Valve announces its new Steam Machine, a device that bridges the gap between consoles and PCs
Gabe Newell, president of Valve, stressed that it responds to the demand for more ways to play the Steam library. "It's Steam on steroids for your TV," he declared.
Valve, the video game development, publishing and digital distribution company for software entertainment has been expanding its line of gaming hardware in recent years, with the Steam Deck as its most successful handheld device to date.
The company on Wednesday announced the Steam Machine, consisting of three new devices scheduled for release in early 2026. These are part of the "Steam Hardware family" and are powered by SteamOS, with an emphasis on PC via Proton game compatibility.
Gabe Newell, president of Valve, stressed that they are responding to the demand for more ways to play the Steam library. "It's Steam on steroids for your TV," he declared.
The new Steam Hardware
Key Specifications:
- CPU: 6-core AMD Zen 4 (up to 4.8 GHz).
- GPU: AMD RDNA3 with 28 compute units.
- RAM: 16 GB DDR5 + 8 GB DDR6 dedicated for VRAM.
- Storage: 512 GB or 2 TB SSD.
- Proton support for Windows gaming.
Steam ControllerA new high-performance ergonomic controller, compatible with PC, laptops and the Steam Machine. It shares "DNA" with the Steam Deck, incorporating innovative elements for greater precision.
Key Specifications:
- Magnetic joysticks.
- Trackpads.
- Gyroscope.
- Buttons on grips.
- Designed for SteamOS, but versatile for other setups.
Steam FrameA "streaming-first" standalone VR headset designed as "a new way to play your entire Steam library.
Key Specifications:
- Support for VR games on PC and traditional desktops.
- Foveated Streaming (foveated rendering -graphic optimization technique that mimics human vision- to optimize performance).
- SteamOS on ARM for efficiency.
- Separate antennas for Wi-Fi 5/6 GHz.
- Includes tracked drivers.
General Verdict
IGN gives it a provisional score of 8.5/10, praising its "brute power in a living room-friendly package" and recommending it for Steam fans looking fora bridge between PC and console.
These announcements revive past ambitions in consoles and VR following the success of Steam Deck (released in 2022 and updated in 2023 with OLED). There is no mention of upgrades for the Steam Deck in these announcements, or new games as companions, although a Half-Life VR is rumored.
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