Valve unveils its virtual reality headset and its price is going to leave you sitting down

Ten months after its existence was revealed, Valve has finally launched its virtual reality headset, the Steam Frame. Completely standalone, without needing a computer to work, it launches with one small problem: its price. With two models available, the 256GB and the 1TB, its price is €1,049/$1,059/£889 and €1,279/$1,299/£1,089 respectively.

Valve launching hardware at the worst possible moment

This is a price far above that of its main competitors, which are around €300-400 cheaper. But Valve has picked the worst possible moment to launch this hardware, because of component shortages driven by AI demand. That doesn’t seem likely to be resolved anytime soon, with the RAM makers saying their output is already spoken for, at least, until the end of 2028.

If you’re interested in buying a Steam Frame, the way to do it is exactly the same as with the Steam Machine. You’ll have to put your name on a list between today and Thursday, September 17 at 19:00, local time in mainland Spain, when reservations will close and spots on the lists will be assigned by lottery. So it will be decided by lottery who can get a Steam Frame among those who signed up first.

While they still haven’t clarified when they will begin shipping the Steam Frame, to get one you’ll need to sign up before Thursday the 17th. So if you’re interested sign up as soon as possible, or there’s no telling when you’ll be able to get one.