Valve's Steam Frame Could Cost More Than the Steam Machine
Due to rising costs for Qualcomm chips and NAND, the base unit price for Valve's wireless VR headset, Steam Frame, may exceed $1100. The device is expected to launch before the end of the year.
Early expectations that Valve's wireless VR headset, Steam Frame, would avoid some of the component price challenges faced by previous devices like the Steam Machine and Steam Deck, appear to be unfounded. According to leaker Tyler McVicker, the base unit price for the Steam Frame could now be higher than $1100.
Rising Component Costs
Unlike the Steam Deck, which relies heavily on RAM, the Steam Frame uses Qualcomm chips and NAND for storage. The costs of these components are rising in line with GPU, CPU, and RAM prices, as well as higher prices at source fabricators like TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.
Technical Specifications
The Steam Frame is a standalone VR platform intended to allow Steam users to play their entire library of games on a giant cinema screen or run VR titles directly on the device using an Arm compatibility layer similar to Proton technology used for Linux. The Steam Frame itself will also be running its own version of SteamOS to enable it to be a completely standalone, wireless VR device.
Expected Launch
Valve has not officially announced its launch plans for the Steam Frame yet, but it is expected to launch before the end of the year. KitGuru notes that the Valve Index was also expensive for its time and hasn't gotten any cheaper since launch either. VR enthusiasts are kind've already used to the premium, so the price tag may not make as much of a difference in the long run.
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