Valve appears to implementing a reservation system for the Steam Frame, and we all know how well that worked last time

Valve seems to be preparing a reservation system for the Steam Frame, a hardware device that has yet to receive an official release date. This discovery, made by VR leaker Brad Lynch, suggests that the hardware may not be far off. Lynch shared a screenshot of a lottery drawing notification email on X, stating that the draw results would be revealed on the placeholder date of 31 December, 1969. The email clearly indicated that the system is not live and won't be ready any time soon.

Lynch revealed that the reservation system is already up in Steam's backend for two specific SKUs, but he did not provide any additional hardware details. He also cautioned that the information shared could not be used to manipulate the lottery system.

The use of a reservation system is not unprecedented for Valve. The company employed such a system for both the Steam Machine and the new Steam Controller. While the queue for the Steam Machine seemed to have shortened since its June release, it appears that Valve will not catch up on new Steam Controller reservations until 2027.

The discovery of a similar reservation system for Valve's VR headset is significant because it implies that the release of the Steam Frame could be imminent enough for people to start making reservations. Moreover, it suggests that the initial stock of the device may not be abundant, especially not to the extent that a reservation system wouldn't be necessary.