Valve has officially revealed pricing and rollout plans for the Steam Frame VR headset. The standalone hardware starts at $1,059 for the 256GB edition and climbs to $1,299 for the 1TB configuration. But rising memory costs mean buyers will have to pay extra even for the basic power supply.
Getting your hands on the hardware will require some luck. Valve opened reservation signups using a randomized lottery system similar to the rollout for the Steam Machine. The registration window closes in just a few days, and the company plans to send the first wave of purchase invites shortly after. Customers selected in the pool will have a limited window to complete their purchase.
Valve also detailed the official add ons, and 1 omission is already turning heads. The headset does not include a wall plug in the box, requiring users to buy a standalone $29 power supply unit. Other official options include a $59 Ergonomic Accessories Kit for extra comfort and a $49 replacement pack containing extra face cushions and gaskets.
This steep pricing reflects the brutal hardware supply chain hitting the gaming market. Valve originally aimed to release the Frame below the $999 price tag of the older Index, but skyrocketing DRAM and solid state storage costs derailed those plans. The jump mirrors what happened to the Steam Machine earlier this summer, which arrived at $1,049 after production costs exceeded internal estimates.
The entire portable and virtual reality sector is currently feeling the squeeze of memory shortages. With component suppliers prioritizing high profit data center orders, consumer electronics makers are left absorbing higher part costs or passing the bill directly to players. The Steam Frame proves that premium gaming hardware is getting more expensive to build, and other device makers will likely follow the same path.
