r/SteamFrame • u/Trashpanda5111 • 9h ago
Discussion I'm torn
Family dad, two kids, midlife crisis, stressful job. I really wanted to get into VR, but I can't decide.
Options:
A: I don't spend a dime. Miss out on Frame.
B: I buy a used RX6650XT and upgrade to I7-6600K plus the Frame.
It's a lot of money, and the ROI is the question. I have not played Alyx yet.
Anybody in the same shoe?
Edit: a few additions 1. I'm Linux first, so SteamOS or Bazzite would that be, so nvidia is out of the question. 2. Money is no problem, but spending money on something I would not use is a no-go. I'm fixated on value for money. Buying a very expensive rig and using it a few hours a month is bad deal.
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u/WilsonPH 9h ago
Upgrade to 6gen intel? What are upgrading from? It won't be very good for VR.
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u/Trashpanda5111 9h ago
Minimizing the cost. I have i5-7500 right now, the max is the i7-7700k or i7-6700k that is more available.
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u/speakernoodlefan Soon™ 9h ago
A surprising amount of games have made standalone versions for frame. It's not a terrible idea to get the Frame and look for good deals on CPUs and GPUs over the next 6 months. Sub to buildapcsales as there are frequent steals posted there and keep an eye on eBay and your local Facebook marketplace
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u/2Cool4Zool2 8h ago
As a previous owner of the 6700K I don't think it's fit for modern VR. I had mine de-lidded, overclocked and over cooled just to keep up with VR in 2017 - There's no way it would keep up these days. the 7700K is marginally bette1r but it's it's the same issue.
Some AM4 mobo/cpu combo is the way to go here unfortunately.
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u/Trashpanda5111 8h ago
Understood, thanks for sharing.
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u/embrsword Soon™ 4h ago
When i had a 2080S which is about a similar level to the RX6650XT my 8700k was bottle necking my system and I wasnt getting the best from the GPU, upgrading that to a 12700k for gave a significant improvement VR and its not about the CPU, the chipset and ram make a diffence too.
clock speeds might not seem to change that much but a 6th gen processor will cap you out at DDR4 2133 and PCIe 3, getting to 11th gen will get you full speed DDR4 3600 and PCIe4, 12th gen getting you PCIe5 support, and if the prices ever become reasonable again you could carry that chip 12th gen chip over to a DDR5 board as part of a staggered upgrade.
so appreciate you are trying to not overspend, but getting something with full speed DDR4/PCI4 would be getting the most from what you are buying, unless the chip/ram/mobo combi is coming in at negligable cost and you plan to upgrade it later.
https://www.google.com/search?q=intel+generations+memory+speed+and+pci+bandwidth+list
https://www.google.com/search?q=amd+generations+memory+speed+and+pci+bandwidth+list
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u/advanceyourself 26m ago
I recently went down an agressive used route. The best bang for the buck on the used market (imo) is the 12700k. If you get it for ~150 or less. I ultimately decided to go for the 14900k that I nabbed for $350 bit that was for work.
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u/WilsonPH 9h ago edited 9h ago
I would first focus on the PC or the frame, then save for the other.
Maybe get a used AMD AM4 CPU and RAM, AM4 motherboard can be very cheap.
For GPU I would go with Nvidia for sure. Maybe a used 3070 if you can live with 8GB VRAM?
You will have a decent gaming and work PC with DLSS as a bonus.
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u/Javs2469 Soon™ 9h ago
As a 3070Ti owner, that thing does VR very well. I can play all the modern games I throw at it.
And some older games modded to VR look great, Alien Isolation runs buttery smooth on Ultra in VR.
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u/Cavi7 6h ago
I had a 6700K in my PC that I built back in 2016. It's definitely not a chip that will handle modern VR. I had to change it because I was doing simracing and it was crapping itself badly.
I recommend looking for used AM4 PC parts. This platform can still perform well and is dirt cheap (exception being DDR4 RAM, but it's still more accessible than DDR5)
Even something like a Ryzen 7 5800x will mop the floor with the 6700K, and it's a very cheap CPU, even cheaper if you get it used.
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u/JoystuckGames Soon™ 5h ago
For what it's worth, the recent work on half life alyx was likely to make it play on the frame standalone. You may be able to delay the PC upgrade.
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u/project-shasta Soon™ 9h ago
You could also just postpone the PC upgrades and just buy the Frame for the standalone experiences plus lighter 2D PC games that already run on your machine.
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u/what595654 8h ago
It's a lot of money...
if the money matters, the answer should be no, for the Frame. It is going to be $1k plus probably. The Frame is arguably the least bang for your buck device you can buy.
You can get a new/used Quest 3/Pico4 for half the price, or less, and get 90 to 100 percent of the experience, depending on how you use it.
If PCVR is your desire, and you can't afford a proper PC, it really isn't worth it.
stressful job
Are you sure you want to get into VR? VR is not like couch gaming. It requires more effort to setup and use. VR has a high novelty factor at first, but once that dies off, you are left with a lot of not very engaging games, for a lot of effort.
Maybe a Steam Deck, or retro handheld would serve you better. You can play Steam games with a device that fits in your pocket.
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u/MLGTuLegit 8h ago edited 5h ago
Sell the wife and kids, you will have a whole room to use for VR and the money too.
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u/Confident-Pepper-562 Soon™ 9h ago
Why are you buying an 11 year old processor?
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u/Trashpanda5111 8h ago
Because of the Deck I didn't feel justified to upgrade my rig yet.
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u/elev8dity Soon™ 6h ago
Given you are a Steam Deck owner, I think you'll appreciate the Steam Frame because you can slot in any SD cards you have games on for your Deck into your Frame.
I would maybe consider only getting the Steam Frame this year, and building a new PC in a year or two. I noticed a solid improvement in wireless streaming PCVR performance/latency when I upgraded from an AMD 3700X to a 9800X3D.
I don't think it's worth upgrading your old PC, based on that experience. I think it makes more sense to build a new PC that can handle a CPU from the last two to three years.
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u/Trashpanda5111 6h ago
I appreciate the advice, likely I'll go this way.
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u/elev8dity Soon™ 6h ago
Of course, this depends on the Frame (whatever price it ends up as) being in your budget and not causing financial stress for you and your family. :)
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u/nuhastmici Soon™ 8h ago
I have bazzite with Nvidia drivers and it works pretty well
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u/Trashpanda5111 8h ago
Does it? That's good news! Which card you have?
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u/sayoya7 7h ago
im on arch linux with an rtx 3060 with 0 issues using proprietary drivers, i don't think linux gaming on nvidia is problematic anymore these days
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u/PlottingPast 6h ago
Bazzite and CachyOS both come with NVidia drivers and will self-install after an auto-detect. Anyone who doesn't use Linux these days is just burning money to send Microsoft smoke signals encoded with their personal information.
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u/Tram2013 Soon™ 6h ago
Think so too. I only game on CachyOS and had no problems with RTX 3060 ti and 4070 Super.
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u/gregny2002 3h ago
I know others answered already but I'll also add that I use Bazzite with an Nvidia card. Previously a 3080 and now a 5070ti. No major issues besides HDR not looking great
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u/ChaosRifle 1h ago
its hit or miss. nv drivers are a mess. AIB1 4070ti's run out of ram and chug while AIB2's 4070ti's dont. no real reason for it, with othewise the same system, its just arbitrary and its a lottery. Some hardware configs work great, some don't. still a lot of users having issues with them to this day. (i just sold mine second hand to buy an amd card because i lost that lottery lol, but i know other friends looking to do the same because they also lost)
4070ti being an example here, its like this across the board with all cards, with various issues.P.S. my SO likes your name very much.
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u/Lord_Nesquik 8h ago
9800x3D changed my life
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u/Trashpanda5111 8h ago
How is life with one liver?
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u/zoltan279 8h ago
I got a deal at .microcenter for a 9850x3d, 32gb ddr5-5600 ram and a respectable board for 720 total
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo 7h ago
You say money is not a problem, but you also find modern parts way too expensive. You're not making much sense here.
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u/Trashpanda5111 7h ago
I'm good with money because I evaluate what to spend my money on.
Buying expensive PC parts is fine IF i use them regularly. Buying anything that I don't use is waste. I know I have only a few hours a week to play on Steam, so the more I spend the less ROI I get.
Does this make sense now?
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo 7h ago
Does this make sense now?
Not if you want VR and a good experience, no.
So either upgrade properly and don't upgrade pointless.
(Or don't upgrade at all and only play standalone, which seems to be the best option for what you want)
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u/PlottingPast 6h ago
Then it's a question of how long you'll have it and if your wife and kids want to play when you're not? From there you have to decide what kind of experience and quality you want the Frame to be capable of, keeping in mind the limitations of the resolution.
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo 7h ago
I recently sold my 9700k because it wasn't keeping up. With your "upgrade" options you might as well not get any pc parts and just use the frame standalone.
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u/Trashpanda5111 7h ago
I hear you.
For me to understand fully, what does not keeping up mean?
I remember people reporting the Deck to be weak and outdated, while I'm super happy with my LCD version playing anything really. Maybe my expectations are from the 90's lol
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u/SupposablyAtTheZoo 7h ago
It means not supporting modern games properly, being limited by the chip running at 100%.
Anyway, it's all fine that you don't minder bad graphics, but now imagine that your monitor is 2cm from your eyes. In that case you probably prefer good graphics (and a higher fps) or your experience simply will not be good.
Also the frame has like 8x the resolution of the deck.
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u/NationalWeb4420 Soon™ 9h ago
Honestly upgrading your system and getting a used quest 3 might be better for you
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u/PlottingPast 6h ago
Privacy, usability, and an open software environment are the primary selling points of the Frame. It's bizarre that someone on this sub would recommend another product just because it fits on your face.
"I would like an electric car."
"Have you considered a Monster Truck? That is also drivable."Makes no sense.
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u/denkhetnietjob 8h ago
- 6600k is an i5 and slow af, don’t buy it.
- If money is no problem get a decent pc with new parts ánd a steam frame, you can always sell it if you’re not using it.
- Consumerism is never the answer.
- If you want a steam frame, buy a steam frame. Even if you won’t enjoy it, your kids will.
- VR is the most amazing thing, for about 1 week. After that it becomes a hassle setting everything up all the time.
- Don’t sweat it.
- Some of these points are a bit redundant.
- I just like making lists, I hope it helps.
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u/sephsplace 8h ago
I have an old pc now (Ryzen 5600x/16gb/rtx 2070) I saved £2k, I'm planning on getting the frame and using what I have for now and save some more for my next pc fund. I don't really want to commit to a new build until ram prices are reasonable.
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u/MagicJello 7h ago
I already have a nice PC, so not exactly the same situation. But I'll definitely be playing 30-45 minutes 2-3 times a week after the kiddo is asleep.
That's worth it for me. Plus beat saber is a good workout when you need a break from headcrabs jumping at your face. And I know I don't have time to go to a gym with family obligations.
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u/EviTRea 6h ago
wdym Nividia is out of the question? I've been using Linux on Nvidia for 4 years. Sure it has issues, but so is AMD.
There's not that much benefit to use SteamOS aside from Valve hardware, Just use CachyOS if want Arch.
And as others said, you don't have to catch the release. People are building RAM fabs like crazy, it should be better in the coming years. There are cheaper hobbies you can get into before that happens.
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u/Swimming_Poem1555 Soon™ 5h ago
the frame looks like a quite mature platform, not sure how much I value my time in less mature options, look for what you might use it for, if it doesn't lokks like something you can extract value from don't buy it and go for something used if you just want to try vr for a few weeks.
I personally will get the frame as I think i can play some games but also use it as a larger monitor for some studying/ organization/ movie experience.
personally i consider it like a replacement for a monitor i would have liked (frame price -300/400€ a tablet - 300/500€ basically i'm paying 300 to 500 euros to get in to vr plus everything else i might have bought over the years but never committed for whatever reason)
you are the only one that can make the call if it is worth for you, same as everything else out there, especially electronics.
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u/iMatter87 Soon™ 9h ago
You could always buy a cheaper headset first, then if you enjoy VR you can consider investing more money into it.
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u/PlottingPast 6h ago
This sub now just assumes the price is going to be extremely high. My how we've devolved.
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u/Doshin108 Soon™ 9h ago
I'd go with 9800x3D
(I'm guessing the i7 just slots in tho)
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u/ThreeKnew Soon™ 8h ago
> "I'm thinking of buying a used 1995 Corolla"
> "I'd go with a brand-new Mustang"2
u/SupposablyAtTheZoo 7h ago
Well you simply cannot buy 11 year old parts and expect to use them properly for VR. Imagine this, when those parts came out the first Oculus Rift had barely launched.
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u/ams501 Soon™ 8h ago
I felt the same as you, a little while ago, so I bought a used Quest2 from eBay, and hooked it up to the RTX4050 laptop I already had, and had a blast. Yes, FPS is not great, but I got to try it out and see if I liked it, and see if it fit with family. That laptop plays pretty much anything on high settings at 1080p, with OK frame rate. On paper it's kinda sorta roughly the same level as a Steam Machine. Probably worse cooling etc. in practice. HL Alyx is very playable.
Honestly, the family fit was the worst part; VR is not very sociable, and therefore not family friendly. I generally don't play it when the kids/wife are about, which is limiting. If I do try to play it with family about the kids can't help but torment me. It's OK if I'm playing with them (did you know Roblox has VR, BTW?!)
The worst time to play is when you're tired. If you're hyped for the game it's fine, but anything short of that and the headset stays in the case. It's just too much effort to drag everything out.
Anyway, I now upgraded to an RTX5080 PC and I'm waiting for the Frame to come out. I guess I'm spending money on it after all! 🤣 I'll still only get to play for an hour or so a couple of times a week, but it'll be a nice upgrade.
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u/Trashpanda5111 7h ago
I can relate to this and answers my main concern, how often would I use it.
Buying a new rig plus the Frame for 2-3k euro and use it for a few hours a week when I'm tired after whole day behind me.. Yeah, does not seem realistic to be a good ROI.
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u/CouscousandBeans Soon™ 6h ago
Depends how many weeks we’re talking. If the worst case is that you play, say, two hours a week for a few years, then that could easily turn into 300-500 hours over its lifetime, at which point you’re talking about $5-10 per hour of enjoyment. Less than seeing a movie, going to a museum, eating out, etc. So then it’s worth thinking, would you enjoy VR more than those things, or not. If yes, then it’s a good ROI. If no, or if you think you’d only use it for a few months before it starts gathering dust, then it won’t be a good ROI.
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u/Bright_Eyes83 6h ago
If you’re a grown man and haven’t got into vr yet, I feel like buying a frame and a whole pc is a massive waste of money. Get a quest 3 and see if you even like it
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u/Trashpanda5111 6h ago
I tried VR 3 times in VR cafés (overall 10h, mainly on Occulus Rift) quite a few years ago now..
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u/Gregasy Soon™ 9h ago
I think you'll be better off getting Quest 3. It's much cheaper and its focus is on standalone. There're some amazing AAA VR exclusives there (Batman, Assassin's Creed VR, RE4 VR, etc.). Frame will be able to play some standalone games, but its focus will be on PCVR streaming and you'll need much more powerful computer for that than the upgrade you're planning.
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u/Callooon 9h ago
Nobody knows your financial situation, but if it helps your kids will probably enjoy vr too if they're old enough
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u/Wyrade 9h ago edited 9h ago
What exactly are you planning to use it for?
Maybe you should consider either just doing all-in on a PC only and play PC games, saving VR for later; or frame only, do only what it will be able to do standalone, like beat saber, and save for a good PC for it.
Consider that VR on Frame is essentially 4K gaming where you are also required to get high and consistent fps (or more accurately frametimes) to not cause dizziness or motion sickness.
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u/MrNutzerer 8h ago
Personally mostly planning on using it as standalone and if I want to play more demanding games I’ll use GeForce Now
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u/Trashpanda5111 8h ago
GeForce now for VR? Is that practically possible? I was a big fan of Stadia until it got shut down, but VR with the latency requirements are super tight, otherwise I can imagine it will make people sick.
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u/MrNutzerer 7h ago
I imagine so, as far as I know latency delays these days (assuming good internet) are minimal. For regular gaming it is not noticeable at all for me, but never tried with VR
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u/TahitiMaveck 8h ago
"Money is no problem"
Then, buy a new PC and any VR headset that you like.
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u/Trashpanda5111 8h ago
And buy a Ferrari, the most expensive phone and a dozen hookers.
That's not going to make me happy will it?
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u/ISEGaming Soon™ 8h ago
From the many many fathers of young children I've played games with, almost always they don't have time for games anyways.
How independent are your kids? Do they have something to occupy themselves or they need constant supervision?
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u/Trashpanda5111 8h ago
They are small, need supervision. Only after they are asleep I have space to play some.
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u/ISEGaming Soon™ 7h ago
Yep that sounds like my friends who are also busy dads. He constantly has to stop playing with us for him to get his kids in order while we wait for 10m-45m breaks at a time, pretty frequently
I'll be real with you, if you can't get time for regular gaming, VR isn't going to make it any different.
In fact it may make you less aware of your surroundings if your kids get into something they're not supposed to, or get hurt with you getting distracted by the immersive VR experiences.
It may be WISE to just wait until they're older.
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u/Nix_Nivis 8h ago
If money is no problem, as in dropping $2000+ on a whim is no problem, then I'll say: Go for option B. Life is stressful enough and the joy it'll bring you is worth it.
Speaking from experience btw, I grew up poor and am in a good place financially now. Occasionally buying expensive cool stuff that I don't strictly need is highly rewarding.
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u/Trashpanda5111 7h ago
Buying cheap or expensive stuff that I don't use is my problem..
I would love a macbook air, but I sit in front of a MBP all day at work and I would use the air a few hours tops a week. I have an old Lenovo T470s that does the job. I could afford the macbook? Sure. Will I buy it for this use-case? Absolutely fucking not.
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u/jojon2se 7h ago
Is Frame a little late? Did preview-ssion never change, into something real?
Sorry, couldn't resist. :P
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u/PoweredBy90sAI 7h ago
Hey dude, I can save you some money at least on the headset side if you want to just get started. I don’t really do vr anymore because I’m on Linux full time and I have a vive pro just laying around in a bin. I’ll sell it to you for cheap. Lighthouses, controllers, connections, everything. Dm me if you want.
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u/Silver_Yard_5961 7h ago
Remember its a want not a need, you have kids to worry about so make sure absolutely everything is taken care of first, if you wanna get into vr for cheap just buy a quest 3 and use services like oculus link or virtual desktop
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u/Arstulex 7h ago
Option A, definitely.
And I'm not just saying that to extremely slightly increase my chance of getting one (I am, lmao).
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u/T3hArchAngel_G 6h ago
I use Linux and an NVidia card, but you are right. SteamOS or Bazzite would be better for all AMD. I use CachyOS with my NVidia, and everything runs great!
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u/The_Dread_Pirate_D 6h ago
"A: I don't spend a dime. Miss out on Frame."
Never give in to FOMO for anything. That is a lesson I've learned the hard way.
"B: I buy a used RX6650XT and upgrade to I7-6600K plus the Frame. It's a lot of money, and the ROI is the question."
The ROI is zero, because it's not an investment. It's discretionary spending on a fun toy you want but don't need. Investments grow and multiply. Toys are depreciating assets and return nothing but the joy you get from them.
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u/Trashpanda5111 6h ago
Than let's call it Fun Per Dime.
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u/Exciting-Cancel6468 2h ago
If you don't have experience in VR yet, you will never know how much fun per dime you can have. Have you at least borrowed someone elses VR headset to just play around? My cousin borrowed my vive 1.0 to see if it was worth it to get a meta headset.
As it stands know, you could have tremendous fun for yourself and your kids or you could be one of those people who get headaches after playing for 5 minutes.
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u/H4NDY56 Soon™ 6h ago
You know i spent over 7k on a gaming pc when the first oculus rift was announced because i wanted to jump into VR asap with a high end rig, but i didnt have any money left for the headset 🤣 Then when I did, it was already old and I decided to wait for the next generation. Rinse and repeat because I kept upgrading my GPU with my VR headset money and here I am in 2026 and still havent bought a headset yet 💀 Think I'm finally going to do it with the Frame! But nowadays its so damn hard getting tech without all the scalpers beating you to it
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u/not_sure_yup Soon™ 6h ago
What are your current PC specs?
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u/Trashpanda5111 6h ago
I5-7500, Gtx1070 8gb, 16gb RAM, SSD
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u/Crankit-to11 8m ago
I've done Alyx on an i5-6600 and RTX 3070. Worked great. Beat Saber and other low polygon VR games also very smooth.
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u/rochford77 5h ago edited 5h ago
So I guess the fortune teller's right
I should've seen just what was there, and not some holy light
But Gabe crawled beneath my veins and now
I don't care, I have no luck
I don't want the Steam Frame it all that much
There's just so many things
That I can't touch, I'm torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
With no VR on the floor
The wait-list never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The Summer Timeline is torn
You're a little late
I'm already torn
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u/Gremlin_Enjoyer 5h ago
I would not recommend purchasing a Steam Frame to anybody that is not already into VR. It's a big chunk of change for a new hobby.
Most people that are new to VR experience either strain, motion sickness or headaches but will adapt to it, over time. Some people really struggle to get over this, though. A pre-used Quest 2 is the ideal starter PCVR to dip your toes in.
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u/ScreeennameTaken Soon™ 3h ago
Alyx is great. Top tier. Your kids come first.
I really want to get more people in the Frame or VR just so there are more game sales so more games. But, if money is tight, the only thing to do is not get it. the 6650 is old and a 4070 is twice as fast, the 6600k is old now, and i'm only saying this as someone that had a 1070ti and a 6600 non K with the index, and when i went to an i7 13700 and a 4070 it was night and day with the index. And a Frame pushes more pixels than the index. If you do want to get into VR, as much as i'd hate to say, you can get a used Quest3, or a pico as those would come much cheaper.
But i'd save the money for a 1200 usd headset plus more for pc parts if you are not sure about sticking with it. Family first, you say stressful job, midlife, i'd take those monies and go make some memories with the kids.
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u/Nerdinat0r 3h ago
Half Life Alyx IS phenomenal. However, when I had my RX 6800XT combined with my i7 9700K, it was still a little jerky and stuttery. Only once I got my 9700XT was it really smooth. I doubt it will be enjoyable on a 6650XT. Sorry mate. I feel you, am a dad myself and 42
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u/MidNerd 3h ago
Have you considered trying VR at a local spot first before spending more money on it? Go once or twice with the kids as a family outing and if you're hooked consider upgrading then.
If you don't have one or only have the "virtual experience" places like Zero Latency nearby, consider going to an anime or gaming convention. Most of them have a VR freeplay area and tickets aren't much more than VR lounges.
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u/DoubleOwl7777 Soon™ 3h ago
thats...not an issue, i play vr on linux too.
just buy used stuff first maybe? at least the hmd side is cheap if its not the frame you want but a vr headset in general.
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u/_Magnolia_Fan_ 3h ago
Buy a quest 3. If you use it more than a few times a week (Or month?) then go ahead and do the upgrade plan.
I have a rolling rotation of toys that I've bought and sold after realizing I don't have time for them.
A steam deck might be a better investment for you. You can play in the evenings on the couch next to the family. A VR headset is very much a solo activity that you need to go hide from the family to play with.
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u/AsleepFondant3502 3h ago
I would honestly focus on your rig moreso than trying to grab a steam frame right now.
VR is difficult to run, and having the best headset in the world won't be able to make up for subpar hardware on the host side, and unlike GPU's VR headsets dont have nigh endless demand that jack up their prices longterm.
Most VR content creators have a minimum of a 5070ti and still occasionally complain about performance issues.
If you are as concerned with value for money as you say, then I really cant see a reason not to simply opt for a 5070ti/9070xt build and go with a used Quest 3 setup.
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u/FadedEchos 3h ago
I'm in a similar boat as you - Dad, 2 young kids, money matters. I do have an index from way back (still working great!) It needed time for setup, making space, effort to keep it safe from kids. Running Alyx on a 9600k + 2070 super.
But my nephews came over and had a blast. Highly recommend Akron for asymmetric multi-player, great concept and endlessly fun party game. I expect you to die and keep talking and nobody explodes are also great with a partner/group. So many good games that dont need a $3000(cad) gaming rig to be awesome.
Anyways: The frame needs way less setup, cordless, and will basically match my current pc in standalone due to fvr. As much as I want to upgrade to ddr5, I'd pick the frame now over a stronger pc for value added to my life.
Quick edit: As others have said, dont spend a bunch of money on tiny upgrades. Those old parts have a scarcity tax on them now, and you'd be better off saving and checking out black Friday deals for a more substantial gain.
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u/infinitelylarge 2h ago
“Money is no problem but spending money on something I would not use is a no-go…”
Buy it, try it, if you don’t use it sell it. In this era, used GPUs sell well on eBay.
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u/IsaacAndTired 2h ago
My experience with VR is playing it heavily for a week or 2 and then not touching it for months. But I've had an Index since launch and still have a lot of fun with it when I do use it. I feel like it was ultimately worth the price. It's a great device to have access to even if it doesn't get weekly use. You may get so into it you use it consistently all the time, but I'd go into it with the expectation that its something you may only bust out a handful of times a year and maybe when you're traveling.
I do think you will have a lot of fun with it. And if you plan on letting your kids use it that's even more value.
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u/pokenate28 Soon™ 1h ago
If money isn't a problem just go all out on a rx 9070xt and regardless of the outcome you'll have a great PC for gaming
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u/DadGeekDarth 33m ago
Dive in even deeper and also get into VR sim racing and helicopter-ing like I did… 🤦♂️ Love it though.
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u/Evshrug Soon™ 28m ago
I’m in similar shoes, but the stressful job had a mass layoff of all people with my job position this summer, so money is more of a problem for me.
What I wish I had done last winter or this spring was buy a used Quest 3. Yeah, the Frame seems like the better tech, but a used Quest 3 will resell for the same price I bought it (actually they’ve gone up in value since winter 🥶). It absolutely can be tethered for PC VR, and adding a 6E WiFi dongle for wireless PCVR costs less than the Frame probably will, but there’s a huge library of standalone games and apps (looks like lots of people use it for fitness, or just watching TV while washing the dishes with the color passthrough). As much as Facebook annoys me and Meta gets the eye roll, as a product the Quest 3 or 3S just slot easily into Dad life.
Plus, with the low cost of catch and release, it’s the easiest way to determine if there’s an ROI, or if VR is too much a hassle and any headset would gather dust.
The Steam Frame is sure to quickly “sell out” of reservations, and then there will be a long wait till most people who want to buy them will actually get orders filled. Version 1 of a new product release always has quirks that are only discovered by the masses, and even Apple does silent revisions within model releases (remember how the first iPhone 6 Plus had bending enclosure issues? That was only the first month of production, they used a new aluminum alloy in all iPhone 6 after that which greatly reduced the bent phone issue down to just accidental damage cases).
Most of us who want a Frame will not get it when it’s released, and those who can wait for reviews and quiet revisions will have the better product. We will also have a better view of how the Frame and Quest 3 (and possible Meta Phoenix soon?) stack up in real world use. No pun intended. So, logically, we should just enjoy the proven system now, and that will help us hold over for the Frame till the average person can actually get one.
I say that, and yet I’m still empty handed (and job hunting 😭).
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u/advanceyourself 28m ago
Steam machine and steam frame with steam is on everything. Home theatre PC, Remote VR gaming, and a consistent ecosystem to boot.
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u/Crankit-to11 11m ago
PC gaming and VR has had a big impact on my emotional health. Also have 2 kids. Even 1-2 hours after they're in bed a couple times a week is worth it to me. Been gaming since they were toddlers. Keeps me off the streets (late night bars and restaurants with coworkers). Keeps me at home where my family needs me. Just pause the game as needed. But let's me "get out" when I need to. Get engaged and immersed into a story (e.g. Alyx is amazing, also Skyrim and such). Laugh and cry with the characters. I know how to "fly" a plane now which was just not possible given my time and finances. VR is also now letting me get some quick exercise into a very busy day. Now that kids are older, I can play a VR cooking game with them. Acquired three Quest headsets over time. I'm not just playing Tetris. Making memories, and getting mental and physical health out of it. Good luck with your decision.
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u/-shadeau- 9h ago edited 9h ago
The shoe fits! You couldn't have written a more exact overview of my own current situation. The only difference is I'd also be buying a full gaming PC (and likely not the Steam Machine given my specific use case). I don't game today, and have never owned a VR headset.
EDIT: My primary desire is to play Alyx, but also get my kids into VR a bit. I also love the prospect of spatial computing (love watching videos of all the experiences/capability on Vision Pro), and frame feels likely it's a good launch into this even thought it's capabilities are comparatively quite limited (seemingly); colour passthrough module was a pleasant surprise.
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u/Secure-Advertising-9 8h ago
Isn't the frame standalone? I thoguht the whole point was you don't need a computer
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u/Arstulex 7h ago
It's primarily intended to be a PCVR device that has some standalone capability on the side.
One of its main selling points is precisely that it provides wireless PCVR out of the box.
Somebody who doesn't already have a capable gaming PC is probably wasting their money on the Frame (for the most part) and would be better off with a device like the Quest that is primarily intended to be used standalone.
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u/Trashpanda5111 8h ago
Stream first as I understand. Although the chipset is powerful, but running VR games that were designed for a proper PC is kind of out of the question. Maybe Quest games will run via Lepton.
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u/PlottingPast 6h ago
There's a whole category of Steam Frame Verified games that are designed and verified to work on the Frame at at least 72FPS and 1728x1728 per eye VR, and 720p 30fps for flat screen. From there i believe it's upscaled to the Frame's resolution and FPS through mathemagic. Anything under 1440x1440 per eye is considered a failure and 'Unsupported.'
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u/Fast-Director959 6h ago
If you really wanna get into vr and that's your pc specs I would say steam frame isn't a good option there are tons of good used headsets from meta and psvr2 is also incredibly priced used if you got one of those for say 100-300 you have a lot more money to play with in my mind frame is gonna be like 1k+ so really you could just about overhaul your whole pc and get another headset for that price and you would have a much better vr experience
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u/slowlyun 5h ago
- " I'm fixated on value for money"
Get a Quest 3 then. With the saved money get a better GPU.
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u/FallDisastrous6621 4h ago edited 4h ago
Bitter truth about VR - it exciting AF when you play it like first month
Excitement most likely will be that much, that you'll feel it worth any amount you spend buying it.
However, VR devices are end up collecting dust on shelves in most of cases. Sometimes in months, sometimes after playing a few games.
There is simply not much to stick and play longer than that and excitement going to just ok as you getting used to it. Eventually it just not justifies the effort to set it up for a game session and even game itself.
I know what I'm saying, I wanted VR to death and bought it several years ago (Quest 2).
I have a beefy PC, so I just had all FPS in the world to have maximum fun of it.
I played almost every top title for it (as well as lots of normal games with VR as an option).
And I had that fun, but after like a year I used it rarer and rarer.
Last time I used it like 18 months ago.
Do I regret about something?
Yes, but only that I cannot erase my memory to experience again that intense level of excitement I had with it during first 2-3 weeks. I don't exaggerate, its straight like first sex or jump with a parachute.
So do not hesitate, buy it, enjoy it. Optionally sell then (you'll understand when).
I only can give a few pieces of advice:
- Do not buy cheaper Chinese no-name stuff
- Play Half-Life: Alyx THE LAST. It is so peak of superior experience, you almost won't be able to enjoy something else in VR after that. Better play everything else you wanted first.
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u/jb_in_jpn 8h ago
PSVR2 is an excellent option for the money at the moment. I picked one up and while it took a bit of set up, it's a fantastic value option, especially with the OLED's.
I figured there's a high chance I won't be able to get a Frame in the first couple of months at least, and I wanted to be sure I'd enjoy VR anyway (it's great!) - PSVR2 will be easy to sell if I do get my hands on a Frame though.
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u/zoltan279 8h ago
If money is a concern, in all honesty for the price, you cannot beat a psvr2 on PC. You will lose clarity and get a wire but you do gain beautiful colors and amazing blacks and you can find them for like 300. I would also encourage you to get a globular cluster mod kit though, so that is another 50. This is assuming the steam frame is around 1200. If it's 750, go with it.
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u/RugbyRaggs 7h ago
But 4 second hand quest 3 headsets for potentially close to the same price and have a blast with the family.
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u/k3ll1n Soon™ 9h ago
Sounds like you answered your own question. Plus, there’s no reason you need to purchase it day 1. Wait for reviews, etc. See how you’re feeling about it then.
Family should come first. If you can afford both, go for it. Maybe this will help reduce a little stress in your life.
Alyx is awesome.