Soulart Station Could Bring Full-Body Tracking to Valve’s Steam Frame Without Wearable Trackers
Valve’s Steam Frame is shaping up to be one of the more interesting VR headsets for players who want a wireless, standalone experience. However, there is one major feature that serious social VR users will notice right away: full-body tracking is not built in.
The headset relies on inside-out tracking, which is great for convenience. It means users do not need to set up external base stations around the room, and it helps keep the experience cleaner and more flexible. But for VRChat players and other virtual reality users who want accurate leg, hip, and full-body movement, inside-out tracking alone is not enough.
That is where Korean startup Soulart believes it has a solution. The company is developing a device called Station, a markerless full-body tracking system designed to bring more natural movement into SteamVR without forcing users to strap trackers to their body.
Soulart Station is designed to act like a smarter base station
At first glance, Soulart Station looks similar to familiar VR tracking base stations, but the company’s approach is different. Instead of depending on a PC to handle the tracking process, Station includes its own neural processing unit. That allows the device to process motion data directly on the hardware itself.
According to Soulart, Station connects directly to SteamVR and should work with games and apps that support full-body tracking. For users who spend a lot of time in VRChat, that could make it a very appealing add-on, especially if they want a cleaner setup without wearable tracking pucks.
The device can cover an area of up to 50 square meters and supports tracking at up to 120 Hz. It uses machine learning to interpret body movement, which is one of the most important parts of the system. However, Soulart also notes that this approach may come with slightly higher latency and tracking error compared with traditional tracker-based systems.
In other words, Station may not fully replace the precision of dedicated body trackers for every user, but it could offer a much more convenient alternative.
One Station may work, but more units could improve tracking
Soulart says a single Station unit is enough to begin using the system. That could be good news for users who want to keep costs lower or test the technology before expanding their setup.
However, the company also says multiple Station units should provide better results. That is not surprising, as additional tracking coverage could help reduce blind spots and improve accuracy when users turn, crouch, dance, or move quickly in VR.
For VRChat players who care about expressive movement, this could matter a lot. Full-body tracking is not just about walking or standing. It is about body language, dancing, sitting naturally, and making avatars feel more alive. If Station can deliver convincing full-body motion without requiring users to wear several trackers, it could find a strong audience.
Pricing is still uncertain
Soulart has suggested that Station could cost under $400, but the final price has not been confirmed. The company is still in early production, and a crowdfunding campaign is planned to support the next stage of development.
That means buyers should treat the current pricing as an estimate rather than a final retail figure. If one Station costs close to $400, a two- or three-unit setup could become expensive quickly.
Even so, the product may still be cheaper and more convenient than some full-body tracking alternatives. Traditional setups often require several individual trackers, charging cables, straps, and ongoing battery management. Station’s biggest advantage is its markerless design, which removes the need to attach hardware to your waist, feet, or legs.
Standalone Steam Frame support could be the biggest feature
The most interesting part of Soulart’s plan is its work on standalone support for Valve’s Steam Frame. The company has confirmed that it is developing this capability, which could allow Station to work with the headset without requiring a gaming PC.
That would be a major step for standalone VR. The Steam Frame runs SteamOS on an Arm-based Snapdragon chip, and pairing it with an external markerless full-body tracking system could make it much more attractive to VRChat users.
A wireless Steam Frame setup with full-body tracking and no PC would be a strong selling point for people who want freedom of movement. It could also help Valve’s headset stand out in a market where standalone VR convenience often comes at the cost of advanced tracking features.
How it compares with wearable tracker systems
One of the closest alternatives is a system like Fluxpose, which uses rechargeable 6DOF trackers attached to the user’s body. That type of setup can work well in SteamVR and can map full-body movement for VRChat and similar applications.
The downside is comfort and convenience. Wearable trackers need to be charged, strapped on, adjusted, and maintained. For casual users, that can be enough friction to avoid full-body tracking altogether.
Soulart Station is trying to remove that barrier. If it can provide reliable full-body tracking from external hardware without wearable sensors, it could make body tracking more accessible to a wider group of VR users.
Steam Frame is already a costly headset
The Steam Frame itself is not expected to be a budget device. Pricing starts at $1,059 for the 256 GB model and rises to $1,299 for the 1 TB version. The headset also does not include a power adapter in the box, which may frustrate some buyers.
Adding a full-body tracking solution on top of that pushes the total cost even higher. If Station launches near the expected sub-$400 price, Steam Frame owners could be looking at a very expensive VR setup, especially if they want multiple Station units for better tracking.
Still, for dedicated VRChat users, immersive social VR fans, and players who want a more natural avatar experience, the extra cost may be worth it. Full-body tracking remains one of the most desired features in social VR, and a markerless solution built with SteamVR and Steam Frame support in mind could be a major upgrade.
Soulart Station is still an early product, and many questions remain around price, accuracy, latency, availability, and real-world performance. But the concept is compelling: full-body VR tracking without wearable pucks, without a required PC, and potentially with direct support for Valve’s Steam Frame.
If Soulart can deliver on those promises, Station could become one of the most important accessories for Steam Frame owners who want a deeper, more expressive VR experience.
