Valve’s Steam Frame VR headset price reveal: A good option for sim racers?
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← Equipment • News15 September 2026 — 3 minute read
By Ross McGregor
- Steam Frame VR headset price revealed
- Valve’s new product features impressive wireless streaming abilities
The embargo on Valve’s new Steam Frame VR headset has finally been lifted, and its price tag has emerged as a huge talking point.
Pitched at $1,059 / €1,049 / £889 for the 256 GB model and $1,299 / €1,279 / £1,089 for the 1TB edition, the Steam Frame is obviously quite expensive, but it was always likely to be this way considering the recent jump in global RAM prices (thanks, AI datacentres).
Steep
The price is especially steep compared with perhaps its biggest rival, the Meta Quest 3, which is less than half the price. Performance-wise, the Steam Frame features similarly styled Pancake lenses (for better edge-to-edge visual clarity), double the RAM (16GB), and 2160 x 2160 resolution per eye, compared with the Quest 3’s 2,064 x 2,208.
Essentially, it’s a lot of money for a relatively small performance bump.
However, the Steam Frame is lighter (408g vs 437g) and includes a 6 GHz wireless adapter and dual radios to keep the headset’s wireless connection to your PC as stable as possible. The package also includes foveated streaming to help optimise performance in wireless mode, making it a genuinely usable wireless SteamVR device, judging from early reviews.
This isn’t a huge selling point for sim racers, granted, owing to the increased likelihood of latency, but the opportunity to drive without cables is undoubtedly an attractive one.
Its battery is also located in the rear strap area, making it a much more balanced, and by extension, comfortable, prospect. However, this may have knock-on effects on comfort for sim racers, given most drivers have a solid backrest to lean on.
Competition
In terms of price and performance, the Steam Frame is more similar to the Pimax Crystal Light (RRP: $899, not including shipping and taxes).
Pimax’s headset boasts 2880 x 2880 resolution per eye but is significantly heavier at 815g and features a bulkier aesthetic. It also supports 72Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz refresh rates, while the Steam Frame gazumps it with experimental support for 144Hz (the Quest 3 can interestingly now operate at 240Hz in Developer Mode).
Each option has pros and cons, but Valve’s slick interface, combined with a bundled copy of arguably the finest VR game ever made (Half-Life: Alyx), makes the Steam Frame an attractive package, despite the extra cost.
We will be able to offer a more informed verdict once we get our hands on one for review.
In the meantime, those who want to buy a Steam Frame must first enter a randomised email ballot draw, which, although frustrating, is designed to ward off opportunistic resellers.
Steam Frame VR headset specifications
- 4 nm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 – ARM64
- 16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM
- 256GB or 1TB UFS storage, microSD card slot
- Rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery
- 2160 x 2160 LCD (per eye)
- 72-144Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental)
- Inside-out camera based tracking
- Headset: Wi-Fi 7, 2×2, Dual Radios
- Wireless Adapter Included (Wi-Fi 6E)
- Bluetooth 5.4
- Dual speaker drivers per ear, dual microphone array
- SteamOS 3
- Steam Frame Controllers – full 6-DOF and gamepad controls
- Half-Life: Alyx included
Steam Frame VR headset price
- Steam Frame 256GB – $1,059 / €1,049 / £889
- Steam Frame 1TB – $1,299 / €1,279 / £1,089