Valve has just revealed a new range of Steam hardware, aiming for a 2026 launch!
Accompanying the already hugely popular Steam Deck, Valve has announced a brand new Steam Controller to go alongside two new pieces of advanced hardware, the Steam Machine, a console-like pre-built gaming PC, and Steam Frame, a new VR headset.
Valve confirmed that all their hardware are “Steam first”, and are designed to work with the Steam Operating System (SteamOS), which is built specifically for gaming. The hardware are all designed with a “plug-and-play” user experience in mind, but is designed with the flexibility and capabilities of a PC.
You can check out the Steam Hardware announcement video below, and read on for more details on each of the news announcements.
Steam Machine
The Steam Machine (aka GabeStation, the GabeCube), is a small, console-like piece PC hardware that is designed to go wherever you want it to; whether that’s under your TV, monitor or a banana (hey, that’s on Valve’s website). The Steam Machine has a small form-factor, being around 6 inches in cube form, with the power supply also concealed within the tiny box.
Billed as being six times the horsepower of the Steam Deck, it promises to play your whole Steam library, including AAA titles. You just need to login with your Steam account. It will also feature a “fast suspend / resume” feature (sounds like Xbox’s Quick Resume) as well as cloud saving.
There will be two storage options to purchase, either a 512GB or 2TB version, but both devices can use a microSD to expand memory.
The Steam Machine boasts 4K gaming at 60FPS with FSR, Wi-FI 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. It also houses the wireless adaptor for the Steam controller for direct pairing. Plus, there’s a nifty LED strip that looks pretty, is customisable and also provides you with updates on download progress.
Valve also made the point that it’s still a PC, meaning you can install apps, and other operating systems on it.
Steam Machine Tech Specs (as of announcement)
General
| CPU | Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T – up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP |
| GPU | Semi-Custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs – 2.45GHz max sustained clock, 110W TDP |
| RAM | 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM |
| Power | Internal power supply, AC power 110-240V |
| Storage | Two Steam Machine models – 512GB NVMe SSD – 2TB NVMe SSD Both models include a high-speed microSD card slot |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 dedicated antenna |
| Steam Controller | Integrated 2.4 GHz Steam Controller wireless adapter |
I/O
| Displays | DisplayPort 1.4 – Up to 4K @ 240Hz or 8K@60Hz – Supports HDR, FreeSync, and daisy-chaining HDMI 2.0 – Up to 4K @ 120Hz – Supports HDR, FreeSync, and CEC |
| USB | Two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports in the front Two USB-A 2.0 High speed ports in the back One USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port in the back |
| Networking | Gigabit ethernet |
| LED strip | 17 individually addressable RGB LEDs for system status and customizability |
Size and Weight
| Size | 152 mm tall (148 mm without feet), 162.4 mm deep, 156 mm wide |
| Weight | 2.6 kg |
Software
| Operating System | SteamOS 3 (Arch-based) |
| Desktop | KDE Plasma |
New Steam Controller
The new Steam Controller is designed to be your go to controller for all your PC gaming needs, whether that’s on desktop, laptop, Steam Deck, Steam Machine or the new Steam Frame. Designed for Steam, it is comptabile with your entire library.
The wireless transmitter for the controller also doubles up as a charging station that connects magnetically. Though you can expect around 35 hours of charge too (though this changes depending on how you use it).
Like the Switch 2, the Steam Controller boasts ‘high definition’ rumble, as well as gyro controls that can be activated by ‘Grip Sense’. Holding the controller in specific way allows you to activate gyro aiming. It can also be mapped to a button press too.
The Steam controller has four back buttons around the grip, like the Xbox Elite Controllers. It also has trackpads that allow you to simulate mouse controls whilst on a controller.
The Steam Controller will let you customise the button layouts of your controller to the nth degree, with a promised “thousands” of community configuarions being made available on day one.
New Steam Controller Tech Specs (as of announcement)
Controls and Input
| Gamepad controls | A B X Y buttons D-pad L & R analog triggers L & R bumpers View & Menu buttons Steam & QAM buttons 4x assignable grip buttons |
| Thumbsticks | 2x full-size magnetic thumbsticks (TMR) with capacitive touch |
| Haptics | 4x haptic motors – 2x LRA haptic motors in trackpads for HD tactile feedback – 2x High output LRA haptic motors in grips for HD game haptics including rumble |
| Trackpads | 2x 34.5mm square trackpads with haptic feedback Pressure-sensitive for configurable click strength |
| Gyro | 6-axis IMU |
| Grip Sense | 2x capacitive areas along back of Steam Controller handles |
Connectivity
| Steam Controller Puck | 2.4GHz Wireless connection ~8ms full end-to-end, 4ms polling rate (measured at 5m) Up to 4 Steam Controllers per Steam Controller Puck Steam Controller Puck connects to PC via USB-C |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.2 minimum, 5.0 or higher recommended |
| USB | USB-C tethered play |
Power
| Charging | Steam Controller Puck charging interface USB-C connector |
| Battery | 8.39 Wh Li-ion battery 35+ hours of gameplay* Battery life for tracked gameplay with Steam Frame is reduced |
Size and Weight
| Size | Steam Controller: 111mm x 159mm x 57mm Steam Controller Puck: 50mm x 28mm x 9mm |
| Weight | Steam Controller: 292 g Steam Controller Puck: 16 g |
Steam Frame
The Steam Frame is a VR headset, and is described as a “streaming first, wireless VR headset and controllers”. It is designed to handle your entire Steam library, both VR and non-VR titles.
It looks to have been designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind. Easy to get going with no need for setup. It supports ‘stand alone play’ so you can play some titles (which is growing apparently) without the need to stream from your PC, like a Quest VR headset.
The Steam Frame boasts “foveated streaming”, similar to the concept of the PS VR2 where your eye movements are tracked. Steam Frame uses this principle to prioritise the detail of what you’re looking at, rather than what you’re not. This makes better use of bandwidth, and presumably is how they’ve made the Steam Frame viable as a wireless, streaming first device.
The Steam Frame controllers work in tandem with the Steam Frame and are tracked by the headset. They can also be used for non-VR gaming, but as noted above, the Steam Controller is also compatible with the headset. The Steam Frame controllers take a single AA battery and offer around 40 hours of playtime from one battery (wow!).
Steam Frame Headset Tech Specs
General
| Processor | 4 nm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Architecture: ARM64 |
| RAM | 16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM |
| Storage | 256GB / 1TB UFS storage options microSD card slot for expanded storage |
| Power | Rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery One USB-C 2.0 port in the rear, for charging and data Charge with USB-C, 45W |
| Modular Headstrap | Headstrap includes integrated dual audio drivers and and rechargeable battery on rear. Headstrap weight: 245g Core module can be separated from headstrap, for other headstrap solutions. |
Display and Optics
| Display | 2160 x 2160 LCD (per eye) 72-144Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental) |
| Optics | Custom pancake lenses Glass and non-glass optical elements Large FOV (up to 110 degrees) |
| IPD target range | 60mm – 70mm |
| Eye glasses max width | 140mm |
Cameras and Tracking
| Tracking | Inside-out camera based tracking |
| Cameras | 4x outward facing monochrome cameras for controller and headset tracking 2x interior cameras for eye tracking and foveated streaming |
| Passthrough | Monochrome passthrough via outward facing cameras |
| Low-light support | IR illuminators for tracking and passthrough in dark environments |
| Expansion | User accessible front expansion port Dual high speed camera interface (8 lanes @ 2.5Gbps MIPI) / PCIe Gen 4 interface (1-lane) |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7, 2×2 Dual radios enable concurrent 5Ghz Wi-Fi and 6Ghz VR streaming |
| Wireless Adapter | Wireless adapter included in the box Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz) Provides direct, low-latency link between headset and PC |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 |
Audio
| Speakers | Dual speaker drivers per ear, integrated into headstrap |
| Microphone | Dual microphone array |
Size and Weight
| Size | 175mm x 95mm x 110mm (core module + facial interface) |
| Weight | 440 g – core module + headstrap 185 g – core module |
Software
| Operating System | SteamOS 3 (Arch-based) |
| Desktop | KDE Plasma |
Steam Frame Controller Tech Specs
Controls and Input
| Motion controls | Full 6-DOF tracking and IMU support |
| Gamepad controls | A B X Y buttons (right controller) D-pad (left controller) Full-size magnetic thumbsticks (TMR) with capacitive touch L & R analog triggers L & R bumpers View / Menu / Steam buttons Dual stage grip buttons |
| Haptics | Haptic motor in each controller |
| Finger tracking | Capacitive sensing for all input surfaces Capacitive finger tracking |
General
| Connectivity | 2.4ghz link to dedicated headset radio |
| Size | 126mm x 73mm x 87mm per controller |
| Weight | With battery 130 g per controller Without battery 107 g per controller |
| Power | One replaceable AA battery per controller 40hr battery life |
Some big new hardware coming from Valve in 2026. How are you feeling about the announcements?
Personally, I feel like the Steam Machine is directed at someone like me. I am entirely opposed to PC gaming for the absolute falderal that is required. And I suspect that’s the vibe Microsoft is aiming for with the rumoured new Xbox console / PC hybrid. That being said, I have very games in my Steam library so the prospect of starting over doesn’t immediately appeal, though the vast library that Steam has is a draw. Price will be key here!
What you saying? Come and join the active and friendly Gamer Social Club Discord to chat about the new Steam hardware announcements and all your favourite games.
Did you catch the Japan-focused PlayStation State of Play, check out our summary article so you don’t miss anything from it.
