Start with a charger, unless a Steam Deck one is already in the house, and add a microSD card if you'll play games on the headset itself. The Frame comes with a Wi-Fi 6E wireless adapter, two Steam Frame Controllers, Half-Life: Alyx and a 21.6 Wh battery at the back of the strap, but not with a power supply. A card is the easy way to add storage, and it moves between the Frame, a Steam Deck and a Steam Machine.
At a Glance: What to Buy First#
More game storage, no tools : View on Amazon
The whole library, one card : View on Amazon
One charger for the desk : View on Amazon
The charger Valve leaves out : View on Amazon
Power away from the wall : View on Amazon
A case shaped for the Frame : View on Amazon
A microSD Card for Games on the Headset#
The Frame takes the same microSD cards as the Steam Deck and the Steam Machine, up to 2TB, and Valve built the three to share them: put your library on a card and it goes wherever the card goes. Valve recommends a card for most people, since games still load and boot well from one. Not every game runs on the headset itself, though, so check which ones Valve lists as Standalone Verified before you fill a card.
Our pick is the SanDisk Extreme 512GB microSDXC (View on Amazon). It's an A2 UHS-I card, and A2 covers the random reads and writes that affect how fast levels and menus load. It's also built tough: shockproof, temperature-proof, waterproof and X-ray-proof. For more choices, here are the best microSD cards for the Steam Frame.
The 256GB Frame + a 1TB Card Out-Stores the 1TB Model#
Bought the 256GB Frame? The Lexar Play Blue 1TB (View on Amazon) gives it more room than the 1TB model has built in, and the card can take your library to a Deck or a Machine whenever you want. Games still load well from a card, though some load faster from the built-in storage, so keep the ones you play most there and let the backlog live on the card.
One Charger for the Deck, the Phone and Everything Else#
If a Steam Deck and a phone charge in the same spot as the Frame, one multi-port charger covers all three. The controllers don't need it: each runs on a single AA battery, good for about 40 hours. The Anker 735 (View on Amazon) gives up to 65W from either USB-C port on its own, or 22.5W from the USB-A port, and splits its power when more than one device is plugged in, so one outlet tops everything up at once. Our Anker 735 charger review has the details.
The Frame charges over one USB-C port at up to 45W, and Valve recommends a charger of 45W or more if you want to keep playing while it's plugged in. More watts won't charge it faster. In one review, with the headset switched off, a 140W charger filled it from empty in 151 minutes and Valve's own 45W adapter in 142. What the 735 adds is ports. With two USB-C devices plugged in, its top port still gives the Frame the full 45W and the second port 20W. With three, the top port drops to 40W and the other two to 12W each, so if the Frame shares the 735, give it the top port.
The Charger Valve Leaves Out of the Box#
There's no power supply in the box. Valve makes its own 45W adapter with a 2.5-metre cable, and says a Steam Deck charger or any USB-C charger of 45W or more will keep you playing. If you play plugged in, the cable's reach matters too. Our pick is the JSAUX 45W charger (View on Amazon), sold as a replacement for the original Steam Deck charger, the one Valve points you to. It gives the full 45W the Frame can take, and its built-in braided cable is ten feet long, about three metres and longer than Valve's own, so you can keep playing while it charges. If there's a Deck in the house, it charges that too.
The catch is the built-in cable: if it ever fails, the whole charger goes with it. And with one cable at 45W, it charges one device at a time.
Power Away From the Wall#
The 21.6 Wh battery at the back of the strap gives one to two hours in its battery-saving Playtime mode, and less with the settings turned up. In the review that timed the charging, Half-Life: Alyx ran for 63 minutes on the headset itself and 114 minutes streamed from a PC, both in that mode at 72Hz. On a trip, the outlet is never where you are, so a power bank keeps you playing. The Anker Nano (View on Amazon) has 10,000mAh and gives up to 45W from USB-C, as much as the Frame takes, though not for long. Its retractable USB-C cable is built in, so as long as it reaches the back of the headset from your pocket, there's no separate cable to pack.
It also tops up a phone between sessions. Our Anker Nano power bank review has more on it.
For a lighter bank, or one that holds twice as much, see the best power banks for the Steam Frame.
A Case for Carrying the Frame#
Valve doesn't include a case. Our pick is the Venom Carry Case for Steam Frame (View on Amazon). Venom shaped its inside around the Frame and its controllers: a fitted compartment holds the headset, adjustable straps keep the controllers in place, and a zipped mesh pocket in the lid takes the cable. The shell is firm rather than rigid, and it has a carry handle and a removable shoulder strap. With the hand straps from Valve's Ergonomic Accessories Kit on, the controllers usually go into the case's straps with some effort, though the straps can also be too small for them.
Want a lighter case, room for a power bank or a watertight hard shell? Here are the best Steam Frame cases.
Fitted Gear: Valve's Own Kits Come First#
For gear that has to fit the Frame's shape, Valve's own kits come first. The Ergonomic Accessories Kit adds hand straps with battery doors for the controllers, a top strap for the headset and an extended light blocker. The Accessory Replacement Kit has spares of the soft parts that come in the box: a face gasket, a head cushion and a standard light blocker. Valve lists both on its own Steam Frame page.
Cases and docks from other makers have to fit too, and Valve gives a "Steam Frame Compatible" mark to products that have been tested to work with the headset. The Venom above doesn't have the mark. We picked it from the cases people actually carry the Frame in. Have a Steam Machine too? Here are the best Steam Machine accessories.
Pros & Cons of Kitting Out Early#
Pros
- Your library goes wherever the microSD card goes: the Frame, a Steam Deck or a Steam Machine.
- One multi-port charger covers a Steam Deck and a phone from the same outlet.
- The JSAUX charger also replaces a Steam Deck charger, and the power bank tops up a phone between sessions.
Cons
- The Venom case doesn't have Valve's Steam Frame Compatible mark.
- There's no power supply in the box, so unless you already have a Steam Deck charger or another USB-C charger of 45W or more, you'll need one on day one.
- If you always play in one room near an outlet, a power bank adds little.
Final Verdict#
Buy the boring things first: a charger, and a microSD card if you'll play games on the headset itself. For the card, get the SanDisk Extreme 512GB (View on Amazon), or the Lexar Play Blue 1TB (View on Amazon) if you'd rather settle the storage question for good. Valve recommends a card for most people, and your library moves with it between the Frame, a Deck and a Machine. For the charger, get the JSAUX 45W (View on Amazon) to stand in for the power supply Valve leaves out, then add a multi-port charger for everything else and a compact power bank for the road, and everything stays charged: the Frame on its own charger, the rest on the multi-port one. For a case, get the Venom (View on Amazon), or compare it with the other best Steam Frame cases. Valve's own kits cover the soft parts.