September 2026 is shaping up to be a big month for standalone VR. Valve has started shipping its new Steam Frame, and PICO is preparing its next flagship, the PICO Space Pro. Both point in the same direction: sharper displays, more on-device computing power and fewer cables. Here is what you need to know.
Valve Steam Frame: now shipping
Valve announced the Steam Frame on September 14. Pre-orders opened the same day, and the first units are now on their way to customers. The Steam Frame runs SteamOS 3 and can play games directly on the headset or stream them wirelessly from a PC using the included adapter.
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 16 GB RAM
- 256 GB or 1 TB storage, expandable via microSD
- 2160 × 2160 LCD per eye, 72 to 144 Hz (144 Hz experimental)
- Inside-out tracking, controllers with full 6DoF tracking
- Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
- US price: from $1,059 (256 GB), $1,299 (1 TB)
PICO Space Pro: coming in Q4 2026
The PICO Space Pro, known during development as Project Swan, was originally set to be unveiled on September 2. PICO has moved the launch to the fourth quarter of 2026 to give the software a few more months of polish. Hardware and software are reported to be at an advanced stage.
- Two 4K micro-OLED displays with around 4,000 pixels per inch and up to 45 PPD in the center of the field of view
- Dual-chip design: a PICO-developed chip for perception and mixed reality, plus a high-end SoC for CPU and GPU
- According to PICO, more than twice the CPU and GPU performance of the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2
- 12 ms mixed reality latency from perception to display
- PICO OS 6 with the PICO Spatial Engine
- Price, battery life and exact launch date have not been announced yet
What this means for RAUM
RAUM already runs on Meta Quest, Apple Vision Pro, PICO and in the browser. It will be available on the PICO Space Pro from day one of its market launch. We are also bringing RAUM to the new generation of standalone headsets such as the Steam Frame, so your teams can meet, train and collaborate on the device that fits them best.
Want to see RAUM in action? Book a free demo or download RAUM for your headset.
Sources: Valve Steam Frame, immersive-display.com on the PICO Space Pro