am hoping that the Steam Machine can replace my productivity laptop, so I can play modern games on it and also have better general performance for productivity apps.

My current gaming setup:

• Laptop with integrated Intel Iris XE graphics (only for productivity and limited 2D gaming)
• 1440p monitor
• Xbox series S
• Switch Lite
• Switch 2
• Logitech G Cloud
• GeForce Now performance subscription

I spend most of the time playing on handhelds (native/streaming), but occasionally on the computer monitor. Currently I stream from either GFN or the Xbox (remote play) to my Logitech G Cloud.

I have a huge backlog, and very limited time to play games due to busy life.

Other points to consider:

1. Xbox series S is too weak for some recent games, even at 1080p
2. I am not just going to use the Steam Machine with the monitor, I will mostly stream the Steam Machine to my Logitech G Cloud
3. I don't mind the Linux desktop environment, I actually prefer it over Windows
4. Gaming laptops are too hot and noisy
5. I don't want a large Windows PC, I like the steam machine form factor.
6. My Xbox series S is also used only for streaming to my Logitech G Cloud
7. GeForce Now has a limited library, there are many steam games I want that are not available on GFN
8. I've considered getting a Mac Mini, but the new one is too expensive.
9. I worry that GFN will raise their prices or put further limits. Or new games I want won't be available on GFN. I feel like with GFN, I own nothing and it is out of my control.
10. I love retro games and emulation (The Logitech G Cloud is too weak for PS2/Gamecube/PS3 emulation)
11. I have very good internet connectivity and good wifi 7.

Additionally:

• Gaming handhelds such as the Steamdeck and ROG Ally are too big and heavy.
• I want to be able to play upcoming games such as Fable and Elder's Scroll 6
• I do not need to play on the couch with TV
• I only play single player games, mostly RPGs
• I enjoy the cheaper game prices of Steam (vs Xbox/Nintendo)
• I don't need native Microsoft 365 apps, I am happy with Linux apps
• I don't trust most mini PC brands
• I am mostly a patient gamer, and often wait until at least 50% discount to buy games

My partner and I both signed up for a Steam Machine, and I for a Steam Frame. We got waitlisted for all 3, and in the last 24 hours we got into the queue for all of them. Time to decide which machine (2TB vs 512) to get, and if we actually want a Frame!

Pretty cool project, several people mentioned it in the recent Steam Controller thread.

Basically you buy a NRF52840 Pro Micro (I bought mine for $8USD), drop a firmware file on it, and you have a alternative wireless puck for the Steam Controller. By pressing button combinations you can switch it to act like a switch/xbox/ps controller letting the steam controller work on those platforms as well. The steam controller supports being paired with two pucks, you just hold R1+A+Steam for pairing one, and L1+A+Steam for pairing two (hold these buttons when turning the controller on).

It is recommended to add an enclosure to protect the chip, if you have a 3d printer there are a bunch of models available to print an enclosure.

Did anyone manage to find a setup to run Minecraft VR on the frame standalone ? Ideally with Prism Launcher (Even tough I know flatpak will have some limitations)

Plain Minecraft with Prism just work on the Frame btw, just the VR mod don't seems to be able to hook into SteamVR.

Would love to know if someone managed to play MCVR on the Frame standalone and how to get it working! :)

SOLVED : By using the AppImage version of Prims Launcher, then creating a new Fabric instance, then installing Vivecraft and Sodium manually, it works and launches without issues!

There is also the VR Ultimate modpack that works, however this one is still in 26.2 for now.

I got my Frame today and found an unlabeled button at the side. Took me a bit to find out what it does. It's actually a mouse button! When you click it once the cursor appears and from then on works like a mouse. Only trouble is that the cursor is right in the middle of the screen and you control it by moving your head.

Guess it's good in a pinch, when you don't have the controllers. Could be more useful if it used the eye tracking. Maybe with a later update.

I played around a bit, installing basically every VR game I have to see if it runs. Unfortunately none of them (or SteamVR itself) support lying on your back while playing. I'm disabled and basically can't leave my bed. I was hoping for some setting to reset the pitch when you reset the forward view.

While it does position 2d windows wherever you look, that isn't the case for the VR space itself. The floor is always downwards and not in the direction my chin is pointing. I think OVR Advanced Settings can give me that option. I just have to wait for them to add Steam Frame support, which is supposed to come with the next major version.

Still I was pleasantly surprised to see that many VR games just worked out of the box. At least the initial screens worked in Droid Works, 7th Guest, Spellbound Spire and I Am Cat.

What outright refused to run was Batman, The Lab and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

I also dabbled with the Linux port of MotherVR, the VR mod for Alien Isolation. For a moment it actually worked. Only trouble was that a second window with the game scene was showing over the VR view. But just positioning it outside of view kind of fixed that. In my quest to fix it probably I must have broken something because now I can't get the game to work at all.

And on the topic of Quest, I grabbed Minecraft VR from SideQuest. I could not find a GUI option to add non-Steam games. But on the command line it ships with the script steamos-add-to-steam. You just have to modify it to also accept files with the type application/vnd.android.package-archive. After it was added I selected Lepton as the compatibility layer and to my surprise it started. Only running Minecraft itself did not work, as it complained about some missing libraries. Seems like a solvable problem.

All in all I've still got a lot to tinker with. Maybe I can whip up a quick SteamVR plugin to solve my laying down problem. We'll see.