Steam Frame Pricing Enters Steam Machine Territory as Valve Blames the RAM Crisis

After the headset was leaked by accident, Valve has now launched Steam Frame at $1,059 for the 256GB model and $1,299 for the 1TB version.

Valve says the headset was originally supposed to be “much more affordable,” but rising global RAM prices forced the company to increase the launch price, as PC Guide reports.

Valve planned a much cheaper Steam Frame

Valve developer Jeremy Selan said the company originally expected Steam Frame to launch at a significantly lower price.

According to Selan, the global RAM market affected Valve just as it has other hardware manufacturers. The company had already warned that the memory shortage was affecting Steam hardware.

Valve has not revealed the original target price for the headset.

Steam Frame accessories add to the cost

Steam Frame does not include a power supply in the box. Buyers can instead use an existing Steam Deck charger or another USB-C charger rated at 45W or higher.

Valve does include Half-Life: Alyx with the headset.

Both models come with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM

Both Steam Frame configurations include 16GB of unified LPDDR5X memory, regardless of whether buyers choose the 256GB or 1TB storage option.

That makes the headset especially sensitive to higher memory prices, which Valve says contributed heavily to its final retail cost.

Steam Frame arrives at a much higher price than Valve planned

With a starting price above $1,000, Steam Frame enters the market at a much higher price than Valve initially intended.

Valve’s explanation suggests that higher component costs, particularly RAM, drove much of the increase rather than a deliberate attempt to position Steam Frame as a more premium device.

Steam Frame is available for pre-order, with reservations now open for both storage configurations.