Valve's Steam Frame VR headset is set to experience an unexpected price increase due to rising component costs. Qualcomm, the primary chip supplier for the device, is implementing double-digit percentage price hikes on its processors, including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

This decision by Qualcomm stems from increased supply chain pressures and declining smartphone sales, prompting them to recover costs by raising chip prices across the board. The price increase for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 could range from 10% upwards.

Combined with potential limited availability of LPDDR5X memory and SSD storage, these cost escalations may impact Valve's original launch plans for the Steam Frame. The headset, detailed as a lightweight PC VR device with a modular design, features dual 2160x2160 pancake displays, eye-tracking for foveated streaming, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity.