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Valve has started selling the Steam Frame, and we already know its prices. The new headset starts at $1,059 or €1,049, so it definitely won’t be a direct rival to the much cheaper Meta Quest 3. The 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 image is handled by two LCD displays with a resolution of 2160 × 2160 pixels per eye. Refresh rate ranges from 72 to 144 Hz, with the highest mode labeled experimental. Those specs are closer to devices like the Meta Quest than to much more expensive headsets that use micro-OLED screens. FlatpanelsHD also notes the limited contrast of the LCD panels used.
The Steam Frame runs on SteamOS, uses inside-out tracking, and weighs about 440 grams with the strap. Valve is also developing a standalone version of Half-Life: Alyx that runs without a PC. The game is tied to the device's launch, but the version that runs natively on the Snapdragon chipset will be released later.
Steam Frame therefore looks more like an attempt to expand Valve's entire ecosystem than a product meant to compete on price with the Quest. The problem is that with a price of over €1,000, expectations for the whole package become much higher.
Sources: FlatpanelsHD and the official Steam website
