Monday, September 14th 2026
Valve's Steam Frame Starts at $1,059, Pre-Orders Now Open
Valve finally revealed pricing for the much-anticipated Steam Frame today. The standalone VR headset starts at $1,059 for the 256 GB model, while the 1 TB version costs $1,299. Pre-orders are open now through a randomized reservation lottery, similar to how Valve handled the Steam Machine launch. Sign-ups close on September 17, and Valve says it expects to send the first batch of purchase invites out on September 18. Valve also confirmed pricing for launch accessories, including a $29 power supply unit that surprisingly does not come included. Other add-ons include a $59 Ergonomic Accessories Kit, and a $49 Accessory Replacement Kit for the face gasket and cushions.
The pricing follows the same pattern Valve set with the Steam Machine, which launched in June at a steep $1,049, much higher than expected. The company blamed DRAM and storage shortages for pushing costs well past initial targets, and the same seems to have happened to the Steam Frame now. Industry reports say Valve had originally aimed to price the Frame below the $999 Index, but that goal looks to have gotten buried under the same memory crisis. It seems like the entire VR and handheld gaming space is now paying the DRAM tax, and I doubt the Frame will be the last device to see its price creep upward before launch.
Source:
Valve
The pricing follows the same pattern Valve set with the Steam Machine, which launched in June at a steep $1,049, much higher than expected. The company blamed DRAM and storage shortages for pushing costs well past initial targets, and the same seems to have happened to the Steam Frame now. Industry reports say Valve had originally aimed to price the Frame below the $999 Index, but that goal looks to have gotten buried under the same memory crisis. It seems like the entire VR and handheld gaming space is now paying the DRAM tax, and I doubt the Frame will be the last device to see its price creep upward before launch.
47 Comments on Valve's Steam Frame Starts at $1,059, Pre-Orders Now Open
Was really hoping it'd be closer to $500 or $600, then I'd have gotten one. Oh well.
For those of us w/ decently-stout gaming PCs already and don't mind being tethered to it, that seems like a much more affordable prospect.
Really, only possible if Valve designed Frame from the ground up to be modular, though.
I am sure it is the same, i checked with the steam machine in the past.
I don't see the problem, even if we didn't have this crisis going on.
Insane prices
[Sorry for the salt, I just really wanted this to be good. The most sad, potent frustration is born from disappointment.]
Company is not Your friend, with Valve it's just that the profit was to be made where the interest supposedly aligned with players(while trying to monopolize gaming scene), and that's why it is what it is today.
And it comes without all the privacy issues of the competitors, no ads either.
I don't know about you, but I'm honestly willing to pay an extra $460 dollars for this.
But I won't outright endorse Meta just out of principle due to how they harvest data. Genuinely immoral and I won't even try to defend it---I just personally don't care about my data so much. Steam is SO much better with consumer-friendly practices. I just wouldn't pay exorbitant prices for their hardware, even if it's objectively better for privacy. Especially not anywhere near four figures worth (I'm broke lol).
Knowing this world we live in this will probably still end up selling out and being scalped on ebay for double or triple the cost.