tobias_platen's blog
Tobias Alexandra Platen's software freedom blog
Steam Frame, Gaming and VR devroom at FOSDEM and a new FPGA devboard
Yesterday Valve announced the Steam Frame (and some more devices). Before that there have been leaks about a project called the Valve Deckard. Like the Meta Quest the Steam Frame uses a Qualcomm ARM SoC. It does not run Android and comes with a GNU/Linux disto called SteamOS. My current VR headset is a Valve Index, which works well with free software maintained by Collabora. While the Valve Index is now discontinued, I guess that one can still buy replacement parts from iFixit. There are still new lighthouse products from Bitcraze AB, including an upcoming RP2040 based version of the Lighthouse Deck. The TS4231 (an infrared receiver IC for SteamVR) is also used by PiMax and other companies that make VR gear. I even made my own breakout board for the TS4231 after I heard an interesting talk at FOSDEM 2025.
So at FOSDEM 2026 I plan to do a talk in the Gaming and VR devroom about my work on Godot based VR games. While I am currently adding support for full-body tracking to Godot Beep Saber VR (using SlimeVR trackers for example) I am looking for a Fully Freedom-Respecting VR Headset. As none exists I started building my own prototypes. For the HMD I will use the Persephone 2, a DiY SteamVR Headset but with Lighthouse tracking added. I still use the Valve Knuckles Controller with libsurvive, but it is also possible to build your own VR controllers. I am also going to build my own devboard with the RP2040 and the Lattice iCE40HX8K-CB132 FPGA (the same FPGA model that other SteamVR devices use). For a possible wireless controller/tracker I will use the same chips that Valve, Bitcraze and SlimeVR Butterfly Trackers use.
While by first FPGA board will be iCE40 based I am already planning for an upgrade to the ECP5 used by the OrangeCrab. This FPGA is ideal for development of more complex hardware such as a GPU or a BMC. It is also used in the Arctic Tern and the much cheaper ULX3S. Or even a fork of the OrangeCrab with two FPGAs: either one ECP5 and one iCE40, or possibly two ECP5 FPGAs connected via SerDes. For some use cases this could be cheaper than an Artic Tern with both slots populated. But I think the Arctic Tern is worth its money. But first I will wait for the Solid Silicon X1 and the Antarctic Tern. If there is no new ECP5 board in the end of 2026 that fits my use case I might make one. But first I will make a clone of the Shoto Core Module but designed to work with libsurvive instead of SteamVR. On the long term a Fully Freedom-Respecting GPU ASIC is needed, like the Talos II and Steam Frame this could also include a Gen 4 PCIe interface. I will continue using my Valve Index with my Talos II for many years and I am not willing to spend money on the Steam Frame or the Steam Machine. But I am still waiting for Valve to publish detailed technical specs, including any possible FPGA used in the Steam Frame before I make my own FPGA powered VR headset.