Forget Nvidia Shield! Valve's follow-up to the Steam Deck could be a TV-based streaming box for gamers

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Codename "Fremont" could be Valve's next SteamOS device

Nvidia Shield TV streaming device
(Image credit: Getty Images)

While a Steam Deck 2 is still years away, Valve may have something else up its sleeves: a new SteamOS streaming device. And this "Steam Box" looks to go head-to-head with the Nvidia's much-loved Shield TV device.

A Reddit post (spotted by XDA Developers) indicates Valve is testing a new device with similarities to Google ChromeOS hardware, with changes made in Steam Deck code showcasing testing for HDMI CEC. This already points to a streaming device, seeing as an HDMI output would connect to a TV. What's more, if it's running on SteamOS, then there's likely to be plenty of games on it.

'Steam Box' may not be the only device running SteamOS

Asus ROG Ally X running SteamOS

Asus ROG Ally X running SteamOS (Image credit: Future)

Valve's SteamOS made waves on the Steam Deck, so much so that many have started running it on other gaming handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally X.

Thankfully, the company has confirmed it will support more Windows 11 gaming handhelds with the operating system, but we should also see more upcoming devices with a "Powered by SteamOS" badge.

While there's no word on when this "Steam Box" will be announced or whether it will come out of the woodwork at all, but this could be one such device that Valve will stick this badge on — and many more.

The Nvidia Shield TV has yet to see a product update since its launch in 2019, but it's still one of the best streaming devices you can grab for gaming. If Valve is hot on its heels with an all-new SteamOS streaming device, it may not hold the crown for much longer. What's more, with SteamOS eventually coming to more devices, we could see this being the go-to operating system for handheld gaming and streaming.

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Darragh Murphy
Darragh Murphy
Computing Editor

Darragh is Tom’s Guide’s Computing Editor and is fascinated by all things bizarre in tech. His work can be seen in Laptop Mag, Mashable, Android Police, Shortlist Dubai, Proton, theBit.nz, ReviewsFire and more. When he's not checking out the latest devices and all things computing, he can be found going for dreaded long runs, watching terrible shark movies and trying to find time to game