Technology and Science · 14 September, 2026 · 3 min read
Valve Opens Steam Frame Pre-Orders With Half-Life: Alyx Included, Prices Start At $1,059
Valve opened Steam Frame pre-orders with two storage configurations. Base price $1,059 and includes standalone Half-Life: Alyx.
Whether price blocks hobbyists or signals an enthusiast niche.
7 of 9 outlets skipped it: standalone Alyx is a native 64-bit ARM build.
“But it carries a price tag which will make a lot of people roll their eyes, and doesn’t do much to dispel criticism that increasingly-costly VR headsets are pricing people out of the hobby.”
“But unlike Meta or Apple, Valve never stopped remembering who VR is primarily for: a small base of committed enthusiasts.”
BBCframes the price as pricing people out, whileAftermathframes it as for committed enthusiasts.
Steam Frame pricing revealed
Valve’s Steam Frame VR headset is now available for sign-up to order, with Valve listing models including a 256GB kit and a 1TB kit.
“The 256GB Kit costs $1,059 USD/£889 GBP”
Video Games Chronicle
The 256GB kit costs $1,059 USD/£889 GBP, while the 1TB kit costs $1,299 USD/ £1,089 GBP, and a power supply is not included.
Half-Life: Alyx is included with the Steam Frame, and Valve’s Steam Frame store page is where users can join the waiting list.
The BBC frames the release around the headline question of whether VR is still too expensive, noting the 1TB variant at £1,089 and the 256GB variant at £889.B
In the background of the pricing, Valve’s Steam Frame was announced alongside the Steam Machine in November 2025, and the units were delayed earlier in 2026 partly because high RAM prices made the Steam Machine’s price “significantly more” than Valve wanted.
Streaming tech and debate
The Steam Frame’s wireless streaming approach is described as “foveated streaming,” where the headset “displays only the exact thing you’re looking at in the highest quality” while peripheral vision is less clear.
UploadVR says the headset is “streaming-first” and uses a USB dongle to create a point-to-point wireless connection between the PC and the headset.
The BBC includes a debate about whether VR pricing is the main barrier, quoting gaming writer Christopher Dring saying, “VR today is ultimately a high-end niche,” and quoting UploadVR editor David Heaney saying, “The idea that it’s too expensive is one of the biggest misconceptions about VR.”
The Verge describes the Steam Frame as a “complete spatial computer” aimed at gamers who want to play their flat library of Steam games plus the handful of VR titles on tap.
In CNET’s review, the standalone Steam Frame is tested with Half-Life Alyx running without a PC, and the reviewer calls it “by far the most impressive experience I’ve had on Valve’s ambitious and sometimes awkward new VR-shaped gaming console.”
What Steam Frame changes
Beyond VR, Valve’s Steam Frame is presented as a hybrid platform that can run compatible Linux and Windows games locally, using Proton for Windows compatibility and FEX to translate x86 code for its ARM processor.
“The headset does not require or support base stations.”
UploadVR
UploadVR says the headset does not require or support base stations and tracks itself and its included controllers using four onboard grayscale tracking cameras, with eye tracking for foveated streaming.
Valve also says it has a native 64-bit ARM build of Half-Life: Alyx optimized to run standalone on the headset, and UploadVR reports that Valve says fully integrating eye-tracked foveated rendering was the key breakthrough that made standalone Alyx
CNET emphasizes that in its early state the Steam Frame is “not always perfect,” but it is still a sign of what Frame could be, while The Verge reports that the device can stream flat or VR games from a Steam-equipped desktop or laptop.
Gizmodo ties the product’s availability to Valve’s waitlist system, saying “starting Monday, Valve says users will be able to throw their names in the hat for a waitlist,” and it also notes the Steam Frame’s price range of $1,060 for 256GB and $1,300 for 1TB.
