Valve’s Steam Frame reservation window opened Monday with monochrome passthrough as the stock view. The color upgrade is not a Valve SKU — it is a $149 third-party camera from Arcturus, the partner that helped build the headset’s vision stack, and it is orderable now with free cancellation through September 20.
The Verge reports Valve will link the accessory from its Steam Frame store path: plug into the nose-bridge expansion port, and the Frame’s monochrome passthrough switches to color. Specs cited across Verge and Arcturus’ product page: dual 32-megapixel sensors, 5K60 stereo capture (4928×2464), 10-bit HDR, under 10 grams, certified Steam Frame Compatible.
What ships, and what waits
Stock Frame cameras stay grayscale. Color is the add-on. Verge’s Sean Hollister notes the module also enables spatial video recording and higher-resolution mixed-reality views than the built-in sensors alone. Arcturus’ site frames the same pitch: live depth-corrected color passthrough, 5K recording up to 60 fps (2.5K up to 120 fps), and optional Gaussian Splatting capture tools.
We flagged an early Komodo / Arcturus supplier listing on September 2, when Frame still had no public price. Monday’s difference is commercial: Verge and Overkill confirm you can place an order today, and Arcturus is coordinating fulfillment with Valve’s randomized reservation results rather than shipping cameras into a void.
Hold the charge until the lottery clears
Arcturus’ launch-week policy is the operational story. The company says launch orders are held for several days so buyers can line up with Steam Frame reservation outcomes. Its product page advertises free cancellation before September 20. Overkill’s same-day order report matches that: a temporary card authorization, then a later choice to pay and ship or cancel with no charge once Valve’s queue results land.
Frame reservation sign-ups for the first batch still close September 17 at 10 AM PT. First purchase emails are expected around September 18. Ordering the camera before you know you have a headset is therefore a deliberate soft hold, not a hard prepaid ship.
Price context
- Arcturus Vision Camera: $149 (Verge); free cancel through September 20 (Arcturus)
- Steam Frame 256GB / 1TB: $1,059 / $1,299
- Valve ergonomic accessories kit: $59; accessory replacement kit: $49; PSU: $29 (Road to VR / Valve launch notes)
- Separate “Enthusiast Kit” (extra battery, Index-style floating speakers, eye spacers): planned, no price or date yet
Color passthrough is optional hardware, not a software toggle. Buyers who want desk readability and spatial capture in the Frame’s mixed-reality path are looking at roughly another 14% on top of the 256GB kit — before charger and straps.
Sources
- Arcturus Vision Camera product page — specs, Steam Frame Compatible badge, free cancellation before September 20
- The Verge — Steam Frame pricing and Arcturus accessory (Sep 14, 2026)
- The Verge — Steam Frame review notes on Arcturus and Enthusiast Kit
- Road to VR — Frame prices and first-party accessories
- Overkill — reservation plus Arcturus hold-order experience (Sep 14, 2026)