Turns out you can download more battery as Valve's latest update for Steam Frame adds up to 12%
Valve’s Steam Frame update boosts battery life by up to 12%, adds eye tracking, and improves streaming reliability and charging speeds.
Valve has released a 0.4.3 beta update for SteamOS on the Steam Frame, introducing power efficiency improvements alongside new features. The update includes eye tracking accessibility tools and enhanced streaming reliability, though the most notable change is a battery life increase of up to 12%. This translates to roughly 15 additional minutes of runtime during streaming sessions, depending on the game and power settings in use.
The battery improvement is significant for users who rely on the Steam Frame for extended play sessions, particularly when streaming content. Valve also addressed charging performance, enabling fast charging even when the headset is powered off. This reduces charging times substantially, as observed in testing, though the exact duration saved was not specified in the update notes.
SteamOS for the Steam Frame represents a new direction for Valve, built on its Arch-based Linux distribution previously used in Steam Machines and Steam Decks. The operating system is now optimized for virtual reality and Arm-based processors, specifically the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip found in the Frame.
Valve’s focus on Arm-based hardware with the Steam Frame suggests potential future projects, though recent reports indicate the Steam Deck 2 may instead use an AMD chip. The update underscores Valve’s ongoing efforts to refine the Steam Frame’s performance and usability ahead of its wider release.