Valve's VR Headset Costs $1,000+, and Reservations Are Open Now
Overview & Key Takeaways
Valve has revealed the price of its VR headset, the Steam Frame, and it'll cost you a pretty penny. You can sign up for the waitlist now.
Last fall, Valve revealed a new lineup of hardware, including a GameCube-shaped gaming PC, called the Steam Machine, and a new controller. Also announced was the Steam Frame, Valve's VR headset. While price and release details for the Steam Machine were revealed in late June, VR gamers have been waiting for Valve to say just how much the Steam Frame would cost. On Monday, Valve officially announced the Steam Frame's price, and it's going to run you a pretty penny.
The 256GB storage Steam Frame is $1,059, or $10 more than the lowest-priced model of the Steam Machine. For $1,299, you can get a 1TB model. Both versions come with two Steam Frame Controllers, 16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM, 4 nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 - ARM64 processor, and more. You can check out the full specs on the Steam store. They'll also come with a copy of Half-Life: Alyx to add to your library.
Neither model will include a power supply, but Valve has those for purchase separately. The product page notes a Steam Deck charger ("or equivalent") will work, but you can also purchase a 45W power supply for $29. Other first-party accessories include Ergonomic Accessories Kit (two controller hand straps/battery doors, a headset top strap, and an extended light blocker) for $59 and the Accessory Replacement Kit (a face gasket, head cushion, and standard light blocker) for $49.
How to get a Steam Frame
Valve is handling sales of the Steam Frame like how it sold the Steam Machine. You'll have to sign up for one — and only one — model by Thursday, Sept. 17 at 1:00 p.m. EDT. After that, Valve will randomize the sign-ups into two buckets, essentially. A Steam Frame will be reserved for some people, while others will be added to a waitlist. Those in the reservation bucket will receive emails to purchase a Steam Frame as they become available to ship, Valve said in a news post. People will start receiving those emails on Sept. 18. Those on the waitlist will have to wait for an email to let them know if they've been moved to the reservation queue.
As Valve outlines, Steam Frame will ship directly from Steam in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union, and Australia. In Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan, it will be shipped via Komodo. Signup lists are separated by region, and you'll join the reservation queue or waitlist for your region.
To sign up, you'll have to meet certain criteria. You must have a Steam account in good standing and you must have made a purchase on Steam prior to April 27, 2026. Only one Steam Frame signup is allowed per household.
Steam Frame headset is not just for VR games; you can stream your whole Steam library to it. Like the Steam Deck and Steam Machine, games will also receive verification ratings to indicate which games will work "standalone" on it. Valve already has a "Great on Frame" curated page on the Steam store for you to browse Steam Frame Standalone Verified games.
Just like Steam Deck or Steam Machine, Steam Frame is a PC running on SteamOS. You'll be able to install other apps and tinker with it to your heart's content.
While the Steam Deck is currently in stock, if you want to pick up a Steam Machine or Steam Controller to go with your Steam Frame, you'll have to sign up for them as well at this time.
