Valve Mass-Imports VR Headsets: First 13 Tons Arrive in the U.S.

Valve has taken another step toward expanding its hardware business. The first major shipment of Steam Frame VR headsets—approximately 13 tons of equipment—was unloaded at the Port of Los Angeles, having arrived from Shanghai. The cargo ship reached its destination on June 10 after a two-week voyage, confirming the company’s plans to release the new product this summer.

Import documents reveal that Valve’s logistics partner, Ceva, processed nearly 32 tons of "virtual reality devices" on behalf of the company. After accounting for the weight of five 40-foot containers (approximately 3.7 tons each), the net weight of the shipment totaled around 13 tons. This is significantly less than the volume of Steam Machine gaming console shipments, which have already reached 141 tons since late April.

Experts note that 13 tons of VR headsets is a relatively small batch but could contain up to 20,000 units. Each Steam Frame set, including controllers, weighs about 654 grams. For comparison, Steam Machine consoles weigh 2.6 kg each, suggesting that current inventory may not exceed 50,000 units.

Valve has confirmed that both new products—Steam Frame and Steam Machine—will launch this summer. However, the company has warned of potential price increases due to a global RAM shortage. Despite this, demand for the devices may remain high, particularly if they integrate seamlessly with the Steam ecosystem and its extensive game library.