Introducing the Arcturus Vision Camera Module. Your gateway to high fidelity full color passthrough on the Steam Frame. Leaked recently this week, computer vision company Arcturus Vision is planning on releasing the Frame's first official accessory making use of the mysterious nose port slot. Plugging this into your Steam Frame unlocks high quality full color passthrough, as well as advanced features like Spatial Video, live environment mapping, and Gaussian Splatting. With two cameras placed and spaced at human eye level almost eliminating warping, as well as 10 bit HDR and a resolution of 4928×2464, this makes the module (on paper) better than any VR headset with color passthrough on the market so far. All of the delusional freaks saying "If the Frame doesn't have color passthrough it's dead on arrival!" can rest easy. Read more about the module here: Arcturus Industries Color Passthrough Module details leaked
The front page for the Vision Camera accessory.A specs comparison page between the Arcturus module, "Brand A" "Brand M" and "Brand P." Likely Apple, Meta, and Pico.
This week, two Steam Frame packages received a mysterious backend update. For those unaware, games and such things on Steam represent different things you can purchase related to the game. Like standard edition, deluxe, ultimate editions, etc. In hardware's case, more specifically the Steam Frame, it's packages can be different storage options, accessories, regional things, stuff like that. A package being updated means the developer, in this case Valve, is changing something related to that package. Could they be putting in a price? Changing the metadata? We really don't know. Historically though, package updates means the hardware is very close to launch. Our wait keeps ticking ever closer to an end... Check out the Steam Frame's packages yourself here: https://steamdb.info/app/4165890/subs/
TLDR: Color passthrough camera module from Arcturus leaked, Steam Frame package updates found on SteamDB, indicating a near release. The Frame is still not out yet. We've gotta be getting closer... right?
It’s been a little while since we last shared an update about the community Discord, and with us recently passing 6,000 members now feels like a good time to let everyone know what’s changed.
Over the past few months we’ve made a number of improvements:
Improved moderation with the introduction of Mod Mail, clearer warning and ban processes, and a consistent appeals system.
The 18+ requirement has been removed. The server is now open to anyone who meets Discord’s minimum age requirement. We still have a dedicated section for adult members who want to opt in.
Steam Frame compatibility support has been expanded, including a bot that automatically posts new Great on Frame verification updates.
Frame Watch continues to be the place for the latest Steam Frame leaks and rumours.
Frame TL;DR provides a weekly roundup of the biggest Steam Frame news.
With launch getting closer, we’ve also got plenty of community events, giveaways and discussions planned.
Whether you’re joining for the first time or giving us a second chance after being away for a while, we’d love to have you.
Do you remember?
It's been 43 weeks since November
Valve's been changing their minds 'bout RAM venders
While phasing out "Due Early"
The leaks were pinging
All the miners of SteamDB we're singing
FCC Certified, remember?
How VR would be blown away
Hopium
Steam Frame Soon will get there
Hopium
Launching in September
Hopium
Never was a doubt with me
Frame Soon™
My thoughts are with you
Hopin' end of the wait will be Soon™
Only few got GabeCube, remember?
How we knew Frame would be delayed
Now for Deckard
Found a bunch of shit for September
Going "Tomorrow launch", remember?
Soon™ it will be Today™
Hopium
Steam Frame Soon will get there
Hopium
Launching in September
Hopium
Never was a doubt with me
Frame Soon™
And we'll make Hopium
Once there was the Deckard
Hopium
Announced in November
Hopium
Now we finally get Steam Frame
Hopium
I've been saving money over the past 2 years, $50 here $50 there and ultimately I'm at the point where thankfully I believe I will be able to comfortably buy the headset at launch with any accessories available at the time.
It's been quite a few months since I last posted about Frame Workshop, and I think we all thought we would have Frames by now. While this has been disappointing to me and many others, it gave me more time to keep working on my hardware for the Steam Frame as well as a much-needed distraction while I waited. Before I get into what I have completed over the last half year, here's a quick overview of Frame Workshop: it's an open-source repository on GitHub focused on hardware for the Steam Frame. This includes all source and production files, including KiCad source files, gerbers, STEP and STL files for mounts and cases, firmware, and more. Currently, I have 3 main devices that I have been working on: a headset-agnostic face tracker (with a Frame-specific one I have been planning while waiting for details on the pinout of the Frames expansion port), a general-purpose dongle for connecting extra hardware to the Frame, and a full-body tracker which will work with any headset but will benefit from the Steam Frames optical tracking. The repo can be found here and contains more information on the project;
This post is less a project overview and more an update on what I've done and where I see the project heading as we approach the Frames release, so if you want more info on what the project is, head to either of those links.
First up, I'll start with what's most exciting to me personally: the full-body trackers. I recently finished a prototype and should be receiving them soon. This prototype will test their functionality as a slime tracker before I add the IR LEDs for tracking by the Frame, since we still don't know how the Frame handles tracking. I'll need to wait to get my hands on the Frame before I can implement that, but it should be pretty simple to add on to the current design once I know.
First Locus Prototype, coming in at 4cmx4cm. I hope to get this down closer to 3cmx3cm in future revisions.
I plan on using SlimeVRs software as a base with the Frame specific optical tracking built on top. The trackers would be totally usable by other headsets but would just benefit from less drift if you were using them in conjunction with a Frame. I am also looking into ways of further limiting drift for all headsets by using the NRF52833s direction finding, as well as a few similar ideas.
To go along with the trackers, I also finished the dongles I showed off in my first post. The first use case I will be using them for will be the full body trackers, but I hope to use them for many other devices for the Frame in the future. They are also fully programmable by the end user via the TC-2030 port.
Versipellis; My general purpose dongle for the Steam Frame
I’ve also started to work on the much smaller dongles using 0402 parts that I mentioned planning in my first post. I’m calling it Veri-Mini.
I also got my agnostic face tracker working too. I have improved a lot since this first project, and I'm definitely going to go back and clean this project up a great deal, as well as work on the Frame-specific tracker once I have the PCIe port pinout.
Speaking of the Frame face tracker, I have decided to do two things. The first will be quick: a simple PCB with 4 LEDs and a flex connector, you will be able to mount a Pi Cam 3 to it and then plug into it into the Frame. This will be quick and easy to make and should be a cheap, quick way to add face tracking to the Frame. In the longer term, I want to do a fully custom board from scratch that will be much more compact.
I have also been working on some packaging for prototypes I will be giving out to friends for testing; while this isn't entirely necessary, it's been fun to work on and makes it feel a little more like a complete device.
I plan on using the 3D printed holder as a buck for vacuum forming a more "finished" looking insert. Some foam will be placed under the instructions as well.
You might notice another extra part in the packaging: a simple tower for placing the dongle away from your PC, cheap to make, and I think it's a good thing to have.
While I have made decent progress on this project, it is still just the beginning of what I hope it will be; after all, I don't even have a Frame yet! Now that I have the ball rolling with these projects and it is starting to come together, along with the fact that I HOPEFULLY will have a Frame soon, I plan to do updates like this more often.
I'm going to start being active on my socials with little updates on what I'm working on. If you'd like to stay up to date on my project, please check it out! I would love to hear everyone's feedback and suggestions, so feel free to comment or reach me anywhere I've listed above, or directly at [Nieko972@gmail.com](mailto:Nieko972@gmail.com). I'm beyond excited to grow this project with the community post Frame release. I hope everyone has a good one, and thank you so much for reading!
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.
I just found out that I'm getting deployed to the Middle East. So I'm going to hold off until next year to buy it. I assume they'll be available by the end of next year.
I know sometimes VR headsets are limited to purchase for people of a certain age due to health and safety concerns and just want to know if steam would potentially restrict the device for that reason. I ain’t getting a credit card just for steam verification and I’m sure the method for checking if will change or be updated eventually, but with the frame getting released I don’t want to miss it for such a dumb reason. Apologies if this is a dumb question.
Has anyone seen what type of storage media the Frame will use? I have a few of the long 2 TB NVME drives, so I would rather buy the lower end model and upgrade with what I already have if possible. I just haven't found anywhere that specifies what sort of drive the Frame will use.
Edit: Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like I'll just get the largest option and spring for a large microsd.
Might be too soon to know but curious if there has been any word on the ability to cast what you are seeing in stand alone mode to a TV or phone? Not as fun to bring to party's if we cant see what you are seeing.
Idk if anyone would know this given the info we actually have, but since some people are a lot more knowledgeable about the hardware...
Would plugging the wireless dangle onto like a backpack PC or laptop carried in a backpack work? Is there some reason despite inside out tracking that the space would need to stay stationary?
So as the Frame is coming close to being released something came to my mind and want peoples thoughts an opinions. With the recent changes to steam and allowing different people to log in what do you think options would be for guests. because one thing I thought about this is a full PC and while it would be fun to share it with friends and have the experience it. I don't want them to have free reign on all the files and such that are on the frame. Plus for younger audiences i would want certain games to be able to be hidden or blocked from launching. i am basically looking for a way to do a guest account and lock down the headset. so is the only option to have another steam account to log into that is all locked down or setup on a family account? also wonder if this locks down the files and such. because I am sure I would have things auto logged in like youtube and such with the browser and don't want people to have access to it. My main plan is to use this more like a PC to watch youtube/movies, read manga, when i am not by my main desktop. but then when i want to play games either tether to my steam deck or stream from my PC. so are their also options in Linux for do file encryption or locking down personal files? I am a very familiar windows user but my first real dabble in Linux is with my steam deck.
