Valve launches Steam Frame wireless VR headset preorders from £889
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Valve has opened preorders for its Steam Frame wireless VR headset, and the review embargo has also lifted, marking the completion of the new hardware line-up alongside the Steam Machine and Steam Controller first unveiled in November 2025. Early reviews describe the Frame as flexible and versatile, notably able to run Half-Life: Alyx standalone without a separate PC, though pricing has risen above Valve's original plans due to the same memory shortages and component cost increases that affected the Steam Machine.
The 256GB model starts at £889/$1,059/€1,049, rising to £1,089/$1,299/€1,279 for the 1TB version, with extras such as a long-cable charger (£29/$29/€39), an ergonomic hand-strap kit (£59/$59/€69) and a replacement parts kit (£49/$49/€59) adding further cost. Orders use the same randomised reservation system as the Steam Machine launch: sign-ups between 14 and 17 September (6pm BST/10am PT) are randomly assigned a place in the fulfilment order or waitlist, after which later sign-ups simply join the waitlist in registration order.
- Steam Frame VR headset preorders and reviews are now live
- Prices start at £889, higher than Valve originally planned
- Random reservation lottery runs 14–17 September for stock allocation
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Valve unveiled its Steam Frame headset alongside a new games console (Steam Machine) and controller back in November 2025, as part of its push into hardware beyond the Steam gaming platform it already runs. Valve is best known for Steam, the dominant online store and library service for PC games, and for VR titles such as Half-Life: Alyx.
Virtual reality headsets let players see games rendered in 3D and move around inside them, usually needing either a powerful separate computer or a self-contained design that runs games on the headset itself. Valve's Frame is a wireless model in this space, competing with devices such as Meta's Quest 3, and its price has been affected by rising costs for computer memory chips that have made components more expensive across the electronics industry generally.
Full account
Valve has opened preorders for the Steam Frame, its wireless virtual reality headset, marking the final piece of the hardware line-up the company first showed off in November 2025 alongside the Steam Machine console and a redesigned Steam Controller. The launch also coincided with the lifting of review embargoes, with early coverage describing the Frame as an unusually flexible headset that can handle everything from lightweight 'flat' Steam games to full standalone play of Half-Life: Alyx without needing a separate gaming PC.
Pricing lands higher than Valve had originally hoped, with reports pointing to the same memory shortages and rising component costs that also pushed up the Steam Machine's price and constrained its supply. The entry-level 256GB Steam Frame starts at £889 (around $1,059/€1,049), while a 1TB model costs £1,089 (about $1,299/€1,279); both include two Steam Frame controllers and a copy of Half-Life: Alyx. Neither bundle includes a charger, and buyers wanting one, along with optional extras such as an Ergonomic Accessories Kit for more comfortable hand straps or a replacement gasket and cushion kit, can expect to add roughly £29 to £59 per item, pushing the overall cost meaningfully higher for anyone kitting the headset out in full.
As with the Steam Machine, Valve is using a randomised reservation system rather than a straightforward first-come, first-served queue. Customers who sign up between 14 and 17 September will be randomly sorted into either a reservation slot, entitling them to an email invitation to buy once stock allows, or a waitlist if demand outstrips initial supply; anyone signing up after the window closes joins the waitlist in registration order. Reservation holders are expected to start receiving purchase invitations shortly after the sign-up period ends. Buyers must have a Steam account in good standing and a qualifying purchase history, with only one reservation allowed per household. Shipping will run directly from Valve in the US, Canada, UK, EU and Australia, and via a third-party partner in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.
Beyond pricing and logistics, the Frame is being pitched as a genuinely PC-flavoured VR device: it runs a Snapdragon chipset with 16GB of RAM, can stream a user's full Steam library rather than just VR titles, and uses a compatibility rating system similar to the Steam Deck's to flag which games work well running natively on the headset. Early reviewer commentary suggests it is a harder sell than the Steam Machine, since cheaper standalone VR headsets already exist on the market, but that its versatility, eye-tracking capabilities and ability to run demanding titles like Alyx untethered set it apart from mainstream rivals such as Meta's Quest line, alongside the appeal for some buyers of avoiding a Meta-linked ecosystem altogether.
Where outlets differ
One source reads as a hands-on review with editorial opinion (calling the Frame 'the most versatile' headset of its kind and weighing whether it's worth buying against cheaper standalone rivals), while the other is a straighter news report focused on pricing and logistics.
The review-style source emphasises UK pricing in pounds and frames the cost against the earlier, cheaper Valve Index, while the news-style source emphasises US dollar pricing and compares it directly to the Steam Machine's cost.
The news-style source goes into much more detail on eligibility rules, per-household limits and regional shipping/fulfilment arrangements, details largely absent from the review-style source.
The review-style source stresses the impact of memory shortages and component costs on pricing as a key narrative point; the news-style source mentions specs and bundled software (Half-Life: Alyx) more prominently.
More coverage
- Polygon — Valve's VR Headset Costs $1,000+, and Reservations Are Open Now
- PC Gamer — The Steam Frame launches during one of the slowest periods for VR on Steam, but Valve hopes to 'rekindle the excitement' for PCVR
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Rock Paper Shotgun as “Valve’s Steam Frame VR headset opens for orders, with the cheapest model priced at a lenswatering £889 / $1,059”.