Steam Frame appears to be days away from launch as Valve finally releases SteamVR 2.17 update

Valve previously released the SteamVR 2.17 update in the beta/preview channel, allowing users to test its new features and report any bugs or glitches they encountered. And now, after spending some time in testing, the company has finally released the update to the stable channel, making it available to everyone. More importantly, its arrival could be another sign that Valve is finally gearing up to launch the Steam Frame.

Valve has still not revealed an exact release date or price for its new VR headset. However, the company has been making several changes behind the scenes recently that suggest preparations for the launch are well underway.

For instance, Valve recently added a reservation system for the Steam Frame to Steam's backend. The system will reportedly require users to pay a deposit to reserve the headset instead of simply joining a waitlist. On top of that, multiple packages related to the Steam Frame have been receiving updates in Steam's backend. These kinds of changes usually happen very close to when a new product is about to launch. 

And now, SteamVR 2.17 has officially moved from beta to the stable channel, which further suggests that the Steam Frame launch may only be days away. An insider also claimed that the Steam Frame will start shipping on September 14, but we’re still waiting for confirmation from Valve. 

What does SteamVR 2.17 offer? 

As for the update itself, SteamVR 2.17 makes more Steam features accessible directly in VR. Users can now view achievements, community guides, and notes without leaving VR. Valve has also added the Steam Deck-style Quick Access Menu to the VR Dashboard, providing quick access to notifications, volume, brightness, battery status, and other useful controls.

Steam Link has received several improvements as well, including better VR streaming on slow connections, reduced latency, Nvidia stutter fixes, and initial support for USB streaming. Linux users are getting improved wired headset support, while Valve has also added support for 32-bit OpenXR applications. There are several smaller fixes and improvements for the VR Dashboard, overlays, screenshots, streaming, and headset compatibility as well. 

That said, these are only some of the changes included in SteamVR 2.17. For the complete list of changes and improvements, you can check out the official patch notes.