Alyx was amazing. So many interactable objects, especially in the beginning, when you're still awed by the environment and experimenting. Clever puzzles that actually use 6DOF control. And, of course, beautifully rendered. Part of me wonders if its special place isn't partly just being the first VR that really tried to do high end storytelling, but things like Skyrim & Arizona Sunshine have not given me the same sense of immersion.
Steam Frame being basically $2k feels like Valve writing off VR as a niche market, which means no one is likely to invest the kind of resources needed to make another Alyx-level game. They're not going to sell millions of copies, and even people who pay $2k for a headset aren't going to pay $200 for a 20 hour game.