My Nintendo Switch 2 might be dethroned by Valve’s Steam Frame

In this world, only three things can be certain: death, taxes, and me falling over whenever I put a VR headset on. Still, I love VR and can easily see myself discarding my Nintendo Switch 2 in a corner so that I can get stuck into Valve’s latest rumored device, the Steam Frame. The patents have been filed, people, but it might not be what you’re expecting after the Steam Deck‘s success.

Datamined reports suggest that the Steam Frame will be a next-generation standalone VR headset, which, for the tech noobs among us, means it won’t require hooking up your PC to it – the computer will be inside the system already. This marks a change from the Steam Index, which is reliant on you having a PC. The Frame was slated for a late 2025 release, but these are old leaks, so there’s not yet a real way to confirm when the Frame will hit the deck (pun intended).

We don’t have an announcement date yet, but it could be soon. After the initial wave of Steam Deck leaks, Valve’s push to release it fast-tracked itself, revealing the console just a day later. We know for sure that that’s not happening again, but what is happening is unclear.

The tariffs in the U.S. might still be a factor in the speed of development and manufacturing, so we can only imagine that the release might be set back – hopefully by months rather than years.

The Steam Frame appears to have been the real name of the top-secret project ‘Valve Deckard‘, according to a report from TomsGuide. The project is among a few leaked hardware systems Valve is tinkering with behind the scenes. One of the others is the Valve Fremont, a home console system a little bit like the Wii or equivalent. Valve really has been getting us into a tizzy with codenames and secrecy of late. Who knows, might we soon see hints of a Steam Deck 2?

In the meantime, the Steam Deck continues to be outmatched, at least in terms of raw power. The Xbox Ally is giving it a run for its money, but the recently announced Lenovo Legion Go 2 might just eclipse them all – if you’re willing to cough up its asking price, that is.

For gaming hardware advice, check out our handy guide to the best gaming phones and the best Steam Deck docks. If you’re looking into getting some more games on VR, check out the best VR games, and, if you’ve just gone back to Nintendo Switch like I have, I recommend our lists of the best Switch games and the upcoming Switch games.