However, in a Steamworks Development post, Valve said it would be shipping “all three products this year. More updates will be shared as we finalize our plans.” Memory shortages were once again to blame, but it seems that storage is also in short supply – a knock-on effect caused by the former.

While this doesn’t necessarily mean a delay past the first half of 2026, Valve’s wording feels very deliberate here. Regardless, the shortages don’t appear to be going away anytime soon, so you have to wonder if the new Steam Hardware will even launch this year. Time will tell.

Perhaps the most disheartening part of all this is that the long-rumored Half-Life 3 was allegedly slated to launch with the new Steam Machine. It was reportedly planned for Spring 2026, likely to coincide with the initial release date. Regardless of whether this is true or not, journalists like Insider-Gaming’s Mike Straw claim that the sequel, arguably the most anticipated of all time, is indeed real.

There haven’t been too many rumors lately, though, so stay tuned for updates.

“Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed,” explained Valve. “But we have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce, being mindful of how quickly the circumstances around both of those things can change. We will keep you updated as much as we can as we finalize those plans as soon as possible.”

Further in the post, Valve has also offered more details about the Steam Machine and Steam Frame through an FAQ-like structure. Through this, the company has confirmed that streaming services outside of Steam’s Remote Play will be supported thanks to the latter’s built-in web browser. The VR headset also won’t have out-of-the-box support for the Valve Index’s lighthouse base station for more advanced player tracking. However, the modular and extensible software design of the Steam Frame will allow for users to come up with their own third-party solutions to bring in new compatibility features.

As for the Steam Machine, Valve has confirmed that it will be sharing faceplate CAD files, specs and details to ensure that third-party companies will also be able to make their own custom faceplates for the pre-built PC. The company has also noted that its RAM—DDR5 SODIMMs—and SSD—NVMe 2230 or 2280—will be accessible and fully upgradeable.

Valve’s announcement comes just a day after AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su had announced during an earnings call that the Steam Machine is on track to be launched “early this year”. In a statement. Dr. Su also projected a double-digit percentage loss for its semi-custom SoC (system-on-a-chip) business owing to the current console generation still going strong.

“In gaming, revenue increased 50% year-over-year to $843 million. Semi-custom sales increased year-over-year and declined sequentially as expected,” she said. “For 2026, we expect semi-custom SoC annual revenue to decline by a significant double-digit percentage as we enter the seventh year of what has been a very strong console cycle. From a product standpoint, Valve is on track to begin shipping its AMD-powered Steam Machine early this year.”

While Valve has been rather quiet about its pricing strategy for the Steam Machine, the company had confirmed back in November that the pre-built PC’s cost will be competitive with similarly-specced custom PCs. “I think that if you build a PC from parts and get to basically the same level of performance, that’s the general price window that we aim to be at,” said Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais in November.

For more on the Steam Machine, Steam Frame and new Steam Controller, here is everything you need to know.

But why is that? What do these new devices bring to the table that their competitors don’t? How do they integrate with your existing Steam account and devices? Are they worth your hard-earned cash?

Join us as we take a look at the Steam Frame, Steam Machine, and the new and improved Steam Controller. Prepare for some great surprises from Valve, and perhaps gain some insight into whether these gizmos are a worthy purchase.

The Steam Frame – Your Steam Library in Virtual Reality

Let’s begin with the Steam Frame. This standalone VR headset is literally a PC, and is a cool addition to the Steam lineup, bringing VR capabilities to the platform and taking the fight to the likes of the Meta Quest 3 and PSVR2. Its list of innovations is quite intriguing, thanks to its implications.

But let’s start with the obvious. This one’s packing a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ARM64 4nm mobile chipset alongside 16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM memory, and 256GB/1TB of expandable storage options. The Frame also marks the first time SteamOS runs outside of the Steam Deck and PCs, and this version of it brings some interesting touches to the table, which we’re diving into in just a minute.

There are dual mics and pancake lenses in the front, dual integrated speakers on the sides, and a 21.6W battery in the back, while four monochrome cameras on the exterior track the Frame Controller’s positioning. You heard that right, the Frame comes with its own controllers that do the job of a full-fledged one quite well. They’re also equipped with TMR thumbsticks, which reduce the likelihood of stick drift and dead zones while being more power efficient than Hall Effect ones.

They’ve got capacitive finger sensors, haptic feedback, and about 40 hours of action from one AA battery. You could also hook the Frame up to your Steam Controller if you so desire. If you’re worried that those specs come with a hefty weight, the Frame is quite lightweight at 435 grams, making it significantly lighter than both the Meta Quest 3 and PSVR2. That’s an advantage considering that this one’s been designed for long gaming sessions, and its versatility on the software side of things.

This is where things get interesting for the Frame. Not only is it capable of running a bunch of great VR titles from the Steam store, but you also get to play any title from your Steam library that comes with gamepad support. What’s more, your expandable storage lets you install games on a MicroSD card using a PC, Steam Deck, or the new Steam Machine and seamlessly run it on the frame.

What’s more, you can also stream titles from a more powerful machine, with the Frame using a little bit of trickery to get by. It’s a technique called foveated streaming. To keep things simple, it’s the Frame’s way of ensuring you get a brilliant picture by focusing the bulk of its resources towards the frame you’re looking at while rendering other frames in the background, ready to pop up into your view should you look their way.

So, how does this new headset compare against the likes of Meta Quest 3 and PlayStation VR 2? From a headset specs, Steam Frame lands as the most “PC-style” display of the three while mixing elements from both PSVR2 and Quest 3. It’s 2160 x 2160 LCD panels per eye actually edge out both Sony’s PSVR2 (2000 x 2040 per-eye OLED at 90/120Hz) and Meta’s Quest 3 (2064 x 2208 per-eye LCD at 90–120Hz), and it goes a step further with an experimental 144Hz mode on top of the usual 72-120Hz range.

It uses pancake lenses for a slimmer shell and cleaner clarity, whereas PSVR2 sticks with Fresnel optics, trading some lens artifacts for the contrast of an OLED. Steam Frame and PSVR2 share a key high-end feature Quest 3 lacks: built-in eye tracking for foveated rendering/streaming via their IR cameras.

Quest 3 hits back on the mixed-reality side, with high-resolution RGB cameras, while both Steam Frame and PSVR2 only offer monochrome passthrough feeds from their outward-facing tracking cameras. However, the Frame takes the lead in some departments: four external mono cameras plus two eye-tracking cameras, IR support for low-light tracking, and a front expansion port that can take extra high-speed cameras or a PCIe Gen 4 module.

With all of this going for it, the Steam Frame is sure to take the fight to its competition, and perhaps even surge ahead in the process. And maybe the Steam Machine could be a part of that success.

The Steam Machine – A Capable, Console-Spec Device

The Steam Machine is six times faster than the Steam Deck, and is Valve’s answer to the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, bringing a very practical form factor to the space while remaining uncompromising on its specs. How did the Machine pull that off? The answer lies in its design.

In contrast to the PS5’s imposing design, the Steam Machine prefers to keep things classy. It’s essentially a six-inch cube that acts as a gaming PC for your living room, letting you enjoy your Steam library with FSR-enabled 60fps gameplay that targets 4K resolution at 60fps. Interestingly, its design was built around the heat that its attractive spec sheet produced, and the cube’s final dimensions were decided based on optimal cooling.

With a 140mm fan and suitably placed inlets allowing for some solid heat dissipation, Valve does deserve a pat on the back for its subtle yet attractive design for the Steam Machine. But those components aren’t aiming for subtlety at all. There’s a semi-custom 6-core Zen 4 CPU, 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, a semi-custom AMD RDNA 3 GPU with 28 CUs, and 512GB/2TB of built-in storage, depending on the model you select. There’s also a MicroSD slot that allows you to seamlessly transfer games across your devices.

Keeping in mind that this one’s meant to be used with a TV, there are multiple input options with supported DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 compatibility, ethernet connectivity, a 10Gbps USB-C port, and four USB-A ports. That’s a lot of options at your disposal, and you even get to use this one as a PC if you like, as it’s compatible with Windows as well as SteamOS.

There’s also HDMI-CEC to let you power on your TV with the Machine, along with a sleep/wake function. It even comes with its own rest mode, letting you download games or updates in the background while it is powered down. A customizable LED on the front lets you keep track of things while it’s in this state.

Compared to a base PS5 and Xbox Series X, this Steam Machine comes across as a CPU-forward, GPU-trimmed configuration with a more PC like memory setup (kind of expected, it’s literally a PC). On the GPU side, 28 RDNA 3 compute units at a 2.45 GHz sustained clock leave it behind the PS5 and especially the Series X in sheer shader muscle, so you’d expect it to favour 1440p or slightly reduced settings versus their typical 4K ambitions unless it leans hard on modern upscalers. The memory design, 16 GB of DDR5 system RAM plus 8 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM, also shifts priorities: it’s excellent for multitasking, but that fixed budget may become a tighter bottleneck than the consoles’ unified 16 GB GDDR6 pool as games keep ramping up technological demands.

On the CPU side, it’s a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 processor running up to 4.8 GHz, and should comfortably outclass the consoles’ older 8-core Zen 2 chips in per-core performance and responsiveness, even if they still have the edge in total core count for workloads.

When you think of the Machine as a device working in tandem with your Deck or Frame, it’s easy to see how switching to Steam from another platform can be an avenue to having your entire library of games at your fingertips, no matter where you are, and how you’d like to enjoy them. And speaking of enjoying your games, the new Steam Controller might have something of interest to you!

The Steam Controller – A New Touch On An Old Design

The folks over at Valve clearly haven’t given up on the original Steam Controller, but have been diligent in ensuring that their new take balances the original design with modern sensibilities. The result is a controller that looks quite capable and brings a very unique touch to its design.

With traditional thumbsticks placed atop the original controller’s dual touchpads, the Steam Controller certainly stands out. The touchpads are now ever so slightly inclined inward, a design choice that’s intended to support long-term use. Like the Frame Controller, the thumbsticks come with magnetic TMR sensors, while there are four rear buttons – a feature that the Steam Controller’s competitors restrict to their Pro versions.

There are dual high-fidelity motors taking care of the Controller’s haptics, while Valve has decided to make this one an appealing option for players who like to use their gyroscopes. Grip Sense, the Steam Controller’s onboard software, activates its gyroscopes based on how you’re holding your controller, making for a very seamless transition between your use of buttons and the gyro.

While it remains to be seen if the Steam Controller can dethrone the DualSense in this generation of gaming hardware, the fact that it now exists is certainly a sign of good things to come for those of you who do like the option of a versatile gamepad in addition to your keyboard and mouse setups.

Its included dongle makes charging it up a breeze while also allowing it to connect with up to four other Controllers with low latency for some great multiplayer fun. And with 35 hours of battery life on a full charge, you’re going to be in the thick of it for a while. If you’re worried about losing your dongle, have no fear as it clips to the back of the Controller. They really did think of everything.

From a head-to-head perspective with Sony’s DualSense and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S controllers, the new Steam Controller is much more of a “precision / PC input” device than a traditional gamepad. With four LRA haptic motors split between its twin trackpads and the grips, it can deliver more feedback than the Xbox’s classic rumble, and it can rival the DualSense’s advanced haptics, though Sony still has the unique edge of adaptive triggers for variable resistance.

The capacitive “grip sense” is the real differentiator, enabling mouse-like aiming and finger detection that neither console controller really matches (which is kind of a given to be fair). On the connectivity side, the low-latency 2.4 GHz puck with ~4 ms polling, plus Bluetooth and USB-C tethering, puts it right in line with or may be a tad ahead of the PS5 and Xbox controllers’ Bluetooth + USB-C options, while the 8.39 Wh built-in battery rated for 35+ hours, if true in practical situations, is simply outstanding.

A New Triple Threat?

This new step from Valve could be a welcome disruption to the gaming hardware space, forcing Sony and Microsoft to up their game as we approach a new generation of consoles in the coming years. The Frame and Machine are certainly powerful devices that bring a sort of utility that’s perfect for Steam users.

But what about the rest? Can these beasts be enough to capture some ground from some well-established, equally capable consoles? What does 2026 hold for Steam and its rivals? What will they be priced at? What will availability be like?

Time will answer those questions, but in the meantime, it’s time to wait with bated breath for a trio that’s sure to bring a lot of smiles to those who decide to pick them up.

As things stand today, the Steam Frame, Machine, and the new Controller are a welcome step in the right direction for the platform, and are capable devices with excellent value propositions for existing users while being enticing enough to catch the eye of those on other platforms.

Selan has high hopes for ARM thanks to the core architecture being open source, which in turn allows anyone to run just about anything on it, provided it has been compiled with the target hardware in mind. This includes the ability to run SteamOS on ARM-based devices that might not already have the operating system installed.

“This is already fully open source, so you could download it and run SteamOS, now that we will be releasing SteamOS for ARM, you could have gaming on any ARM device,” said Selan. “This is the first one. We’re very excited about it.”’

When it comes to VR titles, it is worth noting that some of the most popular headsets out there are based on ARM, including Meta’s line-up of Rift headsets, which run on its own HorizonOS operating system, which is based on Android. According to Valve engineer Jeff Leinbaugh, the company has also been working on being able to run compatible games through the use of APK files – a file format for Android software.

“So we’re able to run ARM APKs on this device as well,” said Leinbaugh, who was followed up with Selan noting that: “So for partners and developers who have developed applications for other mobile VR, they’ll just work on this headset.” Further tying into this, Valve designer Lawrence Yang has also noted that Steam will start featuring APK-based software which can run on ARM devices.

This support for ARM-based hardware and APK software comes from the fact that Valve wants to invite more developers to Steam to sell their games. Selan also noted that, while some developers might be more comfortable with making software that targets ARM-based hardware, the company will also keep its doors open for developers who prefer to work on software targetting x86.

“We really want to try to welcome all developers to Steam, and if they’re most comfortable creating their software for a certain type of development, like ARM APKs, we want to make sure that’s compatible,” said Selan. “If they’d rather do x86 and PC, we’ll bring that to our system.”

It is worth noting that, while most gaming PCs out there run on x86 architecture, Steam is already also available on ARM-based devices in the form of Apple’s computers that run on its own custom Apple Silicon chips. However, Windows-based PCs with ARM chips don’t yet support running Steam natively.

For more details about the ARM-based VR headset Steam Frame, check out our coverage of its announcement. Also check out how Valve doesn’t see the Steam Frame as simply a successor to the Index.

“Gaming moves forward when players and developers have more ways to play and create, especially across open platforms,” wrote Spencer. “Expanding access across PC, console, and handheld devices reflects a future built on choice, core values that have guided Xbox’s vision from the start. As one of the largest publishers on Steam, we welcome new options for players to access games everywhere. Congrats on today’s announce.”

Spencer’s post comes just a day after Valve officially unveiled three new pieces of hardware – Steam Machine, Steam Frame and Steam Controller. Of the three devices, the one Spencer is referring to the most is likely the Steam Machine, which is essentially a pre-built PC powered by a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 six-core CPU and a semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU with 28 compute units.

The Steam Machine has been described by Valve as being an incredibly simple PC that can be plugged in and operated by just about anyone. The system runs on SteamOS – an operating system based on Arch Linux, and the same one that also runs on the Steam Deck. Despite being a Linux-based PC, the system can also run most Windows-based titles thanks to the strength of the Proton translation layer.

The small form factor of the Steam Machine, coming in at roughly 6-inches on each side, will also likely draw quite a few comparisons between the gaming PC and consoles, which also tend to have smaller form factors when compared to full-fledged gaming PCs. Since it is essentially just a PC, however, the Steam Machine won’t be limited to just running games available through Steam. Much like the Steam Deck, the upcoming PC will also be capable of running games from third-party stores.

It is worth noting that one of the major PC gaming stores that won’t be available on the Steam Machine will be the Microsoft Store, through which players can typically buy Xbox Play Anywhere titles to get access to the games across Windows and Xbox devices. To actually get access to the store, a user would have to replace the operating system of the Steam Machine to Windows, which would likely come with its own headaches.

Valve hasn’t yet announced the pricing or launch date for the Steam Machine. However, knowing the company’s typical pricing practices, it will likely be quite competitive with not only other pre-built gaming PCs, but likely also with consoles.

Along with the Steam Machine, Valve also unveiled a new Steam Controller, as well as the Steam Frame VR headset, the latter being capable of running its own games without needing to connect to a PC.

“This is a new product. That’s one of the reasons we changed the name from Valve index to team Frame, because we’re trying to do something new with this,” said Selan. “We’re really trying to blur the lines from your catalogue, where you just think about, you have your games, this is another device that lets you enjoy them. So I don’t want to put too many sort of preconceived expectations on how people will use this.”

One of the major things that sets the Steam Frame apart from the Valve Index is the fact that it has its own built-in hardware that is capable of running games on its own. The Index, on the other hand, was built to be an accessory for those that already own gaming PCs.

“If you think about the Valve Index, awesome device, I worked on it myself, as did Jeff,” he said, referring to fellow Valve engineer Jeff Leinbaugh. “We’re really proud of it, but it always was sort of a companion to the PC.”

The Steam Frame has also been designed with the idea of reducing the amount of friction that is typically associated with VR gaming. While the Index needed players to go out of their way to set up all the hardware to work with their PCs, the Steam Frame can instead simply be worn, which ends up with players presented with options for the kinds of games they want to play.

“I think in the Valve Index era, I would have to think about, before I picked up the device, what I wanted to play,” Selan explained. “Do I just want to enjoy a non-VR game? And I would pick up my Steam Deck or go to the PC. Or do I want to play a VR session? And then I’d turn on the base stations, walk over to the room that had my Index and play that. I find myself now with this device much more so just throwing it on before I know what I want to play.”

While the company might be getting ready to release its new VR headset, it has also confirmed that it is not working on a first-party experience that would help showcase the Steam Frame’s capabilities. This runs counter to Valve’s habit of typically releasing its own games to showcase its hardware, like Aperture Desk Job for the Steam Deck, or even the critically-acclaimed Half-Life: Alyx, which while playable on any VR headset, also made use of the special features of the Valve Index’s Grip controllers.

Along with the Steam Frame, Valve also unveiled other hardware – a gaming PC dubbed Steam Machine, as well as a new controller, dubbed Steam Controller.

The question was asked due to the company’s history with VR, especially when it launched the Valve Index, and then Half-Life: Alyx just a year later to show off the full capabilities of the virtual reality headset. The company also tends to have a pattern of releasing some new software – even if it is simply a collection of mini-games – whenever it launches a new hardware product.

Aside from Half-Life: Alyx, Valve had also previously showcased its VR hardware with the release of the free title Aperture Hand Lab. The 2022 launch of the Steam Deck was similarly followed up with the release of yet another free title that made use of the handheld system’s capabilities: Aperture Desk Job. The title put players in the shoes of a person with a desk job at Aperture Science, where they could complete objectives and push buttons to then get an idea of the various hardware features of the Steam Deck.

The Steam Frame was unveiled just yesterday, and is set to feature two LCD displays with a resolution of 2160×2160 each and between 72 and 144 Hz refresh rates depending on the game being played. Along with this, the headset also has dual stereo speakers and four high-resolution cameras with infrared LEDs that it uses to track the outside world. Unlike the Valve Index, the Steam Frame will be a completely mobile headset that doesn’t need to be plugged into a PC to play games.

Powering the Steam Frame will be a Snapdragon 8 Series SoC (system on a chip) and 16 GB of RAM. When it comes to storage, the headset will be available in 256 GB and 1 TB configurations, both of which will also come with a microSD slot for further expansion. Valve has stated that the battery life expected from the Steam Frame thanks to its 21.6 Wh lithium-ion battery will be around 40 hours.

It is worth noting that Valve has referred to the Steam Frame as a “streaming-first” device, which means that it is intended to be used alongside hardware that would be capable of running games from Steam. It is capable of running just about any title available on Steam through streaming, and can also pair up with older Steam Controllers, the new Steam Controller, as well as the Steam Deck.

Along with the headset, Valve also unveiled a couple of other new pieces of hardware – the Steam Machine and a new Steam Controller. The Steam Machine will be a gaming PC designed to be effortless to set up and can be used as a full-fledged PC that runs SteamOS – a custom operating system based on Arch Linux. The Steam Controller will pack in a host of new features, including high definition rumble and grip-enabled gyro, among other things.

The fact that all of this supports pre-existing hardware, such as the Steam Deck, is also impressive, but what about distribution? All of this is available in early 2026, and Valve is once again handling everything. If you remember trying to get a Steam Deck in the past, concerns about delays crop up, especially considering when taking different regions into account.

However, according to Valve’s Kaci Aitchison Boye, making Steam distribution “better and better” is “important.” “Right now, we are distributing the exact same way as Steam Deck,” she told Eurogamer. “For us, it’s important to just keep making Steam distribution better and better – and distribute times, add regions and things like that.

“We’ve been working on that in the background. Even just from the Steam Deck launch, I think now the experience of buying one of our harder products on the West Coast is quite a bit better than it was a few years ago. We’ve also been adding regions like Australia last year.

“So we’re continually working on improving Steam distribution for hardware.”

Of course, how it will actually pan out in practice remains to be seen. Valve has yet to announce pricing for any of the hardware, so stay tuned for more details.

The VR headset includes two 2160×2160 LCD panels with 72 to 144 Hz refresh rates, dual stereo speakers, and four high-resolution cameras for tracking (complete with infrared LEDs). Its hardware includes a Snapdragon 8 Series CPU, 16 GB RAM and between 256 GB and 1 TB of storage space with a microSD slot. There’s also a rechargeable 21.6 Wh lithium-ion battery, a USB-C port, and a USB-C 2.0 port.

You also receive two accompanying controllers with about 40 hours of battery life, which can be used for non-VR titles. It also runs SteamOS and all its accompanying features, including cloud save support and quick suspend/resume. If that wasn’t enough, it pairs with the existing Steam Controller and allows for streaming from the Steam Deck.

There’s also the new Steam Controller, which includes High Definite Rumble, Grip-Enabled Gyro and next-gen magnetic thumbsticks. Motion control is supported and players can customize the input, including the two Trackpads, with Steam Deck parity ensuring that “thousands” of titles have community configs out of the box.

However, the other, arguably more exciting part of this whole deal is the Steam Machine, a portable PC with “six times the horsepower” of the Steam Deck. It’s equipped with a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 six-core CPU running at up to 4.8 GHz, a semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU with 28 CUs, 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM and 2.45 GHz max sustained clock speed, and 16 GB DDR5 RAM. Together with FSR, it can play games in 4K/60 FPS.

You can choose from two storage solutions at launch – 512 GB and 2 TB – on an NVMe SSD, but there will also be a “high-speed” microSD slot for further expansion. And since it also runs SteamOS, it’s perfectly capable as a PC as well.

Valve hasn’t announced pricing for all of this, but you can wishlist the Steam Frame and Steam Machine now.