Steam Frame Is Here: $1,059 Headset, a Reservation Lottery and Half-Life: Alyx

Valve’s Steam Frame is finally purchasable, at least in theory. The company opened its reservation system on September 14, and the price is steep.

Pricing. According to Engadget, the Steam Frame starts at $1,059 for the 256GB model and $1,299 for the 1TB version. Both include controllers and Half-Life: Alyx. GamesRadar reports the entry price as £889 in the UK.

Optional accessories. Engadget lists a PSU/charger at $29, an Accessory Replacement Kit at $49 and an Ergonomic Accessories Kit at $59. Prescription lenses through Zenni Optical and an RGB camera from Arcturus have pricing that is still to be announced.

How to buy one. Valve is using a randomized queue rather than first come, first served. Sign-ups are open through September 17 at 10 AM PT. Valve will randomize the order that day, per Engadget, with purchase emails beginning September 18. Anyone who signs up after September 17 goes to the back of the waitlist. PC Gamer’s headline advises entering before September 17 for the best chance of getting one this year.

What you get. Engadget reports a built-in 21.6Wh battery, foveated rendering and eye tracking, a Gamepad mode for 2D games, and more than 130 verified standalone titles at launch. Half-Life: Alyx will ship “soon” after launch rather than on day one, per Engadget. Valve said “foveated rendering and eye tracking turned out to be a silver bullet” for getting Alyx to run on the headset, work that took “over a year” of software development.

Why so expensive. A PC Gamer headline reads: “Valve targeted a lower price for the Steam Frame, then the memory crisis happened: ‘I wish we could have shipped it at the price that we were at last year.’” We could not retrieve the article body, so we can’t say who said the quoted line. Valve also said in February that memory and storage shortages had pushed back pricing and launch dates for its hardware. In that February statement, Valve said: “When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now. But the memory and storage shortages you’ve likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then.”

The catch. Engadget’s own review is headlined “Solid standalone VR that’s too little, too late,” so read the reviews before entering the queue.

Bottom line. The Steam Frame costs $1,059 to $1,299, the reservation window closes September 17, and Valve is using a randomized queue to order buyers.