Steam Frame lenses by VR Optician

Back on Monday, I finally received some lens inserts for my Steam Frame. I originally registered my interest in getting some back on September 20th, got an email to say they were available for purchase on October 1st, and ordered them the same day. They finally turned up on the 26th (two days ago). Considering that the Steam Frame is still a pretty new device, and I imagine the company were still getting fully set up to handle all of this, this felt like a good turnaround.

The company I used this time around (I've used others for my Quest 2 and PSVR2 headsets) was VR Optician. In my case I was ordering actual prescription lenses. While I am mildly short-sighted, and also have to contend with astigmatism, I can mostly get away with using a headset without correction. It's not ideal, but it's also not impossible to play and read in the headset. In fact, for the last few weeks that I've had the Steam Frame, I've got used to it.

On Monday evening I took a moment to fit the lenses and give them a very quick try-out. Oh, the difference! It's not a surprise, of course, but I was already impressed with how clear the Frame is; with the lenses in place it felt like a whole new headset again.

I ordered the "slim/comfort" versions, as opposed to the "advanced eye-tracking/VRChat" versions¹. I don't need advanced eye-tracking (at least for the foreseeable future) and I'm very unlikely to ever need to be doing anything in VRChat. Despite being the "slim" version, they obviously add some extra bulk to the lenses.

I can't say I'm currently noticing a difference in how they feel with respect to my eyes (although this week isn't one that's giving me much opportunity to mess about in VR), but there is a noticeable extra bit of "pinch" on the sides of my nose. Hopefully, with a little more time in the headset, I'll find a sweet spot when it comes to comfort.

As for whether it was worth the £69.00 plus shipping... yeah, for sure. They correct my eyesight, let me get the most out of the headset, and they let me do it in a way that protects the actual Frame's lenses (both in terms of giving them a less-expensive cover and by removing the urge to try and wear glasses inside the headset).