After a long wait, the Steam Frame has finally arrived this week. Unfortunately, with a starting price of €1,049, this new VR headset isn’t for everyone. Still, Valve is showing great ambition with this device.

In an interview with Eurogamer prior to the launch, Jeremy Selan, a software engineer at Valve, stated that he wanted to make the Steam Frame much more than just a “PC accessory.” With this model, the American company even aims to “expand the market” for VR headsets.

"From the very launch of this product, we wanted to innovate and allow users to fully enjoy their games without having to choose between virtual reality and traditional gaming. That’s why we’ve focused on making it easy to switch from one gaming mode (VR or non-VR) to traditional gaming, or even to watch movies or browse the Internet, all while using a single device.

I use the non-VR experience all the time, and it’s so comfortable thanks to the ergonomic design of the controllers and the device’s light weight, which makes it easy to carry around and use in different rooms. So here I am, wearing this device for the first time, without even having decided which game I’m going to play."

Joy Lyons, a hardware engineer at Valve, also spoke during this interview. She, too, praised the Steam Frame.

*"The idea is to give players access to more content through the Steam Store and across all these platforms… We see this product as being in the midst of rapid growth. It’s obviously a great product for our PC VR users, whom we value and support, but we also see it as expanding the possibilities for developers and players, allowing them to access richer content and enjoy a higher-quality VR experience."+

Finally, Selan acknowledged that the component shortage has impacted the price and available inventory at launch. Nevertheless, he believes the Steam Frame offers excellent value for the money.

"We’ve had to lower our price and volume targets—that’s the reality. But we remain convinced that at the current price, it’s an extremely attractive product. It offers excellent value for the money. It’s an exceptional device."