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Valve has started selling the Steam Frame and we already know its prices. The new headset starts at US$1,059 or €1,049, so it definitely won't be a direct rival to the much cheaper Meta Quest 3. This device is aimed more at people who are heavily invested in the Steam ecosystem.
Steam Frame comes in two versions, with storage being the main difference between them. The base 256 GB model is priced at $1,059 / €1,049, while the 1 TB version costs $1,299 / €1,279. Valve has launched a registration system, with potential buyers then selected through a lottery. FlatpanelsHD notes that the final price is considerably higher than many users had expected following Valve’s earlier announcements.
Steam Frame itself is an interesting hybrid. The headset can wirelessly stream games running on a powerful PC, but it can also run some titles independently. Inside, there is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor paired with 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory.
The headset uses two LCD displays with a resolution of 2160 × 2160 pixels per eye. Refresh rates range from 72 to 144 Hz, although the highest setting is currently labelled as experimental. These specifications put Steam Frame closer to devices such as Meta Quest than to significantly more expensive headsets equipped with micro-OLED displays. FlatpanelsHD also points out the limited contrast of the LCD panels used by Valve.
Steam Frame runs SteamOS, uses inside-out tracking and weighs around 440 grams including the head strap. Valve is also developing a standalone version of Half-Life: Alyx that will work without a PC. The game is tied to the headset’s launch, although the version running natively on the Snapdragon chipset is expected to arrive later.
Steam Frame therefore looks more like an attempt to expand Valve's entire ecosystem rather than a product meant to compete with the Quest on price. The problem is that at a price of over €1,000 the expectations for the overall package become much higher.
Sources: FlatpanelsHD and Official Steam website
