Steam Machine Is Back: live updates on Valve's console comeback and Steam Frame VR launch

First look at the new Steam Machine

Nearly a decade after Valve launched the original Steam Machine, the gaming giant is announcing a new Steam Machine.

Unlike its predecessor, the new version looks more like a goth Gamecube minus the carrying handle.

Steam Frame headset

Valve's long-rumored "Deckard" headset has finally arrived. The new Steam Frame headset is a standalone VR headset that runs SteamOS.

Like the revamped Steam Machine, the Frame is Valve's second go at a headset, after the Valve Index which originally launched in 2019.

Valve adds devices to Steam

Valve has officially launched new hardware pages for the Machine, Frame and Controller on Steam.

Check it out here.

Lest you forgot: Steam is dominant in PC gaming

In case you're wondering what the addressable market is for the Steam Deck, Bloomberg reports that Steam has 40 million daily active players. That's a lot of gamers.

But why release this console now? The success of the Steam Deck has certainly helped. “We’ve been super happy with the success of Steam Deck, and a lot of the feedback we’ve received from gamers about it is what encouraged us to expand the options for Steam users,” Valve said in a statement.

Valve's announcement video

Steam Hardware Announcement - YouTube

Watch On

Valve dropped an announcement video showing off the Controller, Machine and Frame in action.

There are some impressive specs relayed in the video including a claimed 35 hour play time with the new Controller. Or that the Steam Machine is 6x more powerful than the Steam Deck.

The Steam Frame looks set to take on the Meta Quest 3 for VR gaming with similar looking controllers. It's standalone, Valve says "It is a PC," and it has expandable storage.

The video notes that all three devices are shipping in "early 2026" but no pricing yet.

Steam Machine specs

We don't yet know the price for the Steam Machine but we do have some specs for the new console.

Here's what you can expect:

Initial hands-on from IGN

The crew over at IGN got an early hands-on session with the Steam Machine.

They said at first glance its similar to the original Machine as a modest gaming PC meant to run games using SteamOS. Now though SteamOS has Proton which translates Windows games to Linux letting you play more of the games in your Steam library.

In person it's half the size of the Xbox Series X and features a magnetic front panel that can add some personal flair.

They said it ran Cyberpunk 2077 and some other games well but seemed to struggle a bit with the recently released Silent Hill F, something to keep an eye on.

Steam Frame key specs

The Steam Frame is a new wireless VR headset that is its own PC featuring a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and SteamOS.

Here are some key specs for the headset. At first glance, it really seems to be slim and lightweight compared to the Meta Quest 3 or the recently released Samsung Galaxy XR. At 435 grams (.9 lbs) that's 100 grams less than Samsung's headset which weighs 545 grams (1.2 lbs).

First look from The Verge

The Verge is another space who were able to get some hands-on time with the Steam Machine.

Their article is paywalled but Sean Hollister said he though the laptop-esque AMD chip combined with the GPU should offer similar performance to the PS5 Pro.

"While I didn’t have time for robust testing at Valve’s headquarters, my first impressions were promising," he said.

He even saw a version with an e-paper display that showed off the console's stats. The extra panels sound pretty interesting if it goes beyond just flair. Though they said Valve might not sell those types of panels.

They do note that the Steam Machine isn't really upgradeable beyond adding an SSD since everything inside is soldered on. Though it's probable most people will treat the Machine like a normal console.

Steam Controller key specs

Unlike the experimental original Steam Controller with its circular pads, the new version looks a little more traditional with the addition of track pads below the buttons.

However, the most impressive thing is a claimed 35 or more hours of battery life. Most wireless controllers do not offer battery life like that and it's one we'll have to test out once we get our hands on a set.

Pair with your Steam Deck

One nice feature of the Steam Machine is that you can use your Steam Deck with the console.

Valve says you can stream games to your Deck ala the PlayStation Portal. For those who have a Steam Deck this will be a nice way to continue gaming when you want to remove rooms.

You can also send games to the Steam Frame, or any other device that runs Steam or Steam Link.

What about price?

Unfortunately, Valve has not released pricing for any of the new Steam devices.

At a simple level, the new Galaxy XR headset costs $1800 while the Meta Quest 3 will set you back $500. I think the Steam Frame will be closer to the Quest 3 but probably a bit more expensive.

As for the Steam Machine, using the specs we have you could get a gaming PC for about $800. That's not friendly for a console, even if they are getting more expensive. The smaller 512GB version should be much cheaper than the 2 TB model.

We won't know until "early 2026."

It's a full ecosystem

We highlighted the new Steam devices on our TikTok account.

If you're not following us on TikTok or YouTube, we react to news, do hands-ons, unboxings and first looks at tech shows, conferences and more.

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A closer look at the Frame

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Above, we have some detail shots of the Steam Frame, including the controllers, knobs, strap, and passthrough cameras.

Tom's Hardware hands-on

Our colleagues at Tom's Hardware were able to go to Bellevue, Washington to see the new Steam Machine in person.

They were impressed with the massive heatsink, which should make it a quiet and cool device.

They said the new Controller didn't feel overly bulky, nor heavy or light and that the plastic felt similar to the Steam Deck.

"With newer hardware, better game compatibility, and the Steam Deck as a strong proof of concept, it sure seems from a brief hands-on that the Steam Machine has a better chance this time around."

Steam Machine Verified

The Steam Machine and Frame both run on SteamOS, Valve's gaming optimized operating system.

Not every game worked with SteamOS until Valve installed its Proton layer that lets Windows games work in the Linux based OS.

For Steam Decks Valve introduced Steam Deck verified which tells you how games will run on the handheld console.

The Steam Machine is getting a similar rating system so you'll understand how games should perform. With the Steam Machine reportedly 6x more powerful than the Steam Deck it should run even more games, even better.