Valve, the company behind the popular Steam PC gaming platform, has unveiled new hardware to add to its Steam Deck handheld gaming system.
The company revealed three devices during a video posted to YouTube. The devices are the Steam Machine console, a Steam Controller to go with it, and the Steam Frame virtual reality headset. Both the Frame and Machine run SteamOS, the Linux-based platform that already powers the Steam Deck. SteamOS is known for offering faster speeds than Windows, as well as the ability to freely install software outside of the Steam store, which popular consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch do not allow.
“Everything you see here is the culmination of what we’ve learned from our previous hardware experience, and what we’ve wanted ourselves as gamers,” Valve said during the presentation video, “Powerful PC gaming in an open ecosystem, giving you more ways to enjoy the games you love and discover new ones.”
The Steam Machine has drawn comparisons on social media with the 2001 Nintendo GameCube console due to its compact size and cube shape. While Valve has not yet unveiled exact specifications of the console, they claim that it has “six times” the capabilities of the Steam Deck and runs on custom processing hardware by AMD. The Steam Machine effectively functions as a gaming PC designed to be operated on a television rather than at a desk.
The Steam Controller pairs with the Steam Machine and Steam Frame. According to Valve, it has all the control capabilities that exist on the Steam Deck, including both thumbsticks and twin built-in trackpads. It connects with the Steam Machine through a wireless connection with a “puck” that doubles as a magnetic charger, which is included with the controller.
The Steam Frame also runs SteamOS, meaning it can play both virtual reality games as well as standard games from Steam. While it is mainly designed to stream games wirelessly from a Steam Machine or a PC running Steam, it can also run some games locally. Valve says that it has a Snapdragon 8 processor and 16GB of RAM. Valve also introduces “foveated streaming” with the Steam Frame, which, according to the,m “optimizes detail where your eyes are looking.”
The three new pieces of hardware have a release window in early 2026. Pricing has, as of the time of writing, not been revealed. The Steam Machine and Frame are designed to compete with the PlayStation and Xbox consoles for the former, and the Meta Quest lineup for the latter. However, whether pricing will be competitive with theirs is yet to be seen.
Valve has launched a product called the “Steam Machine” before, in 2014. This also included a since-discontinued original version of the Steam Controller. The lineup, which was manufactured by third parties including AlienWare, was Valve’s first foray into Linux-powered gaming hardware, though a lack of support for games compared to the more dominant Microsoft Windows ultimately made the product a failure.
When the original Steam Deck was launched in February 2022, it immediately attempted to mitigate this problem. Its “Proton” system allowed games developed with only Windows in mind to run on Linux. This not only benefited the Steam Deck but also gaming on Linux-based operating systems as a whole. Today, the Steam Deck has popularized portable PC gaming enough that Microsoft itself has taken notice, with several handheld systems running Windows being launched in the following years.
The Steam Frame is also not Valve’s first foray into virtual reality gaming. The space has largely been dominated by Meta. Valve originally partnered with Taiwanese electronics manufacturer HTC on the former’s Vive headset in 2015. Valve’s first branded headset was the Index in June 2019. It was limited compared to the Meta Quest line of headsets by not being standalone or wireless, needing to be connected by cable to a PC to work. It also sold at a higher price point.
Valve is hoping to expand its hardware portfolio in a gaming hardware landscape many see as struggling. The price of gaming hardware has risen significantly recently, driven by chip shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic and President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs on imports to the United States. The Steam Deck has obtained a following within the niche of gamers looking for PC-like freedom in a portable form factor, which, up until the Deck’s release, was a space dominated by the highly limited Nintendo Switch. The Steam Machine and Frame are now positioned to compete more directly with more established players.
