Valve releases Steam Frame CAD files so modders can design their own parts

[EpochWalker]

Valve has published the CAD files for its Steam Frame VR headset in a public GitLab repository, and PC Gamer's Jacob Ridley is delighted. The files let modders design their own parts and accessories. They cover the core module and the controllers, plus the parts that are meant to be replaced by users

Those user replaceable parts include the light blocker that sits between the bridge of the nose and the headset, the head strap, the battery housing and the facial interface. Valve has also confirmed an upgraded head strap with swappable batteries and off ear speakers, which it describes as coming soon

The documentation also explains the headset's expansion port, which Valve calls the auxiliary port. It sits just in front of the nose and provides one Gen4 PCIe lane along with power and camera support. Ridley has been using the Arcturus Vision RGB camera with it for a couple of weeks, which shows the port is already useful

Valve now publishes CAD files for all its recent hardware, including the Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Controller and Steam Frame. Ridley praises the approach as how it should be done, and it is hard to disagree. Open designs encourage a healthy ecosystem of third party accessories

This is great news for comfort as well as creativity. Faces and heads vary hugely, and VR headsets rarely fit everyone well out of the box. Letting people print or buy custom facial interfaces and straps could make the Steam Frame comfortable for far more players

What would you make or buy first for the Steam Frame? And should other hardware makers follow Valve's lead?

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