Valve's Steam Frame is excellent - but at over £1,000 is VR still too expensive?

Valve has launched its new virtual reality headset, the Steam Frame, but at a price of £1,089 for a 1TB model and £889 for a 256GB variant. While the hardware is praised for being light, comfortable, and packed with clever technology, the high cost has sparked debate over whether VR is still too expensive. Valve developer Jeremy Selan admits the price increase is partly due to the soaring cost of components like RAM and graphics cards.

Despite this, some argue the Quest 3S, priced at £250, offers similar value for money, similar to budget gaming consoles. The Steam Frame's "foveated streaming" technology is a standout feature, displaying high-quality visuals directly in front of the user while reducing the quality of peripheral vision, thus saving bandwidth. However, concerns remain about the overall cost-effectiveness and accessibility of VR, especially considering the need for a powerful PC to fully utilize the headset.