Despite announcing it over a year ago, Valve has now officially unveiled the curtain on its next VR headset: the Steam Frame. Scheduled for release sometime later this year, the Steam Frame will set users back $1,059 for the 256 GB version or $1,299 for the 1 TB model. Both models sport the same hardware specifications, features, and controllers, and only differ with regard to internal storage. If you’ve been eager to get your hands on the Steam Frame, sign-ups are currently live for a chance at pre-ordering the device in the coming weeks. They will run until September 17, 2026, at 1:00 pm EDT.

What are The Specifications?

In a spec sheet rundown, Valve notes that the Steam Frame is built around a 4 nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. A specifically mobile piece of technology, the hardware is apparently good enough to natively run Half-Life: Alyx without the need for a PC connection. Coincidentally, Alyx is included with a purchase of the device, giving all buyers the opportunity to experience VR gaming without much fuss. The Steam Frame also has 16 GB of unified LPDDR5X RAM, a microSD card slot (likely for storing games), a 2160×2160 LCD panel, and a 72-144 Hz refresh rate. Audio will be handled by dual speaker drivers per ear, while tracking is handled with an inside-out based camera to ensure more accurate movement.

If you are planning on using this with your PC instead of as a standalone device, the Steam Frame comes equipped with a Wi-Fi 7, 2×2 adapter, and built-in Bluetooth 5.4 support. The new controllers featured full Six-Degrees-of-Freedom, and everything is powered by a rechargable Lithium-Ion battery. It’s a major step up from the previous Valve VR headset, the Index. While maybe not a generational leap in technology, this will definitely be the better way to experience VR games on your PC in the future.

Can it Be Used with Non-VR titles?

As with most VR headsets, the Steam Frame is compatible with non-VR titles in your library. Valve has designed the Steam Frame to be a streaming-first wireless VR headset, so everything is self-contained. With this, you can utilize Steam Link to stream your games to the device from a PC. VR games, on the other hand, are built to run natively on the device, so they won’t require streaming of any kind. It stands to reason that non-VR titles will also function on the headset, though which ones is unclear yet. Valve has introduced a new “Steam Frame Compatible” indicator for its digital storefront that acts similarly to its notification for owners of the Steam Deck. This indicator will also be present for products compatible with the device, with the website currently listing prescription inserts and a color pass-through camera.

Last Word on the Steam Frame’s Price

With the current global RAM crisis and PC prices being as high as they are, the Steam Frame’s $1,059 starting price is a bit steep. Valve initially wanted a lower price, but similar to the recently released Steam Machine, couldn’t make that happen. Many reviews are stating the Steam Frame is on par with Meta’s Quest 3 headset in terms of performance, which means you’re mostly paying more for ergonomics and customer support from Valve. Whether that is worth it or not is a personal question, though it seems this device could have been a lot more special had it released under better circumstances.