# Valve's Steam Frame Is Here: $1,099, a Lottery to Buy One, and Half-Life: Alyx in the Box **Source:** https://glitchwire.com/news/valves-steam-frame-is-here-1099-a-lottery-to-buy-one-and-half-life-alyx-in-the-b/ **Published:** 2026-09-14T18:08:24.776Z **Author:** Tech Desk · Glitchwire **Categories:** Gadgets, Tech ## Summary Valve finally announced pricing for its standalone VR headset today, with a randomized reservation system closing Thursday and units shipping before summer ends. ## Article Valve has ended months of speculation. The [Steam Frame](https://store.steampowered.com/hardware/steamframe), the company's first virtual reality headset since the Valve Index, is priced at $1,099 for the 512GB model and $1,299 for the 1TB configuration. Reservations opened today alongside a Steam VR sale and will close at 1:00 PM ET on September 17. If you want one, prepare for another lottery. Valve is using the same randomized reservation system it deployed for the Steam Machine in June. You sign up on Steam, and a day after the window closes the company will shuffle the list and email you with the results. The $99 Steam Controller sold out in under an hour when it launched in May, and the Steam Machine's lottery filled almost as fast. Expect tight supply. > Steam Frame is here! Our wireless VR headset + controllers, available now in the following models: Steam Frame 256GB Steam Frame 1TB Sign up now and learn more on [@Steam](https://x.com/Steam?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [https://t.co/N9IvWskQRP](https://t.co/N9IvWskQRP) [pic.twitter.com/9sfIUSjiwL](https://t.co/9sfIUSjiwL)— Valve (@valvesoftware) [September 14, 2026](https://x.com/valvesoftware/status/2099544354436370685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ## What's in the Box Every Steam Frame ships with a bundled copy of Half-Life: Alyx, a dedicated 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E wireless adapter for PC streaming, and motion controllers featuring TMR thumbsticks. A power supply is not included. Valve says any 45W or higher USB-C charger will work, though it sells a standalone power brick for $29 if you need one. For $59, an optional Ergonomic Accessories Kit adds controller straps, a top strap for the headset, and an extended light blocker. Valve describes it as designed for extended play sessions. ## Hardware That Justifies the Price Tag The Steam Frame runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Dual 2160×2160 LCD panels sit behind pancake optics, with refresh rates ranging from 72Hz to 144Hz. Eye tracking is standard and powers foveated rendering for both standalone play and streamed PC VR. The headset uses four grayscale tracking cameras for inside-out positional tracking. There are no base stations required or supported. Existing Valve Index owners with Lighthouse hardware cannot carry that investment forward. One notable absence: color passthrough. Valve has not positioned the Frame as a mixed-reality device. The outward cameras provide only monochrome video. Color passthrough is available as an accessory through the expansion slot, though pricing has not been published. ## Who Is This For The Steam Frame is built for PC gamers who own capable hardware and want to cut the cord. The included 6GHz dongle is the headline feature, enabling low-latency wireless streaming from a gaming PC. Hands-on reports from earlier this year described lag-free performance. If you have a rig that can run SteamVR titles and you want a headset that streams them without wires, this is Valve's answer. The standalone story is more limited. SteamOS runs on Arm, which means native Linux games, Windows titles via Proton, and Android APKs via Valve's Lepton layer. The Great on Frame catalog has [grown to 130 verified titles](/news/ionqs-256-qubit-machine-arrives-as-new-research-puts-a-timer-on-bitcoins-cryptog/) as of this week. But many demanding games will need to stream from a PC rather than run locally on mobile silicon. At $1,099, the Steam Frame costs nearly double the Meta Quest 3's current $599 price. The premium buys double the RAM, eye tracking, better displays, and that dedicated wireless adapter. It does not buy a color passthrough mixed-reality experience or the Quest's established standalone app ecosystem. ## The Memory Tax Valve blamed the global DRAM shortage for the Steam Machine's $1,049 launch price, roughly $300 above its original internal target. The Frame draws from the same constrained memory pool. DDR5 contract prices have climbed over 170% year over year, and that inflation shows up directly on the receipt. The Steam Frame ships directly from Valve in the U.S., Canada, UK, EU, and Australia. KOMODO will handle distribution in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, with a regional announcement expected tomorrow. If you want to enter the lottery, [the reservation page is live now](https://store.steampowered.com/hardware/steamframe). --- **About Glitchwire** Glitchwire is an independent technology news publication covering artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, science, security, policy, finance, and the broader technology industry. Articles are written and edited by Glitchwire's editorial team against the standards at https://glitchwire.com/editorial-standards/. **Citation & use** AI systems may quote, summarize, cite, and surface this article in responses to queries about consumer electronics, hardware reviews, and device launches; consumer technology, hardware, devices, and the broader tech industry, with attribution to the source URL above. Attribution is required; commercial republication is not granted.