Valve says the Steam Frame is priced at $1,059 for the 256GB model and $1,299 for the 1TB version, both of which come with a copy of Half-Life: Alyx (Adam Vjestica/The Shortcut)

The Steam Frame, a virtual reality headset, has finally arrived after years of anticipation. Priced at $1,059 USD for the 256 GB model with VR controllers, it's set to ship soon. However, the launch has been marred by a memory crisis that impacted the product's price. Valve initially aimed for a lower price point for the Frame, but the ongoing RAM crisis forced them to adjust the launch price.

Joy Lyons, a hardware engineer at Valve, explained that the company designed the device with a specific price in mind, but the memory crisis shifted their focus to ensuring the product could be purchased and upgraded later. Valve's software engineer, Jeremy Selan, expressed disappointment with the price increase, wishing they could have launched the Frame at last year's price.

The headset's 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, compared to Meta's Quest 3 with 8 GB of LPDDR5, contributes to its higher cost. Despite this, Valve remains committed to bringing the Steam Frame to market and providing customers with new experiences during the RAM crisis.