Steam Frame Verified targets 90 FPS VR, Steam Machine targets 1080p 30 FPS
Valve has now put concrete requirements behind its Steam Frame Verified and Steam Machine Verified labels. That part matters more than the existence of the programs themselves, because Valve had already said in November 2025 that Verified would expand beyond Steam Deck to include both Steam Machine and Steam Frame. The GDC 2026 talk appears to be the first time Valve has attached clear performance and compatibility targets to each badge.
Steam Machine Verified
For Steam Machine, the new criteria look like a higher-performance extension of Steam Deck Verified rather than a separate compatibility model. Community reposts of Valve’s GDC slides say all Steam Deck Verified games will also count as Steam Machine Verified, while keeping the same input expectations as Deck. The same slide lists a 30 FPS at 1080p target and says Valve is not testing display resolution or UI legibility for Steam Machine Verified.
Source: Valve
Steam Frame Verified
Steam Frame Verified is for standalone play only, covers both VR and non-VR games, and requires titles to be fully playable with Steam Frame controllers. The reported performance bar is higher for VR, with standalone VR titles needing 90 FPS, while standalone 2D titles target 30 FPS at 1280 x 720. Legible UI is also listed as part of the requirement.
Source: Valve
Valve describes Steam Frame as a standalone VR headset designed primarily for low-latency PC streaming, while also supporting standalone VR and non-VR experiences. The company also says Steam Frame maintains compatibility with SteamVR and OpenXR, covering streamed PC content as well as on-device applications.
Steam Machine appears to inherit most of the Deck model with a higher living-room target, while Steam Frame gets a separate standalone path with stricter VR performance requirements. So this is less a new hardware reveal and more the first clearer look at how Valve plans to classify games across both new devices.
Interestingly, there’s no mention of whether the base framerate is for performance lacking upscaling or frame generation. That would be a good hint on whether Valve is actively developing ‘better FSR’ as previously suggested. The company never replied to our inquiry, though.
Source: Steam
