Steam Frame starts at $1,609, VR headset on sale soon

Valve’s VR headset, the Steam Frame, is finally an actual product about to go on sale to the masses. Following the recent launch of the Steam Machine, once Valve’s wearable device is out, it’ll mean everything announced late last year will have seen the light of day.

Designed as a standalone VR headset with two wireless controllers for playing games, the Steam Frame also connects to other devices via an included 6GHz dongle. Valve advertises the device as a PC in its own right, able to install games and apps directly to the headset, like the Meta Quest 3.

Using custom pancake lenses, the Steam Frame provides a 2160 x 2160 resolution to each eye via an LCD screen. Refresh rates between 72Hz and 144Hz are supported, with a 110-degree field of view visible when wearing the device.

On the inside, Valve’s VR headset is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, with either 256GB or 1TB of internal storage, expandable via a microSD card slot. It also uses a 21.6Wh Li-ion battery, which some early reviews found lasted less than an hour on some games. The included controllers run on a single AA battery, which Valve claims lasts up to 40 hours.

Out of the box, the Frame supports black-and-white passthrough, letting you see what’s in front of you while wearing the headset. Full colour passthrough requires an optional $235 camera attachment.

Steam Frame Australian price

Now listed online, the Steam Frame comes in two configurations, priced in Australia as follows:

• 256GB kit: $1,609
• 1TB kit: $1,969

Apart from the internal storage, both models have the same specs. They also come with a digital copy of the VR-exclusive Half-Life: Alyx.

However, Valve doesn’t ship a power supply with the Steam Frame. It says that any 45W USB-C charger will do the job, including the charger included with the Steam Deck. Alternatively, Valve sells a power supply unit for $49. Other accessories include an optional $99 ergonomic kit, replete with additional straps for the headset and controllers, and an $89 replacement kit for the in-box accessories.

For those keen to grab Valve’s VR headset, the company is once again employing a reservation system. Aussies can join the list by 2:30 AM AEST on 18 September. After that, Valve will email those randomly assigned to purchase the device. Valve used a similar approach to manage demand when it launched the Steam Machine a few months ago.

Pricier than the $969 Meta Quest 3 and the $569 Meta Quest 3S, the Steam Frame isn’t positioned as an entry-level device. Perhaps the AI-driven global memory shortage has wrought havoc on the pricing, much like Valve conceded it did with the Steam Machine.

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