Valve’s “Steam Frame” Trademark Signals Upcoming Hardware Launch

Valve recently filed trademarks for the name Steam Frame, signaling exciting new hardware projects on the horizon for the gaming giant. These filings, submitted on September 2, 2025, cover a range of categories, including computer hardware, computer game consoles, and associated peripherals, sparking speculation about what Valve might be preparing next.

What Do the Trademarks Cover?

There are two key trademark filings related to Steam Frame:

One filing covers “computer hardware; computer networking hardware; computer peripherals; computer hardware and computer software for the reproduction, processing, and streaming of audio, video, data, text, and multimedia content.”
The other filing relates specifically to “computer game consoles for recreational game playing; video game consoles; and video game accessories, namely controllers for video games.”

This suggests Valve is preparing not only a main hardware system but also a lineup of accessories such as controllers to complement the experience.

Is Steam Frame a New Console or a VR Headset?

While no official announcement has been made, the community is buzzing with two main theories:

Next-Gen VR Headset: Valve is known to be working on a VR headset codenamed “Deckard,” intended as the successor to the Valve Index. The “Steam Frame” name could cleverly hint at this device, as glasses have “frames,” and Valve has recently renamed the “VR Overlays” feature in SteamVR to “Frames.”
Steam Console: Another possibility is that Steam Frame is a new gaming console system. There have been leaks about a Valve console codenamed “Fremont,” which would run SteamOS and feature AMD hardware. The Steam Frame trademark’s explicit mention of consoles and controllers adds weight to this hypothesis.

Implications for Valve and Gamers

If it’s a VR headset, Steam Frame could represent Valve’s push into standalone or hybrid VR devices with improved wireless streaming, streamlined design, and higher performance. This would advance PC VR technology significantly and renew enthusiasm for Valve’s VR ecosystem.

Should it be a console, Steam Frame might be Valve’s attempt to compete directly with the PlayStation and Xbox families, building on the success of the Steam Deck handheld. This would mark a bold move toward expanding Valve’s reach in the living room gaming sector.

No Confirmed Details Yet

Trademark filings often precede product announcements by months, meaning we may hear more about Steam Frame in the near future. Valve has not commented publicly on the filings, leaving fans to eagerly anticipate what this intriguing name will become.

Conclusion

The Steam Frame trademark is a strong hint that Valve is poised to launch exciting new gaming hardware soon, potentially including a new VR headset, gaming console, or both. As Valve builds on its hardware successes like the Steam Deck and Valve Index, Steam Frame may become an important part of the future gaming landscape.