Being one of the lucky few to get my Steam Frame a few weeks ago, I have been using it quite a bit since then. I have been buying some third-party accessories to mitigate some of its weaknesses.

First the obvious one: it is surprisingly light and small, but overall not comfortable enough due to my glasses. To solve that I went ahead and bought prescription lenses from VR Optician (119€ including fast shipping and additional prescription fee).

Then I figured I had better protect it against sunlight because I do not have one of those fancy head mounts nor do I want to pack it in its box between each use. Thus I got an AMVR lens cover that fits quite well (13€).

And finally the battery life situation is… Well it’s bad. I got decent VR legs and can play for hours, but the battery only lasts at most 1h30 when running PCVR at 120Hz. So I got myself a UGREEN Nexode 145W 25000mAh Power Bank (56€), 2 short angled USB-C cables (24€), round magnetic USB-C adapters (16€) and a small fanny pack (10€).

I will also say there has been some trial and error regarding the magnetic adapter. The idea is to protect the headset port in case the cable snags on anything. I wanted to plug it directly in the headset port, but it tends to disconnect when I turn my head. The tradeoff I landed on is : one very short cable plugged in, magnetically coupled with a longer one that goes to the battery. The 240W-rated USB-C cables are also overkill but hey, not that much of a price difference (they are quite thick though and contributed some in my disconnect issue).

So there you have it, 238€ on top of the initial Steam Frame + ergonomic accessories kit purchase (which is a must-have if you ask me), not counting said trial and error.

Update: there are strong arguments in comments against using magnetic adapters. I’ll be ditching that and keeping the 2 cables approach so that there is a straight connection (hopefully weaker than the angled plugs) that can unplug more easily than the battery or headset side if the cable snags on something.

      • NeryK ( NeryK@sh.itjust.works ) OPEnglish
        6·
        13 days ago

        Well shit, I had not thought of that. So basically it’s a choice between risking damaging the connector with physical movement or damaging the electronics inside with conductive dust. I do not expect there is much metal dust floating around in my home but I’ll keep that in mind.

        • MentalEdge ( MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz ) 
          6·
          13 days ago

          The entire head strap is technically replaceable, but the USB PD power circuit, as far as I know, is in the core module, not the headstrap battery thing. (When charging, the power goes first to the HMD itself, then loops back to the battery. This makes sense, as it would have to be this way for any future headstraps that run wired with no battery to be possible.)

          So if you fry it, you’d be replacing/repairing the core module, not the head strap.

          So I’m risking the port.

        • MentalEdge ( MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz ) 
          13·
          13 days ago

          Then you haven’t been around metal dust. Which most people won’t be.

          I’m pointing out that magnetic connectors are not a part of the spec, which means the ways they can go wrong is NOT accounted for. And that I have seen what that can lead to.

          Extensions are dangerous because they break the way USB C cables communicate their compatibility. If you extend a length of 100W cable with an 50W extension, the charger can try to push a 100W without knowing there is a section that can’t handle that much.

          Edit: Why would you downvote this? By all means, do whatever. But there is a real risk. Just because it’s been fine for you, is no reason to downplay how careful one should be.

        • MentalEdge ( MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz ) 
          3·
          12 days ago

          No.

          Magsafe chargers/charge circuits would be designed for the purpose, down to the charger/charge controller checking for problems with the connector before sending/accepting full power through it.

          There are ways to make a magnetic power connector safe, they just aren’t part of the USB PD spec, and hence they are absent from both the charger and device being charged, if all you do is add the magnetic connector to an existing power negotiation standard.

  • Dylan Toback ( Dylan@catodon.rocks ) English
    12·
    13 days ago

    I don’t think you can call it “true cost” because you purchased some accessories.

    However I do agree that there are accessories missing that I would call mandatory. A battery pack being one of them. It seems Valve prioritized weight and comfort over longevity, which is probably a fair compromise. But you really do need some sort of external power.

    I ordered the other UGreen battery pack with 20% less capacity but 50% less price (45W).

    And I’m still waiting for 3rd party accessories comparable to the “ergonomic accessory kit” like the hand straps that absolutely should have been included for like $10 extra and not $60.

    • NeryK ( NeryK@sh.itjust.works ) OPEnglish
      6·
      13 days ago

      I thought that title sounded better than “Here are all the thingies I bought to go along with the Frame” 😇

      The ergo kit is indeed pricey but I doubt you can get that low. Somewhere in the 20-30 range would have been more reasonable. I am not sure I understand why they made the top strap optional at all. Plus coming from the Index, the controller straps feel more natural.

      • Dylan Toback ( Dylan@catodon.rocks ) English
        5·
        13 days ago

        I haven’t felt the need for a top strap, personally. Plus it would mess up my hair :( but I’ve seen lots of people saying that should be mandatory included as well. Seems like Valve was really trying to get the price as low as humanly possible without compromising the hardware itself. I am glad they left out the charger though, as I’ve already got a drawer full of them, including 2 Valve ones I never even opened…

        • NeryK ( NeryK@sh.itjust.works ) OPEnglish
          3·
          13 days ago

          I had heard from reviews that the top strap was basically not needed. Then I tried it for myself. What it does is alleviate the pressure on your cheekbones as the headset no longer sags and allows you to loosen the horizontal strap a little, also lessening the overall pressure on your face.

          It is not needed in the sense that the headset is wearable and has that “ski mask” look without it. I for one will never be taking it off.

          • Dylan Toback ( Dylan@catodon.rocks ) English
            3·
            13 days ago

            I haven’t noticed any pressure there, but of course everyone’s bone structure is different, which is part of what makes VR headsets so hard to make!

            I did read some info online in the months before receiving mine and many people suggested moving the rear further up on the head, which might alleviate that pressure.

    • Natanael ( Natanael@infosec.pub ) 
      4·
      13 days ago

      There’s a reason they put the battery in the band and made it replaceable. I think they wanted more but decided to cut costs. They said the upcoming one with those Index-like speakers would include bigger batteries (I’m definitely getting that). So eventually the Frame will effectively be able to do all the things, but you’re gonna have to buy extras for it.

      Even in the future, the openness of it means that once it’s getting too weak for standalone play you’ll be able to stream from other portable decides which are strong enough, like future gaming phones (or something like the Xreal Aura puck).

      IMHO the biggest long term limit is the resolution, but given how repairable it is, as long as there’s enough bandwidth available on those ports I think that can be upgraded too.