Valve’s new VR headset finally has an Australian price. You have until 3am Friday AEST to get your name on the reservation list.
Valve opened Steam Frame reservations on Monday. The list closes at 10am Pacific on Thursday, which is 3am Friday on the east coast.
If you want one this year, get your name down before you go to bed tonight.
Here’s what it costs us. The 256GB kit is AU$1,609 and the 1TB kit is AU$1,969. In the US, they’re US$1,059 and US$1,299.
Both kits include the headset, two controllers and Half-Life: Alyx, which now runs standalone through a new ARM-native build.
Storage is the only difference between the two models. Both have a microSD slot, so 256GB isn’t a hard ceiling.
What you won’t find in the box is a power supply. Valve sells a 45W unit for AU$49, but your Steam Deck charger works fine. So does any USB-C charger rated at 45W or more.
There’s also an optional AU$99 ergonomic kit with extra head and controller straps, and an AU$89 replacement kit for the in-box accessories.
To sign up, head to the Steam Frame page and pick one model.
Your Steam account needs to be in good standing, and it must have made a purchase before 27 April 2026. Valve allows one sign-up per household, checked against payment method and shipping address.
Signing up early gets you nothing. When the list closes, Valve shuffles it once and emails everyone a result.
You’ll get one of two emails. The first means a unit is reserved in your name. The second puts you on the waitlist, and you move up if people ahead of you cancel.
Purchase emails start going out from 18 September. When yours lands, you have 72 hours to check out.
Valve used the same system for Steam Machine. It says the approach improved the buying experience and limited resellers.
So what are you actually getting? Steam Frame is Valve’s first headset since the Index in 2019.
It’s built streaming-first. Your games stay on your PC and stream wirelessly to the headset, using an included Wi-Fi 6E adapter for a low-latency link.
It also plays standalone. Inside is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with 16GB of RAM, and more than 100 games are already Steam Frame Standalone Verified.
You’ll look at two 2160 x 2160 LCD panels, one per eye, running at 72 to 144Hz. The core module and strap weigh 440g.
Early reviews landed the same day reservations opened, and they’re mixed. Wireless PC streaming has been widely praised.
Battery life is the sore point. Reviewers measured roughly one to two hours, and some hit Wi-Fi dropouts and crashes on launch firmware.
Then there’s the price. Steam Frame costs far more than the Meta Quest 3 at AU$969 or the Quest 3S at AU$569.
Valve has been upfront about why. It says the ongoing RAM price crisis pushed the Frame above its original target, just as it did with Steam Machine.
Here’s what happens next. Sign-ups close at 3am Friday AEST, and your reservation or waitlist email follows.
Purchase invites roll out from 18 September, and units ship as they become available, in queue order.
Miss the cutoff and you’re not locked out. You’ll go to the back of the waitlist, and Valve says future production runs will be offered to the waitlist in order.