Why is Steam Frame so expensive? Valve revealed the reason

The high price of Steam Frame is due to a combination of streaming and local game launching, which made it impossible to abandon advanced components at a late stage of development.

Valve explained the high price of Steam Frame by the fact that the headset combines game streaming with local game launching, and it was no longer possible to abandon advanced components at a late stage of development.

After pre-orders started, some players suggested that Valve could have simplified the device to reduce the price. Pierre-Loup Griffais from Valve said that at a certain stage of development, it was difficult to completely redesign Steam Frame and use less advanced components.

Initially, launching games directly on the headset was considered a less important feature, but internal tests showed that this mode is used quite often. Valve believes that it has great potential for development.

Jeff Lane notes that over time, the role of the two modes may change. Valve is just beginning to test game compatibility, as it once did with Steam Deck. As the number of compatible projects grows, Steam Frame can be perceived not only as a streaming device but also as a VR headset for local game launching.