Steam Frame is out, but you still can’t just add one to your cart. Valve’s wireless VR headset costs $1,059 with 256GB of storage or $1,299 with 1TB, and it sells through the same reservation queue Valve used for Steam Machine. This week Valve pushed new headset updates, and Steam’s Steam Frame Verified filter now lists 204 games that run well on the headset by itself.
Price, regions, and what’s in the deal
Per Valve’s launch announcement, Steam Frame ships directly through Steam in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, and Australia. Outside the US, the 256GB model is C$1,529, €1,049, £889, or A$1,609, and the 1TB model is C$1,859, €1,279, £1,089, or A$1,969, with VAT included where it applies. Buyers in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong go through Valve’s distributor KOMODO, and Valve says South Korea comes later.
Every headset includes a copy of Half-Life: Alyx that you redeem in the headset’s Settings. If you already own Alyx, you can’t claim a second copy. Valve also sells three optional add-ons, and you can only add them at checkout: a 45W power supply for $29, an Ergonomic Accessories Kit for $59 (hand straps, a top strap, and a bigger light blocker), and an Accessory Replacement Kit for $49.
How buying one works right now
Reservations opened on Monday, September 14. Valve shuffled everyone who signed up by Thursday, September 17 at 10 a.m. PT, and Valve said the first purchase emails would start going out on Friday, September 18. Once you get your email, you have 72 hours to buy before your spot passes to the next person. Anyone who signs up now goes to the back of the waitlist for the model they picked, and each region (North America, UK/EU, and Australia) has its own list.
To sign up, you need a Steam account in good standing and a Steam purchase made before April 27, 2026, and Valve allows one signup per household. Valve’s posts don’t say how many units it has or when the waitlist will clear.
Two ways to play
Steam Frame runs SteamOS on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with 16GB of RAM, so some games run right on the headset with no PC at all. Valve’s Steam Frame Verified badge marks the ones that work well that way, both VR games and regular flat games, and Steam’s Great on Frame page lists them.
For everything else, the headset plays your PC’s Steam library wirelessly. A small 6GHz wireless adapter in the box plugs into your gaming PC and gives the headset its own direct link, while the headset’s second radio stays on your home Wi-Fi. Two cameras inside track your eyes, and Valve uses that to put the sharpest detail wherever you’re looking. Valve says a laptop, Steam Deck, or Steam Machine can be the host too, for VR and flat games alike.
The key specs
According to the Steam Frame product page, each eye gets a 2160 x 2160 LCD panel running at 72 to 144Hz (Valve calls 144Hz experimental), behind pancake lenses with up to a 110-degree field of view. The IPD range is 60 to 70mm, and glasses up to 140mm wide fit inside. Four outward cameras with infrared illuminators handle tracking, so there are no base stations to set up, and they also give you black-and-white passthrough. The 21.6 Wh battery charges through a USB-C port on the back at up to 45W. The whole headset weighs 440g, and the core module alone is 185g.
The controllers
Steam Frame Controllers split a full gamepad across two hands, with ABXY on the right, a D-pad on the left, triggers, bumpers, and the same magnetic thumbsticks as the Steam Controller. That’s why they handle flat games as well as VR. They also have capacitive finger tracking, dual-stage grip buttons, and a haptic motor in each one. Each controller runs on a single AA battery that Valve rates at about 40 hours, and Valve says they work with the full SteamVR catalog.
What changed this week
On Tuesday, October 6, Valve released a Steam Client update for every Frame owner. It runs the guided tour for each new account and fixes the wireless adapter’s Wi-Fi channel list in all regions. Valve also put SteamOS 0.4.5 into the opt-in beta (Settings, System, System Update Channel). It fixes a color clarity problem when you play from your PC, and the beta still carries earlier fixes like up to 12% better battery life and fixes for “Error 17” connection problems. For the full Error 17 fix, Valve says your PC also needs SteamVR 2.18.2 or later, which was still in beta when the update shipped.
If you have a strong gaming PC and a deep VR library on Steam, Frame is the easiest cable-free way Valve has offered to play it. If you mostly want to play on the headset alone, check the Verified list against your library before you reserve. For a head start, here are the best games to play on Steam Frame right now.