Valve explores new Steam Frame with advanced screens

A recent leak suggests Valve, the company behind the Steam gaming platform, is working on a new version of its Steam Frame virtual reality headset. This potential upgrade could feature ultra-high-definition OLED or microLED screens, aiming to offer a more immersive VR experience.

Leak hints at new development codenamed "Plano"

The information comes from a minor leak and references to a new device codenamed "Plano" were found in the Linux kernel source code specific to Valve's upcoming headset. This suggests that development has already begun, with some activity traced back to December 2025.

Two development branches identified

According to VideoCardz, two development branches named "deckard-OLED" and "deckard-plano" were identified. The first branch was active until February 9, 2026, while the second indicates development activity between March 3 and October 2, 2026.

New Steam Frame would feature higher resolution screens

If the new Steam Frame is launched, it would use OLED screens with a native resolution of 3,552 × 3,840 pixels per eye. This would represent a significant upgrade from the current Steam Frame's LCD panels, which have a resolution of 2,160 × 2,160 pixels.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip may limit screen resolution

Despite the higher screen resolution, the new Steam Frame would still be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. This chip has technical limitations that restrict the display resolution to 1,776 × 1,920 per eye, meaning Valve would need to use upscaling to achieve the higher resolution.

Foveal upscaling could enable higher resolution

Valve may be developing a foveal upscaling solution, which focuses on enhancing the area of the user's vision where they look most closely. This technique would allow the use of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to manage the higher-resolution OLED screens, potentially making the new Steam Frame competitive with devices like the Samsung Galaxy XR.