SteamOS Beta Update Has Folks Wondering If the Steam Frame Is Nearing Launch

Another day, another teaser that Valve’s highly anticipated wireless VR headset, the Steam Frame, could be nearing its release. Roughly two weeks ago, Valve released Lepton, its Android-to-Linux compatibility layer for SteamOS, alongside FEX, an x86-to-ARM 32-bit/64-bit translation emulator, which together provide key software for the Steam Frame. These key software components will allow the Steam Frame to play Android games without additional hardware. Now, a recent SteamOS beta update has added support for the Steam Frame’s wireless adapter, further suggesting that its launch could be on the horizon.

Aside from its launch date, the other big question on everyone’s mind who are waiting for the Steam Frame to arrive is its price. This wireless VR device is sure to be popular for those with a PC or Steam Machine, which has purposely been designed to work with the Steam Machine, but has also been designed for media consumption and can play games as a standalone device via SteamOS. However, it’s been long suspected that the ongoing memory/storage supply crisis has prevented Valve from releasing it as the company tries to figure out a pricing strategy that will not scare off potential customers, since the Steam Frame utilizes LPDDR5X memory, a premium-priced mobile solution. Well, regardless, it’s obvious that software support for the Steam Frame is progressing, and that is good news indeed.

SteamOS 3.8.25 Beta notes:

This update is for the SteamOS Beta and Preview channels, and includes new features that are still being tested. You can opt into this in Settings > System > System Update Channel.

Known Issues – Beta

• There is a known issue with degraded performance in some cases when composition is required (such as when having FSR enabled).This issue is fixed in the latest SteamOS stable release (3.8.16). Affected users may wish to switch to the stable update channel while we work on bringing this fix to the beta channel.

General

• Added support for waking up from the Steam Controller Wireless Adapter (2015)
• Improved battery indications when the device is charging in but using more power than the charger can provide
• Preliminary support for the Steam Frame Wireless Adapter
• Added support for Steam Controller (2026) to the built-in hid_steam controller driver, enabling use with native controller applications when Steam is not running
• Fixed an issue where hotplugging HDMI displays could cause lockups in Desktop Mode
• Fixed an issue where TVs supporting an HDMI “Game Mode” would display the initial boot logo before engaging said mode, causing unnecessary delay and flashing
• Fixed some cases of slow or stuck Wi-Fi connections with certain adapters
• Fixed an issue causing previous SteamOS updates to fail to apply for some users
• Security and stability fixes

Steam Machine Firmware 108

• Fixed an issue where the system could occasionally wake up immediately after going to sleep
• Fixed a rare issue where CPU performance could be degraded until reboot after waking up from sleep

Audio

• Fix for HDMI audio dropouts with some game and TV combinations
• Improve reliability of HDMI hotplug detection
• Add option to prefer lower latency audio codecs for Bluetooth devices

Non-Valve Devices

• Improve support for MSI Claw and OneXPlayer device variants
• Improve support for devices with external or no Wi-Fi adapters
• Fixed an infrequent bug where some 3rd party handhelds would have input ignored when held
• Added initial gamepad support for MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
• Added initial gamepad support for Konkr FIT
• Added initial gamepad support for AYANEO Pocket S2
• Updated gamepad support for OneXPlayer Apex with new firmware

Developer

• Updated the Linux kernel to 6.18.42

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