Steam Frame release date, price, pre-order and latest news

It's not been the best time for virtual reality gaming over the last few years, but Valve's new Steam Frame will be hoping to shake things up a bit.

Valve has been hard at work getting games Steam Frame verified, and the first reactions to the hardware have been promising.

Virtual reality gamers have, in fact, not been eating all that good in recent years, but Valve is set to deliver a scrumptious feast, and as such, this article's main course is the Steam Frame release date, with a side of speculation, price, pre-order and latest news.

First announced in November 2025 as part of a tranche of Valve hardware, including the Steam Machine and Steam Controller, the Steam Frame is Valve's follow-up to the 2019 VR headset, the Index.

But, shortly after the Steam Frame was revealed, the memory shortage and pricing crisis scuppered Valve's best laid plans, and pushed back the release date.

It may be a while yet before this Meta Quest 3 competitor comes to market, but this will give developers more time to ensure their games are Steam Frame verified and to fawn over their developer kits.

Until then, we'll just have to stick to our Steam Deck's, and if you don't have one, good luck getting one. Maybe by the time you can, the Steam Deck 2 might be a thing.

So, for the low-down on the Steam Frame's release date, price, and how to pre-order one, here's what you need to know!

When is the Steam Frame release date?

The Steam Frame will launch on 18 September 2026, according to Valve.

That's when players will first be able to purchase one, that is, though based on the Steam Machine's release earlier this year, the first Steam Frames will likely be delivered around a week after purchase.

Initially, the Steam Frame was set to launch in "early 2026", but then, owing to memory shortages caused by what is being called "RAMageddon", this was changed to the first half of 2026 in a Steam Hardware FAQ, and now, Valve states that it hopes to ship "all three products this year" on the 2025 Year in Review page, with the other two products being the Steam Frame and Steam Controller.

As we noted for the Steam Machine price, the ongoing DRAM pricing crisis caused by the proliferation of AI data centres may push this back further, though the Steam Frame is slightly less at risk to these factors due to having less memory onboard overall.

What is the Steam Frame?

The Steam Frame is an all-in-one virtual reality headset akin to the Meta Quest.

Valve’s previous VR headset, the Index, required the user to set up basestations that beamed lasers in order for the headset to track where your head and hands were.

The Steam Frame uses cameras on the device to do this instead, a method called "inside out" tracking.

This makes setup a lot quicker and easier, and those cameras can be used for pass-through viewing so that you can see your surroundings.

The Steam Frame separates itself from its predecessor further by having a system-on-a-chip (SoC) onboard, meaning it is possible to use the device and play games, even when not plugged into a PC.

This SoC is similar to those found in phones, but Valve is using a piece of software called Fast Emulation eXtension (FEX) that can allow PC games to run on it, much like the Steam Deck uses Proton to allow Windows games to run on the Linux operating system.

It won’t be able to play highly demanding titles, but simpler games such as Beat Saber will run perfectly well.

As well as VR titles, you will also be able to use the Steam Frame as a virtual desktop, with windows surrounding you, like the Apple Vision Pro. A use case for this would be to play games on a virtual screen that appears much larger than your own.

When you do want to play demanding VR games from your PC, an included Wi-Fi dongle creates an ultrafast and low-latency dedicated network that streams the game to the Steam Frame, making for a hassle-free experience, so long as you keep the batteries charged up!

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Can I pre-order the Steam Frame?

No, you cannot currently pre-order the Steam Frame, but you can sign up to reserve one!

Similar to the launch of the Steam Machine, until 17 September at 10am PT, you can sign up for the waiting list via the Steam Frame's store page.

Once the registration window passes, the list will be randomised and you'll either be placed in the reservation queue or on a waitlist.

Players in the reservation queue will be notified by email when their Steam Frame is available to purchase, and will be given a window in which to buy it – failure to do so will result in your reservation being forfeited to someone else.

How much will the Steam Frame cost?

The Steam Frame costs £899/$1059/€1049 for the 256GB version, and £1089/$1299/€1279 for the 1TB version.

That's quite a lot of money – around twice the price of the Meta Quest 3, in fact – though it does offer more features.

It even comes with a copy of Half-Life: Alyx, so if you've been waiting to play that all this time, now's your chance!

Steam Frame specs explained

There are multiple aspects to the Stream Frame: it has the displays, SoC and controllers, and below you can check it all out!

Headset tech specs

General

• Processor – 4 nm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3, ARM64
• RAM – 16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM
• Storage – 256GB / 1TB UFS storage options (microSD card slot for expanded storage)
• Power – Rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery, one USB-C 2.0 port in the rear, for charging and data, charge with USB-C, 45W
• Modular Headstrap – Headstrap includes integrated dual audio drivers and a rechargeable battery on rear, headstrap weight: 245g, core module can be separated from headstrap, for other headstrap solutions.

Display and optics

• Display – 2160 x 2160 LCD (per eye), 72-144Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental)
• Optics – Custom pancake lenses, glass and non-glass optical elements, large FOV (up to 110 degrees)
• IPD target range – 60mm - 70mm
• Eye glasses max width – 140mm

Cameras and tracking

• Tracking – Inside-out camera based tracking
• Cameras – 4x outward facing monochrome cameras for controller and headset tracking, 2x interior cameras for eye tracking and foveated streaming
• Passthrough – Monochrome passthrough via outward facing cameras
• Low-light support – IR illuminators for tracking and passthrough in dark environments
• Expansion – User accessible front expansion port, dual high-speed camera interface (8 lanes @ 2.5Gbps MIPI) / PCIe Gen 4 interface (1-lane)

Connectivity

• Wi-Fi – Wi-Fi 7, 2x2, dual radios enable concurrent 5GHz Wi-Fi and 6GHz VR streaming
• Wireless Adapter – Wireless adapter included in the box, Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz), provides direct, low-latency link between headset and PC
• Bluetooth – Bluetooth 5.3, 2.4GHz dedicated link for Steam Frame Controllers

Audio

• Speakers – Dual speaker drivers per ear, integrated into headstrap
• Microphone – Dual microphone array

Size and weight

• Size – 175mm x 95mm x 110mm (core module + facial interface)
• Weight – 440 g - core module + headstrap, 185 g - core module

Software

• Operating System – SteamOS 3 (Arch-based)
• Desktop – KDE Plasma

Controller tech specs

Controls and Input

• Motion controls – Full 6-DOF tracking and IMU support
• Gamepad controls – A B X Y buttons (right controller), D-pad (left controller), Full-size magnetic thumbsticks (TMR) with capacitive touch, L & R analog triggers, L & R bumpers, View / Menu / Steam buttons, Dual stage grip buttons
• Haptics – Haptic motor in each controller
• Finger tracking – Capacitive sensing for all input surfaces, capacitive finger tracking

General

• Connectivity – 2.4GHz link to dedicated headset radio
• Size – 126mm x 73mm x 87mm per controller
• Weight – With battery 130g per controller, without battery 107g per controller
• Power – One replaceable AA battery per controller (40hr battery life)

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