Steam Frame: Valve opens pre-orders and sets the bar at €1,049

Valve has finally taken the step many were waiting for: the Steam Frame, its new virtual reality headset, is now available to pre-order. As reported by Eurogamer Spain, the company behind Steam has confirmed the device's starting price, €1,049, and announced that shipping will begin soon, although no specific date has been revealed so far.

This news matters because Valve is not just another hardware manufacturer. It runs the platform where a large part of our community plays, and every time it launches a product of its own it shakes up the board, for better or worse. The fact that its bet on virtual reality arrives with a price tag above a thousand euros makes it clear from day one who it is aimed at and, above all, who it leaves out.

What you need to know

• Pre-orders open: you can now reserve a Steam Frame before units start shipping.
• Starting price: the most basic configuration costs €1,049, according to Eurogamer Spain.
• Shipping: Valve says it will begin soon, with no firm date in the published information.
• Who is behind it: Valve, the same company that previously launched the Valve Index and that controls Steam.
• What we still don't know: that starting at suggests more than one configuration, but neither the variants nor their prices appear in the source.

What changes with this announcement

Until now, the Steam Frame was a promise: a device people talked about, but with no price and no buy button. With this announcement, Valve turns anticipation into something tangible. There is a figure on the table and a way to pre-order, which in practice marks the start of the product's commercial life. Opening pre-orders before revealing the exact shipping date is a common move in the industry: it gauges demand and locks in a first wave of committed buyers.

The detail about the starting price is important because it is not a fixed figure. When a manufacturer says starting at, there are usually higher, more expensive editions, whether due to storage, accessories or bundles. Eurogamer Spain's report does not go into those details, so it is worth waiting for the fine print before doing any final math.

The precedent: Valve Index

This is not the first time Valve has sold a virtual reality headset. The Valve Index became a benchmark for anyone who wanted high-end PC-tethered VR, and for years it was the standard other headsets were measured against. The Steam Frame inherits that role and, judging by the price, the philosophy too: Valve is not competing for the casual player's wallet, but for that of the enthusiast who already has a powerful rig and wants to get the most out of it.

Who it affects

First of all, PC VR users who have been waiting a long time for a successor with Valve's name on it. Secondly, content creators, for whom a new headset from such a recognizable brand is almost automatic material for videos, streams and comparisons. And, more indirectly, the entire competitive community: every device that expands the VR player base is a chance for virtual reality titles to stop being a niche within a niche.

Our take

At Underworld Lordz we see this announcement with a mix of excitement and skepticism. Excitement because Valve has more than enough credibility in virtual reality and because its involvement usually translates into better software support within Steam, something that benefits the whole ecosystem. Skepticism because €1,049 is a huge barrier. For a competitive player who already invests in a PC, peripherals and a connection, adding more than a thousand euros for a category of gaming that still lacks an established esports scene is hard to justify.

For creators the math is different. A Valve headset generates interest on its own, and the content that can be built around it, from the unboxing to testing it with the most demanding games, has guaranteed pull during the first few weeks. But that effect fades fast if there are no games to keep the audience around, and that is where Valve still has to prove that this time it will back the hardware with a catalog to match.

Our stance is clear: don't pre-order blindly. Wait to find out exactly what that base configuration includes, what sets the higher editions apart and when it will actually arrive at your door. Premium virtual reality isn't dead, but at this price Valve is asking for a leap of faith, and leaps of faith are best taken with all the information on the table.

What do you think?

We know there are people on the team who have been waiting years for a successor to the Index, and others who think VR still doesn't deserve an investment like this. Tell us where you stand in the team chat or on our Discord: would you pay €1,049 for a Steam Frame, or would you rather wait and see how the catalog evolves?