It’s been a pair weeks because the reveal and our hands-on expertise with the brand new Valve {hardware} trio of the Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam Body. And whereas we interviewed Valve’s engineers concerning the creation of all three, that are as a result of launch someday in early 2026, the most important query that they nonetheless don’t have a definitive reply for is worth. We cannot know for sure till we get nearer to launch, nevertheless it’s arguably probably the most regarding facet for us, and anybody fascinated about these gadgets. {Hardware} lives or dies primarily based on its worth, so within the meantime we’re attempting to offer our greatest educated guess as to how a lot the Steam Body will price.
The Price of Different VR Headsets
In our Steam Body interview with Valve staff members, they didn’t give any indication of what they’re pondering when it comes to worth. In keeping with UploadVR, nonetheless, their conversations talked about that it is going to be cheaper than the complete Valve Index VR equipment (headset, controllers, and base stations), which launched at $999 and stays that a lot. That also doesn’t give us a lot to work with, however with the state of VR right now in comparison with the place it was in 2019, I might suspect the Body to be extra inexpensive than that even with its inside {hardware} and extra superior tech.
When merely a spec sheet, the Steam Body roughly stacks as much as the Meta Quest 3, with comparable inside specs and the power to run software program regionally on the headsets themselves. They commerce blows right here and there spec-wise, with the Body utilizing a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU with 16 GB of RAM whereas the Quest 3 has a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 CPU with 8GB of RAM. And for reference, a 512GB mannequin for the Meta Quest 3 goes for $499 at common worth. If we’re attempting to triangulate some kind of educated guess, that lands us wherever between $500 to $1000; and sure, I do know that is a variety that would nonetheless make or break the Steam Body when it comes to enchantment and success.
There may be going to be a 256GB mannequin and 1TB mannequin of the Steam Body, and it is truthful to imagine that the hole in cupboard space will necessitate a roughly $100 distinction between the 2. Once I’m enthusiastic about what the Steam Body does higher than different VR headsets, I take into account the 6GHz wi-fi PC tethering tech as one in every of its key benefits – this allows you to play VR video games operating off of your PC with out the messy cables connected to your head or getting snarled in your room. It offers no perceptible latency, which is one thing no different VR headset does.
The interior {hardware} – an ARM processor that may run Steam video games natively – isn’t as highly effective as a correct gaming PC, however the truth that it has ARM compatibility in any respect is state-of-the-art stuff. And whether or not or not you are operating the built-in {hardware}, you possibly can seamlessly play non-VR video games in a simulated theater within the headset’s digital area, which additionally appears to be like crisp from my expertise. There’s lots of versatility that comes with the Steam Body, together with the truth that its controllers do all of the belongings you want in VR whereas additionally being constructed with parity with conventional controllers. That’s all to say that the Steam Body packs premium options and new tech which will demand the next worth inside that individual vary talked about above.
How Valve Costs Its {Hardware}
As of now, the Steam Deck goes for $399 for the 256GB LCD mannequin, $549 for the 512GB OLED mannequin, and $649 for the 1TB OLED mannequin. It’s kind of an apples to oranges comparability with different console handhelds given the openness of SteamOS/Proton and the closed nature of consoles, however they’re reference factors for the place we should always count on like-minded gadgets to land when it comes to worth. With the Nintendo Change 2 at $449 and the growing older specs of the Steam Deck, you possibly can say that Valve’s {hardware} comparatively calls for a barely larger price ticket (relying which mannequin you’re , too). Pitting it towards different PC gaming handhelds, it falls comparatively in line as a lower-end machine in comparison with the Asus ROG Ally, ROG Xbox Ally X, and the Lenovo Legion Go 2, all of that are rather more highly effective, but additionally rather more costly.
So, this tells me we will count on the Steam Body to price greater than its console counterparts. The PlayStation VR2 is a really totally different machine because it requires a PS5 console and is tethered to a closed ecosystem, so it’s not an ideal comparability, however for reference the PSVR2 goes for $399 at common worth (presently $299 on sale). The Steam Body will definitely hit market at a a lot larger worth than that.
With all these comparisons and the historical past of Valve’s {hardware}, the place does that depart us for hypothesis? In the event you ask me, I might guess $599 for the 256GB mannequin and $699 for the 1TB mannequin of the Steam Body. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t be shocked to see each of these predicted costs to be $100 larger at launch given the premium nature of the Steam Body and the way Valve is working in an area carved out by lovers who’re in search of a extra refined machine.
In the event you’re fascinated about Valve’s upcoming console-like PC, try our evaluation on how a lot the Steam Machine goes to price. And for our complete protection of all of Valve’s new {hardware}, try our hands-on preview with the Steam Body and Steam Machine, or our evaluation on Steam’s meteoric rise as a gaming ecosystem.
