--- title: "Steam Frame costs $1,059, and the power brick is extra" description: "Valve's new headset starts at $1,059 for 256 GB, and a list of add-ons, compatibility gaps and streaming problems affects what you will pay and play." url: https://tech.skoop.news/valve-steam-frame-review-costly-and-inconsistent-d6efe8/ published: 2026-10-26T11:43:34.652743-04:00 modified: 2026-10-26T11:43:34.652743-04:00 section: "Tech & Apps" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["Steam Frame", "PC VR", "Steam Machine", "Valve Index", "Play For Dream MR", "GB of RAM", "Great", "Windows", "Controller", "GHz"] hashtags: ["#SteamFrame", "#PCVR", "#SteamMachine", "#tech", "#ai"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Steam_machine_front.jpg/1280px-Steam_machine_front.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # Steam Frame costs $1,059, and the power brick is extra > Valve's new headset starts at $1,059 for 256 GB, and a list of add-ons, compatibility gaps and streaming problems affects what you will pay and play. Published 2026-10-26 · Tech & Apps, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - The Steam Frame costs $1,059 for the 256 GB model, and the 1 TB model costs $1,299 [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). - The Steam Frame uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which debuted in 2023, and has 16 GB of RAM [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). - By February 2025, the Valve Index accounted for 13.2 percent of VR headsets used on Steam [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). ## The price and the lineup The Steam Frame costs $1,059 for the 256 GB model, and the 1 TB model costs $1,299 [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). If you own a Valve Index, that is $60 more than the Index cost when it launched in 2019, a gap Valve attributes to a RAM crisis [[2]](https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-frame-review). Valve revealed the Steam Frame, along with the Steam Machine and Controller, in November 2025 [[2]](https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-frame-review). Two rival headsets cost more: the Samsung Galaxy XR is $1,799 and the Play For Dream MR is $1,999 [[2]](https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-frame-review). ## What is inside The Steam Frame uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which debuted in 2023, and has 16 GB of RAM [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). It weighs 440 grams, which is 75 grams lighter than the Quest 3 [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). Valve placed the 21.6-watt-hour lithium-ion battery at the rear of the head strap for better balance [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). The display uses two LCD pancake lenses with a per-eye resolution of 2160 x 2160 [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). The refresh rate varies from 72Hz to 120Hz by default and can go up to 144Hz via an experimental mode [[2]](https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-frame-review). The Steam Frame defaults 2D games to 720p resolution, and the user can override this, which may drop performance [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). ## The Index and the games By February 2025, the Valve Index accounted for 13.2 percent of VR headsets used on Steam [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). Half-Life: Alyx comes free with every Steam Frame purchase [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). It runs without issue, yet it is absent from the Great on Frame list [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). Of the reviewer's 1,300-plus-game Steam library, only 18 games were marked as Great on Frame [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). When installed directly on the Steam Frame, the VR game Obduction opened and then crashed repeatedly [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). ## Wireless PC streaming problems The Steam Frame includes a 6GHz wireless dongle in the box to support wireless PC VR [[2]](https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-frame-review). The package describes it as a dedicated 6-GHz wireless adapter for streaming from a PC [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). The reviewer tried a Windows 11 PC, a Windows 10 PC and a Steam Machine, and on each the adapter appeared as connected but unpaired [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). When connected only through the home network, streaming performance was laggy enough to irritate the reviewer [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). Achieving acceptable PC VR visual results may require disabling advanced super sampling filtering [[3]](https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/valve-steam-frame-review-2/). ## Comfort and the extras The Steam Frame has no top strap, so users often have to adjust the fit during longer sessions [[3]](https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/valve-steam-frame-review-2/). The larger light seal is sold in a $59 ergonomic accessories kit rather than included with the headset [[2]](https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-frame-review). Valve will also sell replacement face gaskets for $59 [[2]](https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-frame-review). The optional comfort kit is needed to make the controllers comfortable for users with larger hands [[3]](https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/valve-steam-frame-review-2/). Custom Zenni prescription lenses are available for wearers who cannot use contact lenses, at an added cost [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). ## What it means for you The power brick is not included in the box and must be bought separately, adding to the total cost [[3]](https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/valve-steam-frame-review-2/). If you have larger hands, the comfort kit is needed for comfortable controllers [[3]](https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/valve-steam-frame-review-2/). If you wear glasses and cannot use contact lenses, the Zenni prescription lenses cost extra [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). The larger light seal comes in the $59 kit [[2]](https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-frame-review). If you plan to stream from a PC, the adapter in the box appeared as connected but unpaired on all three machines tested [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). Streaming over the home network alone was laggy in the same test [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). The reviewer found only 18 of more than 1,300 library games marked as Great on Frame [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). Half-Life: Alyx is included free with the headset [[1]](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/). ## Sources 1. [Valve Steam Frame Review: Costly and Inconsistent](https://www.wired.com/review/valve-steam-frame/) — Wired 2. [Steam Frame Review](https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-frame-review) — IGN 3. [PC VR Mode on Valve Steam Frame Suffers from Video Artifacts](https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/valve-steam-frame-review-2/) — Geeky Gadgets Image: Photo: Masem / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steam_machine_front.jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/