Earlier quoted context omitted.
The Frame's screens aren't good enough for general computing. This is purely an entertainment device.
I disagree and I've got one
Just increase size/scaling of everything I guess right?
Steam Frame starts at $1059
341–350 of 489 posts
Re: Steam Frame starts at $1059
#342Half-Life Alyx is the greatest gaming experience I have ever had the pleasure to witness. I now occasionally VR golf. It's a steep price for a niche with not a lot of games.
I said it when it came out, Alyx was the single best chance VR had to prove itself. It was going to be either the launching pad of the future or the high tide mark. 6 years on, it is looking like the high tide mark.
Unfortunately, it is a technical and artistic marvel but the relatively high cost to entry (decent PC and headset) meant that it was simply out of reach for most people. A high price takes it from an impulse purchase to try, and makes it a dedicated purchase and investment in the ecosystem. That killed any momentum.
Re: Steam Frame starts at $1059
#343Earlier quoted context omitted.
This machine runs Linux, it comes with KDE. This is the open Apple Vision Pro alternative that you can use as a real computer. It comes with a black and white passthrough camera but you can add on a 5K color one. There's ongoing work for a full Plasma XR mode, so you aren't restricted to a "virtual desktop" experience: https://invent.kde.org/plasma/kwin/-/merge_requests/8671
The Frame's screens aren't good enough for general computing. This is purely an entertainment device.
> The Frame's screens aren't good enough for general computing.
We did "general computing" in 320x200 screens. I think the Frame's screen is a bit better than that.
Re: Steam Frame starts at $1059
#344Hacker News should be all over this device. They won't lock it down like the Meta stuff. Go ahead and install BeOS on it.
It's still VR. It's still niche. There are still many issues that VR hasn't solved (and may never solve). - You still have to wear a device on your head - You still (can) get motion sickness and/or headaches - There is still not a lot of great content around VR - Many people still prefer the flat screen medium and content The openness/closeness is only one of the many issues this solves, and it doesn't matter when al…
> - There is still not a lot of great content around VR
I'm sorry but, will there ever be? I've always been on the fence about VR, it looks great for flying/racing/space games, but there has been a lot of time since it seems to have peaked and the only killer app it has is Alyx which came out 6 years ago
Re: Steam Frame starts at $1059
#345Hacker News should be all over this device. They won't lock it down like the Meta stuff. Go ahead and install BeOS on it.
It's still VR. It's still niche. There are still many issues that VR hasn't solved (and may never solve). - You still have to wear a device on your head - You still (can) get motion sickness and/or headaches - There is still not a lot of great content around VR - Many people still prefer the flat screen medium and content The openness/closeness is only one of the many issues this solves, and it doesn't matter when al…
Every single time I use VR, it is a brilliant experience and then a day later I completely forget about it. The object permanence and product stickiness just isn't there yet. It is like the Apple Vision, I only remember it is a thing when it is brought up by someone else.
Re: Steam Frame starts at $1059
#346Hacker News should be all over this device. They won't lock it down like the Meta stuff. Go ahead and install BeOS on it.
Is that confirmed? Arm devices tend to be awkward to install your own OS on in general. E.g. look at Android phones. I mean Valve definitely are very open-source friendly but I wouldn't just assume.
Android phones with unlocked bootloaders are awkward, but doable. It would be somewhat un-Valve-like if they lock the bootloader.
Re: Steam Frame starts at $1059
#347Earlier quoted context omitted.
The real question is why did they release this as a standalone unit for $1049 and then claim they couldn't sell it for less due to the RAM shortage - when that implies they could have released a dumb unit that depends on the Steam Deck or Steam Machine for far less?
They've doing inside-out SLAM to map the environment and tracking your eyes for foveated rendering at the same time. That's fairly heavy - I think the compute required would necessitate a much higher speed connection with a desktop and a fair bit of CPU time, so it's probably cheaper and easier to put the compute right in the headset instead of scaling up the connection. Also, they probably landed on this rough desig…
Maybe I'm misunderstanding - but I thought there's already "dumb" headsets doing foveated eye tracking, like the Pimax headsets. If that's the case, then you don't need $300 of ram and a $200 CPU to perform this locally.
Re: Steam Frame starts at $1059
#348Funny, I'm now finding my first thought with new hardware like this to be "how good is it at running AI models locally?"
Re: Steam Frame starts at $1059
#349Aussies are getting it at a premium, too. USD$1059 (256GB) should be AUD$1483, retailing for AUD$1609 - a AUD$126 premium. USD$1299 (1TB) should be AUD$1819, retailing for AUD$1969 - a AUD$150 premium!
Taxes aren't included in the US prices; I'd have to pay 1138USD for the 256GB model, which is 1593AUD, so it's only a 16AUD premium over where I live.
Re: Steam Frame starts at $1059
#350Aussies are getting it at a premium, too. USD$1059 (256GB) should be AUD$1483, retailing for AUD$1609 - a AUD$126 premium. USD$1299 (1TB) should be AUD$1819, retailing for AUD$1969 - a AUD$150 premium!
Not so bad, New Zealanders won't get it at all :(.