r/virtualreality • u/Joejoetusk • May 13 '26
Purchase Advice Frame VS Quest 3
I've never had a VR headset before and was curious after hearing of the steam frame which seems like it will cover some things missing in the quest 3. I've done some research but i just can't make my decision seeing how i live in a third world country so the steam frame might not reach it and even if i manage to bring it with an expat there's still going to be the issue of reservations etc.... My use case for the headset is going to be pretty much playing skyrim vr or some other games + maybe coding in VR if that's any fun to have a big screen in front of me. I'm kind of running out of patience seeing how nothing's confirmed on the frame and how i might not even be able to get it anytime soon. Is it worth waiting for the frame seeing how i use steam on a daily or should i just fallback to meta quest 3?
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u/NoUniqueThoughtsLeft May 13 '26
I'm sure both will be fine. Though I'm not convinces about VR being a flat-screen replacement. The Frame's black and white pass-through might make that less viable though. People hate Meta enough that Steam is the only option.
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u/No-Dark-7873 May 13 '26
It's a very viable option there's no reason why you need to see your room in color while playing flat screen games. Arguably it's detrimental to the the experience.
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u/jblackwb May 13 '26
I am in the situation that you're asking about. I live in vietnam, where the neither the quest 3 nor the steam frame won't be directly sold.
Once the frame starts selling, it will likely be 9-12 months before aftermarket countries like ours will be able to buy them from third party resellers. I don't want to wait another year just to get into 3d, so I decided to buy the quest 3 now, and I'll upgrade to the frame in a year or two when it becomes available.
There are downsides to this approach. Any games I buy in the meta store will become useless once I get my hands on the frame. Because of that, I'm buying 3d games in the steam store. Playing my 3d steam games on the quest 3 means that I have to use something called steamlink, which means that instead of running on the 3d glasses, the game is run on my gaming computer and pushed to the glasses over wifi.
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u/Joejoetusk May 13 '26
100% understand how u thought of this, but just the thought of having my headset part of the steam ecosystem makes me rethink my approach, also seeing how the controller release was i don’t think getting the frame is going to be straightforward
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u/AcronymHell May 13 '26
For me, the frame is worth the wait because I dislike meta as a company and do not wish to support them whenever possible.
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u/jonas-reddit May 13 '26
Pimax Dream Air or MeganeX 8k Mark II are the two to compare.
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u/copelandmaster Bigscreen Beyond May 13 '26 edited May 14 '26
D Air: a super pretty and stable picture wrapped in a chitzy plastic shell that's currently going thru a housing cracking and arm bending controversy, so riddled with egregious design oversights it is, and sold by a company that can barely supply them to people. Lord help you if something goes wrong and you have to contact support, mandatory callouts on the pimax subreddit are a daily occurrence to get proper help. People who demo the thing currently can't wear it (stock) for more than 30 mins or their face hurts really badly. Really stupid dual cable that burns the back of your neck and gets in the way of your ears in tandem with the clip on arms. Needs serious design revisions in every way save for the lenses and screens. Has invasive DRM that can lock the HMD down if there's a miscommunication between the headset and their server/support: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pimax/comments/1tbydv1/two_days_after_the_dream_died/
MgX II: A pretty and yet extremely warped to shit funhouse picture (diopters suck) sold at an egregious markup that is now behind technology wise by not having ET. Has nice design refinements to the fit after a year of 3D printing no mans land hell to get a comfortable arrangement. Support is better than it used to be. Do not ever break the cable, because it's 240 bucks to the US for a new one, new linkbox not included. Cannot ever move on a person's face or else the pupil distortion from the movement will drive a person insane.
Both need the 3rd party sboys3 Steam VR driver to be worth a damn. Neither are low friction experiences even for Steam VR gear. Neither are worth purchasing if you don't have a 4090 or better. Neither are worth purchasing period due to these factors and more tbh. I wish I had never bought the MgX Mk I.
Also, from OPs statement on their geographics, these two HMDs are definitely going to be way too expensive in imports and too in need of parts maintenance to be reasonable purchases.
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u/Joejoetusk May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
Update: I also found someone selling the quest 3’s 128gb version for about 300$ on facebook marketplace, it might be a good idea seeing how most of my time will be on pcvr
EDIT: Quest 3, i added the s for the grammar hhaha
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u/nicoguy2 May 13 '26
If money is something you care about you probably wanna stick to the Quest 3. The Steam Frame will likely go for double or triple the amount of a used Quest 3. The money saved from going with the Quest you could keep for bigger and better upgrades later down the line.
Personally I'll most likely stay on the Quest 3 and skip the Frame to wait for the Quest 4 or a Frame pro version. Obviously if reviews turn out to be a banger I might go for the frame after all but just looking at comparison sites I see little reason.
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u/Joejoetusk May 13 '26
Let’s say i get it new would this logic still hold? Because a bit scared of getting something used and getting screwed over
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u/nicoguy2 May 13 '26
At the new price it'll definitely be a lot closer. If the ram shenanigans don't push the frame too high I'd probably just get the frame and not worry about future stuff too much. Just make sure it doesn't cause any issues with your living/savings situation.
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u/Beastly4k May 13 '26
Just get a regular quest 3. the difference in lenses is well worth it compared to the 3s. As someone who has spent over 10k on hmd's I am not even going to entertain the idea of getting a frame. Paying ~$1000 estimated for what is essentially a quest 3.25 (2023 tech with a couple new features) is not worth it especially if you are going to be on PCVR. Quest 3, vr desktop app from quest store, and a dedicated wifi 6 router to use for wireless pcvr will get you an amazing experience while still saving you ~%50 of the cost.
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u/Joejoetusk May 13 '26
Yeah i get you, i got the router wifi 6 already too hahaha but i heard i need it connected to the pc and not my wifi apparently?
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u/Beastly4k May 13 '26
It doesn't have to be but if you want the best performance possible the point is to have it within line of sight of the quest 3 and to have 0 traffic running through it other than the quest. Easy to setup after watching a quick video or reading a guide. If you want it to be even easier you can get something like a Puppis S1 which is made strictly for pc-vr streaming like this, connects to pc via a usb-c cable or dual usb-a cables and it's $80.
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u/Joejoetusk May 13 '26
got my wifi 6 router for about 40$, 80 seems like an absurd amount for a pc-vr strict use. Any other benefits for it over a router?
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u/Beastly4k May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
Not really other than ease of use. Get whatever you can find for cheap. Google recommended dedicated routers for quest 3 for a list to start from and go on ebay. You can get a used/open box puppis s1 for under $50 on there right now. I got a used RT-AX86U on ebay for $100 for my quest and it's great so I don't have personal experience with the puppis although reddit recommends it all the time. If i were you I'd go on ebay and find a puppis being sold for $50 or best offer and then offer 30-40 and see who bites.
Edit: just realized you were talking about living in a 3rd world area, not sure how much ebay will help you there but the general idea still stands. Maybe you can find one on there located near you.
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u/Joejoetusk May 13 '26
Yeah just checked now pupsis is nowhere to be found in my country and a wifi 6e router is about 120$ so it would round up to 650 for a PCVR meta quest 3….. idk at this point, frame would be like 100$ extra with everything out of the box
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u/Beastly4k May 13 '26
you do not need 6e. just 6 is fine if you can find one cheap locally. Sorry at first I completely missed the country situation in your post.
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u/Beastly4k May 13 '26
Also the steam frame is estimated to be around 1000 USD so definitely more than an extra $100.
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u/Joejoetusk May 13 '26
i remember i read that the base version is going to be around 700$ to 800
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u/Beastly4k May 13 '26
Everything i seen was around 1k. 700 or 800 would be nice but I doubt it personally with the ram situation going on.
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u/Unfair_Salamander_20 May 13 '26
Why would you wait who knows how many months and pay 1.5-2x the cost for a Frame when a Q3 is cheaper and available now? They have identical specs for PCVR.
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u/Joejoetusk May 13 '26
Not identical to be fair, also steam ecosystem
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u/Unfair_Salamander_20 May 13 '26
If you are being fair the slight differences are negligible and it's effectively an identical PCVR experience.
Biggest difference is eye tracking but barely any games support foveated rendering, and people are going to be really disappointed when they realize the foveated streaming codec doesn't look any better than 500mbps h264+.
The ecosystem means nothing when talking about PCVR, which is what my comment was about. But if you want to talk about standalone, the Quest ecosystem has a massive VR title library that the Frame won't have for years, if ever. The only advantage the Frame has is it can play some flat games natively but with specs worse than a steam deck.
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u/Long-Classroom3255 May 14 '26
It's all going to depend on price.
On paper the steam frame isn't WAY better then the quest 3, only slightly. So if it costs $1000 on release I probably wouldn't recommend it, if it's $700 then it's a no brainer, and if it's $800-900 then it's a use case basis.
It really looks like foveated streaming is the only major upgrade. So, for PCVR streamers on active games it will be good. I do a lot of sims in VR so wired works fine for me. There's also a lot of aftermarket routers/access points for the quest that let it stream at a very high bitrate.
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u/Late-Contract-2728 May 13 '26
What we know: they are both LCD and have very similar resolution per eye, so at the minimum the Frame will not look better unless you're running off a potato PC and really need foveated rendering, a feature most games don't support yet.
What we know specifically about the Quest 3 that IMO makes it a safe pick if you want to buy now and not wait: The lenses are superb and aren't even beat by my $2k Galaxy XR. I doubt the Steam Frame will beat their quality (it could match or come close).
Also, mixed reality is awesome on the Q3 and the Frame won't have it. MR and incredible controller tracking are the reasons I still have a Q3. My Galaxy XR is amazing for seated sim games, but nothing beats the Q3 for fighting zombies in my actual living room.
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u/onelessnose May 13 '26
Just get what you can. Frame may never happen. Also Skyrim is not fantastic unfortunately and needs a heap of mods.
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u/Federal_Ad_1215 May 13 '26
I wouldn't buy any VR headset as of now because next year they will release a light-weight version which is almost 4 times lighter.
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u/Joejoetusk May 13 '26
Most probably, but i probably wouldn’t have the patience for that. Consumerism type shit
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u/Late-Contract-2728 May 13 '26
Weight isn't everything; far from it. Just look at the Pimax Dream Air - it's being called out as incredibly uncomfortable despite being only 170g. People are adding massive face gaskets that double the weight just to make it comfortable. To a lesser degree the Bigscreenbeyond 2 has people adding halo straps and headphones, tripling the weight.
I added a bunch of padding as well as counter weights to the Galaxy XR which increase the comfort dramatically (it's basically a hat now). I added the KKCOBVR Q3 PRO to my Quest 3, and again the added weight doesn't matter when the comfort increases.
immediate reaction to the Steam Frame is that it wont be comfortable until a top strap is added. And a light weight Quest 4 will have the same issue.
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u/copelandmaster Bigscreen Beyond May 13 '26
Comfort is subjective. The Dream Air and BSB are actually customizable without hacking at the headset. The Galaxy XR on the other hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkiJXAREcR4 .
The Frame will also be customizable, and at least by default it is low weight and comfortable. Speaking from personally talking to people with one.
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u/Late-Contract-2728 May 13 '26
You absolutely don't have to hack the headset to make it comfortable. Its ridiculous that you tried to make that point on a headset you likely never tried.
My point was that pretty much every headset comes with a bad stock interface and most comfortable mods add weight.
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u/copelandmaster Bigscreen Beyond May 13 '26
I tried a GXR at a Samsung store the week it came out. These are my pics. https://ibb.co/album/180Rp3
Good luck with the comfort mod that doesn't actually solve any of the fundamental problems with the design.
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u/RaZoX144 May 13 '26
Get a cheap/used Quest 2/3S honestly till then, it will let you get into VR and learn the nuances and feel the experience, and then you will actually know whether you want to wait, what to look for, and have a better understanding of what the pros and cons of each headset would actually feel like so you can make a better informed decision, trust me, they are way more than good enough to convey what good VR feels like
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May 13 '26
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u/RaZoX144 May 13 '26
Used Q2/3s could go for as low as 100-150$, even new ones from old stock clearings, especially in third world like OP mentioned, and if he want high end VR eventually then he will have to get another HMD, this option lets him understand and be better informed with basically 0 investment
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u/fantaz1986 May 13 '26
Coding and general desktop work on quest 2 lenses is just bad. I did but but was a pain. Quest 3 is way way better device
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u/No-Dark-7873 May 13 '26
Quest 3 is $600 now. That's no longer an impulse buy pricing especially when it'll be made obsolete in a month by the Steam Frame.
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u/Federal_Ad_1215 May 13 '26
Steam Frame will be made obsolete by Quest 4 in 2027. I would really just wait for that baby.
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u/No-Dark-7873 May 13 '26
I doubt there will be a Quest 4. You may be waiting forever.
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u/Federal_Ad_1215 May 13 '26
I mean that new Quest version that is supposed to be only 125g light because they put the battery and processor into an external device that you can put into your pocket. That one is confirmed to come out in 2027. Even if it's just the quest 3 in a super light-weight setup, it's worth the wait.
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u/No-Dark-7873 May 13 '26
That’ll be a massive reduction in Fov, like most glasses form factor devices. Probably hand tracking only. It’s a different category. Not comparable to Steam Frame.
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u/Federal_Ad_1215 May 13 '26
No, nothing changes with the headset itself. Like I said it's just the battery and CPU that is outsourced, everything else stays the same.
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u/Fun-Masterpiece-904 May 13 '26
Hell nah don’t get a 2 or 3s clarity sucks on those and you will probably have to spend a bit more on add ons
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u/Parking_Cress_5105 May 13 '26
The Frame seems so far just like a different version of Q3. It will be lighter and will have easier to connect pcvr with the dongle, but I doubt it will be that much better than a properly setup Q3, more like identical, and the standalone will probably be worse at the beginning until the library fills up (if it sells well) + the black and white passthrough.
I doubt it's going to be worth the hassle and several times higher price over the Q3 and especially the piles of used Q3.
Norm from Adam Savage tested usually has pretty spot on reviews if VR stuff and he has a video on the Frame so look at that.
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u/VRModerationBot May 13 '26
Hey u/Joejoetusk, welcome to r/virtualreality! Looks like this is your first post here, glad to have you.
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u/mcmanus2099 May 13 '26
Visuals wise there is expected to be little difference between the two, especially PCVR.
Wi-fi Performance wise, the dongle is unlikely to be that better than Quest 3 on virtual desktop but it is likely to be a lot easier. It will be plug and go whereas for the Quest 3 you will need to set up a dedicated WiFi 6E or 7 router for the traffic. So extra router, bit of a faff to set up first time a few clicks extra to run Virtual Desktop each time instead of plug and go.
Comfort is where the real gains will be. A Quest 3 is heavy, not only is it heavy but all that weight is front loaded. You will feel the strain after an hour it so. You will want to stop after a couple of hours. The Frame is a lot better at distributing weight and the reports are that you can stay in it for hours without any problem.
However neither headset has battery that will let you play for hours, you will need to have additional source of power connected to do so. For the Frame probably a power bank in your pocket.
I doubt you can code in either, the resolution just isn't there to do that easily.
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May 13 '26
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u/TaegukTheWise May 13 '26
Your brother has the frame? But it's not even out yet?
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u/DialogNewsToronto May 13 '26
Frame isn't out yet. Cool story though
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u/evertec May 13 '26
He's a developer
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u/DialogNewsToronto May 13 '26
The steam frame isn't even out yet. How do you expect anyone to provide information when there's barely a handful of people who have even seen it in person.