Valve’s Steam Frame reservation window slams shut today at 10 AM Pacific, and anyone who hasn’t signed up yet is out of luck for the initial batch. The wireless VR headset, which launched quietly on September 14, marks Valve’s first new head-mounted display since the Index debuted back in 2019, and the company is running the whole process through its signature randomized lottery system.
If you managed to get your name in before the deadline, here’s what happens next. Valve will send out reservation or waitlist emails throughout the day on Thursday, letting you know whether you’ve secured a spot in the purchase queue. Those who make the cut will receive their actual purchase invitations starting Friday, September 18, with a 72-hour window to complete the transaction. Miss that window and your reservation drops, moving you to the back of the waitlist.
The headset comes in two configurations: a 256GB model at $1,059 and a 1TB version at $1,299. Both ship with two Steam Frame controllers, a Wi-Fi 6E wireless dongle for low-latency PC streaming, and a copy of Half-Life: Alyx running natively on the headset’s ARM chip. Valve is also selling a $59 Ergonomic Accessories Kit and a $49 replacement kit for gaskets and cushions, though you’ll need to supply your own 45W USB-C charger — the company sells one for $29, but any compatible brick works fine.
Storage is expandable via microSD, so the base 256GB isn’t a hard ceiling for your game library. Valve has been building out the “Great on Frame” verified games list since mid-July, and it hit 121 titles before launch, including marquee names like Beat Saber, Job Simulator, and the Half-Life 2 VR Mod.
For Steam players who’ve been waiting for a proper wireless VR option that ties directly into their existing library, today’s deadline is the cutoff for getting in on the ground floor. Late signups after 10 AM Pacific will join the back of the waitlist, which could mean a significant delay before purchase emails arrive. If you’ve been on the fence, the window to decide has officially closed.
Jordan Hayes covers PC gaming news, hardware, and the ever-changing Steam ecosystem for SteamGamer.net. He believes some of gaming’s biggest stories are hiding in patch notes, performance charts, and suspiciously quiet price changes. When he isn’t investigating what developers or GPU manufacturers are doing, he is probably starting another roguelike run he insists will be his last.
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