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We still have no idea how much Valve's new VR headset, the Steam Frame, will cost. But we're already getting signs of bad news in the form of Qualcomm announcing that its chips will increase in price by at least 10% from September 1st, 2026.

Steam Frame

In a letter sent to its customers, Qualcomm explained that it had been trying to absorb the rising cost of producing the chips, but could no longer do so, requiring it to increase chip prices.

The upcoming Steam Frame uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and we don't know by how much the price for this particular chip will increase. With the Steam Frame likely close to release, we can assume that Valve has already secured a reasonable shipment of these chips at the current, lower price. But this price increase could well result in Valve adjusting its pricing plans for the new VR headset.

On top of that, this will ripple across a majority of VR devices and retro handhelds that use Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips, like the AYN Thor, Retroid Pocket 6, and even the upcoming Retroid Pocket Nova and MANGMI AIR Y series. It's a shame seeing so many amazing products possibly going up in price because of the ripple effect of AI companies demanding RAM and SSD, and RAM companies pushing up their prices as a result. Hopefully, it won't be too harsh, but I would expect price increases across the board in a few months.

Source: Reuters

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Oliver Stogden
Oliver began playing video games at an early age, starting with the SNES console and Commodore Amiga computer. Nowadays, his interest is in the future of portable technology, such as handheld gaming systems, portable power stations/banks, and portable monitors. And seeing just how far we can push these devices.
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