Valve Steam Frame VR Headset Starts at $1,059, Reservations Close September 17

Valve’s first standalone VR headset now has a price, a release window, and a hard deadline you need to know about. Steam Frame launches in two configurations: 256GB at $1,059 and 1TB at $1,299, with reservations open now through September 17, 2026 at 10 AM Pacific Time.

Miss that window and you go straight to the back of the waitlist.

How the Reservation System Works

Valve is not running a traditional preorder. Everyone who reserves before the September 17 deadline gets shuffled into a randomized lottery, meaning signing up today gives you exactly the same odds as signing up the day before the cutoff.

After randomization, Valve emails results on September 17: either a confirmed reservation within launch stock, or a waitlist position. Purchase offer emails follow on September 18, and customers have roughly three days to complete the transaction before losing their slot.

Eligibility rules mirror the anti-scalper measures Valve applied to earlier hardware launches. Your account must be in good standing, include at least one Steam purchase before April 27, 2026, and be limited to one signup per household.

What You Get, and What Costs Extra

Both SKUs ship with the headset, tracked controllers, a Wi-Fi 6E wireless dongle for PC streaming, and a copy of Half-Life: Alyx. The Snapdragon Series 8 Gen 3 chipset handles native VR titles onboard, while the dongle enables wireless streaming of nearly the entire Steam library from a connected PC.

Here is the catch: there is no power supply in the box. Valve sells a 45W USB-C PSU separately for $29.

Add the Ergonomic Accessories Kit (hand straps, top strap, extended light blocker) at $59, and your effective entry cost for a fully kitted 256GB unit lands around $1,147 before tax and shipping. A Replacement Accessory Kit covering the face gasket, head cushion, and light blocker runs $49.

Third-party accessory maker Arcturus Vision is also launching a color passthrough camera module for approximately $149. It connects via the headset’s nose-bridge port. The module upgrades Steam Frame’s default monochrome passthrough to full color and adds spatial video recording and scene-mapping capabilities.

Regional pricing covers most major Steam markets.

Who This Is Really For

At $1,059, Steam Frame sits well above mainstream VR headsets. Analysts describe the price as high but defensible for enthusiasts, given the hybrid capability: fully standalone operation plus wireless PC VR streaming from an existing Steam library that dwarfs any standalone store catalog.

The value case rests on your existing Steam library. The bigger it is, the more the $1,059 entry price spreads across titles you already own.

The September 17 deadline at 10 AM Pacific is the only date that matters right now. Enter the lottery, wait for results, and keep three days clear to complete your purchase if the reservation comes through.