Valve's New VR Headset Costs $1,059 and Plays Games Two Ways

Valve has priced its new Steam Frame VR headset at $1,059 for 256GB of storage and $1,299 for 1TB. The Verge

Prices in other regions follow the same two choices. The 256GB version costs $1,529 CAD, €1,049, £889, $1,609 AUD and 4,539 zlotys. The 1TB version costs $1,859 CAD, €1,279, £1,089, $1,969 AUD and 5,549 zlotys.

Every headset comes with a copy of Half-Life: Alyx. Valve has made Alyx run directly on the headset as well as streamed from a PC. The Frame can play normal flat-screen games and VR games on its own, and it can also play both kinds streamed from a PC.

Think of it like movies on a phone. You can keep the movie on the phone itself, or watch it over the internet from another computer.

Valve will sell the first headsets through a lottery and waitlist. Sign-up ends September 17 at 10AM PT. People who are picked can buy starting September 18. Once picked, you have 72 hours to finish your order.

Looking at what this means in practice, there are two equal ways to play. Games kept on the headset must fit its limits on heat, battery and space. Games streamed from a PC can use a stronger computer, but the picture must travel over Wi-Fi without delays that spoil the feeling of being there.

In my view, the Alyx version is most useful as an example for other game makers. It shows how a large PC game can be trimmed to run on the headset while still matching the PC version.

The broader context here is storage. The $240 gap in the US comes down to habits. If you mostly stream from a PC, the smaller size is enough. If you want to take the headset places without a PC, you will need more room.

Worth flagging if you want one early is the lottery timing. Register before the cutoff and be ready to pay quickly, or you will fall back to the waitlist.

The long arc here is encouraging. One headset that works both on its own and with a PC makes it easier to try things, which is how good new software usually starts.