Deleted Livestream By Insider Tyler McVicker Suggests Steam Frame At $1,100 Or Above Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Chip Price Hike From September 1 Could Push Final Retail Price Even Higher Toward Rumoured $1,500
According to IGN, Valve’s upcoming Steam Frame standalone VR headset may end up costing more than the Steam Machinel; the compact SteamOS mini-PC that already shocked gamers when it launched at $1,049, roughly $300 above Valve’s own original internal target.
The warning comes from a since-deleted livestream by Valve insider Tyler McVicker, spotted by NotebookCheck, in which he suggested the Steam Frame could price at $1,100 or above. McVicker has since revised his estimate upward toward $1,500, citing Qualcomm’s announcement of a double-digit chip price increase scheduled to take effect September 1, particularly significant as the Steam Frame is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
The Steam Frame ships in two storage configurations; 256GB and 1TB, carries 16GB of memory, includes a wireless adapter, redesigned motion controllers and an integrated 21Wh battery head strap. Valve has confirmed a summer 2026 release window but has not announced a specific date or official price. The headset can operate as a standalone device or connect to a Steam Machine or PC.
For context, a Meta Quest 3 costs $599.99. Community reaction to the rumoured Steam Frame price has been uniformly negative — Reddit users have described the timing as “the worst ever to release new hardware” and called the product “DOA” at the leaked price point.
Valve wanted to build the living room. The RAM crisis is building the price instead. Check out our previous coverage of tech and gaming on The Trusted Times.
