Key Highlights:
- A set of strange Steam updates has been released.
- The datamined notes seem to mention VR-specific additions.
- This could be a potential reveal for the Steam Frame device.
Valve managed to strike gold with its Steam Deck handheld gaming PC. The device offered a console like experience and modest specs against a very attractive price. The Steam Deck effectively broke the curse of Valve’s hardware division and became massively popular.
A ton of information has been unearthed since, including the likes of Fremont (a rumored gaming PC/console hybrid running SteamOS) and what could possibly be a new VR headset, the Steam Frame.
A recent update in Steam seems to suggest the same as well.
Steam Gets a New Subcategory in Latest Update
Valve created a new Steam Sub that comes with a small/interesting list of games.. I wonder if that’s a press package or something 🤷
— SadlyItsDadley (@SadlyItsBradley) September 18, 2025
Steam client also got updates to:
– Reporting Body Tracker usage to the hardware Survey
– The SteamVR Link Dongle
– RemotePlayTogether “Groups” pic.twitter.com/DoeOyxOPwW
As per X user SadlyItsDadley (@SadlyItsBradley), Valve recently created a new Steam subcategory (1419481) that had a rather intriguing selection of titles. The titles in question appear to be the following:
- Beat Saber
- Boomerang Fu
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Hades II
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- Path of Exile 2
- Portal 2
- Super Bomberman Pt 2
- Streets of Rage 4
Which quite obviously does not paint the whole picture. The real, hidden details lie in the Steam client’s update logs, many of which happen to contain materials for an upcoming device.
All of This Could Possibly Point to the Release of the Steam Frame
While the games mentioned above aren’t all technically VR-specific titles, they do mostly point toward that way. That’s nothing compared to the changelogs, which happen to have quite a few interesting mentions.
The logs refer to a device that can play VR games, and of multiple VR specific settings. These logs also mention the name of other competitors, so there is a high possibility of third party support.
There also appear to be many mentions of a settings panel, and the ability to map controllers. Explicit mentions of macOS and Linux also appear to be present.
Also Read: New God of War Game Rumor Seemingly Confirms What We All Suspected
In human terms, it means that Valve is planning on adding additional VR support to its client, which should (hopefully) be supported on macOS and Linux. This should be preceded by a major announcement from Valve, although this bit is speculative.
This would also be the perfect time to launch the Steam Frame, a VR device developed by Valve for an emerging market. It’s quite an exciting product as it marks the next big hardware reveal from the company, after the massively popular Steam Deck.
What Is Valve’s Steam Frame Device?
The Steam Frame is a successor to Valve’s Index VR headset from 2019, updated with modern hardware. It has also been known as the ‘Deckard’ previously. The device has been described as a standalone, premium VR headset.
The device possesses wireless capabilities, and could be a game changer for VR, where tripping over a cable is a very real disadvantage in most cases.
This is not to be confused with Fremont, a PC console-like system. Think of it as a much more powerful Steam Deck that connects to your TV.
Going back to the Steam Frame, Valve has already registered a trademark for the same, so we can expect a reveal very soon. The hardware is likely in its final stages of production, and has generated a massive amount of hype despite barely being mentioned by Valve.
The Steam Frame will feature full compatibility with PCs, and the Steam Deck. This in turn means that the VR headset will be fully Linux compatible, which is quite the game changer.
However, it remains to be seen how successful Valve will be in their endeavor in the VR space.
