Arcturus Vision Camera
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| Arcturus Vision Camera | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual reality, Mixed reality |
| Type | Accessory |
| Developer | Arcturus Vision |
| Manufacturer | Arcturus Vision |
| Announcement Date | 14 September 2026 |
| Price | US$149 (United States); €157 (European Union); £129 (United Kingdom) |
| Website | https://arcturus.vision/ |
| Requires | Steam Frame |
| Display | |
| Resolution | Passthrough up to 4928 x 2464 (5K, both eyes) or 2464 x 1232 (2.5K); recording 2464 x 2464 per eye or 1232 x 1232 per eye |
| Refresh Rate | Passthrough 60 Hz by default; up to 72 Hz at 5K, up to 144 Hz at 2.5K |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 125 x 105+ degrees (binocular) |
| Optics | |
| Passthrough | Full color, 10-bit HDR (HLG) |
| Audio | |
| Camera | Two 32 MP Sony RGB sensors, spaced 64 mm apart |
| Connectivity | |
| Ports | Connects to the Steam Frame front expansion port |
| Device | |
| Weight | Under 10 g |
| Material | Curved glass, stainless steel, polycarbonate |
The Arcturus Vision Camera is a stereo color camera module for Valve's Steam Frame headset, made and sold by Arcturus Vision (formerly Arcturus Industries). It plugs into the headset's front expansion port and replaces Steam Frame's built-in monochrome passthrough with full-color HDR passthrough. It also records stereoscopic spatial video and captures imagery for Gaussian splatting reconstructions.[1][2]
The module uses two 32-megapixel Sony RGB sensors placed 64 mm apart and weighs under 10 grams. It costs US$149 in the United States.[1][2] Valve does not sell it, but lists it on the Steam Frame product page as a "Steam Frame Compatible" accessory.[3] Arcturus says the camera works only with Steam Frame.[3]
Announcement and release
Details of the camera first appeared in early September 2026, when Komodo Station, Valve's hardware vendor in Asia, published a product page for it ahead of any announcement. Road to VR reported the listing on 2 September 2026; it gave the specifications but no price or release date.[4]
The camera's US$149 price was announced on 14 September 2026, the same day Valve announced the price of Steam Frame and opened registrations for it.[1] The companion app appeared on Steam the same day.[5]
Arcturus sells the camera from its own online store for US$149, €157 in the European Union and £129 in the United Kingdom. Valve's own checkout offers only first-party accessories, so the camera cannot be added to a Steam Frame order.[6] MIXED reported that Arcturus ships orders at the same time as Steam Frame. Delivery is duty paid to the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Switzerland, so taxes and import charges are included in the checkout total.[3] Valve applies the "Steam Frame Compatible" label to products that have been tested to work with the headset.[6]
Design and hardware
The camera attaches to the expansion port under the nose bridge of Steam Frame.[7] Valve's specifications describe that port as a user-accessible dual high-speed camera interface with eight MIPI lanes at 2.5 Gbit/s and a single PCIe Gen 4 lane.[3] Without the module, Steam Frame's passthrough is monochrome.[1]
The two sensors sit 64 mm apart. Arcturus says this matches typical human eye spacing, so recordings keep true scale.[2][3] According to UploadVR, passthrough uses only around a quarter of the sensors' resolution.[1] The housing is made of curved glass, stainless steel and polycarbonate.[2]
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Sensors | 2 x 32 MP RGB (Sony)[2] |
| Sensor spacing | 64 mm[2] |
| Passthrough resolution and rate | Up to 72 Hz at 4928 x 2464 (5K); up to 144 Hz at 2464 x 1232 (2.5K); 60 Hz by default[2][3] |
| Video recording | 2464 x 2464 per eye (5K) at up to 60 fps; 1232 x 1232 per eye (2.5K) at up to 120 fps[2] |
| Dynamic range | 10-bit HDR (HLG)[2] |
| Field of view | 125 x 105+ degrees (binocular)[2] |
| Pixel density | 25.5 PPD (5K, center)[2] |
| Focus range | 30 cm to infinity[2] |
| Weight | Under 10 g[2] |
| Connection | Steam Frame front expansion port[2] |
UploadVR noted that the 144 Hz passthrough mode at half resolution was labeled experimental. Arcturus warns that the higher refresh rates can show flickering or banding under artificial lighting and are best used in natural light.[1]
Software and features
In passthrough use, the camera provides depth-corrected color video of the room. Arcturus describes its latency as ultra-low.[2] Road to VR found that the module takes over passthrough as soon as it is plugged in, without restarting the headset.[7]
Arcturus publishes several free applications for the camera:[8]
| Application | Platform | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Arcturus Vision Camera | Steam Frame | Records 3D spatial video in up to 5K HDR and plays it back in windowed or immersive modes; includes sample videos[5] |
| Arcturus Vision Gaussian XR | Steam Frame | Views 3D Gaussian splat scenes in PLY and SOG formats; includes eight example scenes[8] |
| Arcturus Vision Sync | Windows, Mac (Linux announced) | Transfers recordings from Steam Frame and converts them for Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, standard 3D players and 2D video[8] |
| Spirula Studio | Mac (Apple Silicon), Linux | Open-source (GPLv3) tool that builds 3D Gaussian models from camera recordings[8] |
Recordings store the headset's position data along with the video. UploadVR described a "Stabilized Immersive Playback" mode that uses this data to replay the video with position tracking.[1] Road to VR described the effect as the video frame itself moving in space during playback, rather than shaking inside a fixed window.[7]
Background
The company was previously named Arcturus Industries. In 2020 it developed, together with Valve and Occipital, the computer vision algorithms behind Room View 3D, a depth-correct passthrough mode added to the Valve Index in a SteamVR beta.[1][9] UploadVR reported at the time that the Arcturus technology appeared to be made by a team that had worked at Occipital.[9] For Steam Frame, UploadVR described Valve as having closely partnered with Arcturus Vision.[1] The Arcturus Industries website lists offices in Madrid and Seattle.[10]
Reception
Road to VR's Scott Hayden reviewed the camera in September 2026. He wrote that beyond the added color, the jump in resolution was instantly noticeable, and that it "feels like you were sitting in the dark and then someone flipped on the lights." With the module installed, he could read a phone screen through passthrough, which he could not do with the default cameras. He judged the result roughly on par with Meta Quest 3 passthrough, with both headsets still well behind Apple Vision Pro. He also noted that part of the difference comes from how poor Steam Frame's standard passthrough is. He noted that Gaussian splat capture required command-line tools and a Linux desktop with an NVIDIA GPU, which limited it to advanced users. He recommended the module to Steam Frame buyers.[7]
In its 14 September launch coverage, UploadVR called the camera "an essential addition to Steam Frame" after evaluating a unit, while noting that it reduces the headset's battery life while active.[1]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 David Heaney (2026-09-14). "Arcturus Vision Camera Adds Color Passthrough & 3D Video Capture To Steam Frame". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/steam-frame-arcturus-vision-camera-color-passthrough/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 "Arcturus Vision Camera - 5K HDR Passthrough for Steam Frame". Arcturus Vision. https://arcturus.vision/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Michael Zelich (2026-09-22). "A $149 camera gives Steam Frame colour passthrough, and Valve lists it as compatible". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/arcturus-vision-camera-149-steam-frame-colour-passthrough/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2026-09-02). "Steam Frame is Getting a Color Passthrough Camera Upgrade Add-on". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/steam-frame-color-passthrough-camera-upgrade/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Arcturus Vision Camera on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4103250/Arcturus_Vision_Camera/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chris Steven (2026-09-18). "Steam Frame's power supply is a $29 extra, and Valve only sells its accessories at checkout". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/steam-frame-power-supply-29-accessories-only-at-checkout/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Scott Hayden (2026-09-28). "Arcturus Vision Steam Frame Add-on Review - A Literal Night and Day Difference". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/arcturus-vision-camera-review-steam-frame-passthrough-add-on/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Apps". Arcturus Vision. https://arcturus.vision/apps. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 David Heaney (2020-06-19). "Valve Index Now Has 3D-Correct Camera Passthrough". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/valve-index-room-view-3d/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "Arcturus Industries". Arcturus Industries. https://arcturus.industries/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.