Valve Revives the Steam Machine — Six Times More Powerful Than the Steam Deck
Nearly a decade after the first Steam Machine fizzled out, Valve is officially bringing it back—and this time, it means business.
As part of a major hardware reveal, Valve announced its next-generation Steam Machine, alongside a brand-new Steam Controller and Steam Frame VR headset. The new Steam Machine is said to be six times more powerful than the Steam Deck and aims squarely at living room gamers who crave PC performance in a console-sized box.
Steam Machine: The Next-Gen PC-Console Hybrid
The 2026 Steam Machine reimagines Valve’s earlier concept — a compact gaming PC designed for your TV, powered by SteamOS.
Housed in a sleek 6-inch cube, the new Steam Machine promises 4K 60fps gaming with AMD’s latest hardware and intelligent upscaling via FSR.
Under the hood, it runs on a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6-core, 12-thread CPU and RDNA3 GPU (28 compute units, up to 2.45GHz). Valve claims it’s roughly on par with an RTX 4060 or RX 7600, putting it just behind the PS5 and Xbox Series X in raw horsepower.
Features & Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Models | • 512GB model and 2TB model • Ships in a bundle with the Steam Controller or available standalone |
| CPU | • Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 • 6C / 12T, up to 4.8 GHz • 30W TDP |
| GPU | • Semi-custom AMD RDNA3 • 28 CUs, 2.45GHz max sustained clock • 110W TDP • Supports 4K gaming at 60 FPS with FSR • Ray tracing supported • Over 6× more powerful than Steam Deck |
| Memory | • 16GB DDR5 system RAM • 8GB GDDR6 VRAM |
| Storage | • 512GB or 2TB NVMe SSD models • microSD card slot for expanded storage or portable catalog |
| Power Supply | • Internal power supply • AC power 110–240V |
| 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 |
| Ethernet | • 1 Gbps wired connection |
| USB-C | • 10 Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
| USB-A Ports | • 4× Type-A ports total • 2× USB 3.0 (front) • 2× USB 2.0 (rear) |
| Wireless | • 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E • Dedicated Bluetooth antenna • Integrated Steam Controller 2.4GHz radio |
| Compatibility | • Works with other controllers, accessories, and PC peripherals • Wake-on-Steam Controller support |
| Operating System | • SteamOS (Linux-based) • Gaming-first user interface • Fast suspend/resume • Steam Cloud saves and full Steam ecosystem support |
| Customizable LED Bar | • Personalize with colors and animation • Reflects system status (downloads, booting, updating) |
Steam Frame
The Steam Frame is a wireless VR headset powered by a Snapdragon processor and running SteamOS. It supports both VR and non-VR games from the user’s Steam library and offers standalone play without requiring a PC connection. Designed by Valve for comfort, lightness, and versatility, the Steam Frame delivers a complete PC gaming experience with full controller input support.
Features & Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Weight | • 185g (core) • 440g with included headstrap (facial interface, audio, rear battery) |
| Processor | • 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ARM64 processor |
| RAM | • 16GB unified LPDDR5X RAM |
| Connectivity | • Wi-Fi 7 • 2×2 dual 5GHz/6GHz streaming for simultaneous VR and Wi-Fi |
| Storage | • 256GB / 1TB UFS storage options • microSD card slot for extended storage |
| Display | • 2160×2160 LCD per eye • Pancake optics • 72–144Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental) • Large FOV up to 110° |
| Tracking | • 4× outward-facing monochrome cameras for controller & headset tracking • 2× interior cameras for eye tracking • Outward IR illuminator for dark environments |
| Wireless Adapter | • Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz) • Fast, direct, low-latency link between headset & PC |
| Foveated Streaming | • Eye-tracking adjusts video stream dynamically • Highest resolution sent to where the user is looking |
| Audio | • Dual speaker drivers (per ear), integrated into headstrap • Dual microphone array |
| Passthrough | • Monochrome camera passthrough |
| Expansion | • User-accessible front expansion port • 2× 2.5Gbps camera interface / Gen 4 PCIe |
| Battery | • Rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-Ion battery |
| Operating System | • SteamOS • Sleep/wake support • Cloud saves • Proton compatibility |
| Controllers | • Full 6-DOF tracking and IMU support • Capacitive finger sensing • Magnetic thumbsticks (TMR) for precision and reliability • Haptic feedback • Input parity with traditional gamepad • Replaceable AA battery (40hr life) • Optional straps |
Steam Controller
The Steam Controller offers the same advanced input capabilities as the Steam Deck, enabling seamless play across all Steam games and platforms. It features next-generation precision magnetic thumbsticks, full-sized controls, responsive trackpads, gyro support, and programmable grip buttons. Fully compatible with PCs, laptops, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and the Steam Frame, it delivers a unified, high-performance gaming experience.
Features & Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Compatibility | • Windows / Mac / Linux PCs • PC handhelds • iOS / Android (with Steam Link) • Steam Deck • Steam Machine • Steam Frame |
| Steam Controller Puck | • Pre-paired, plug and play • Proprietary wireless connection • Low-latency (~8ms full end-to-end) • 4ms polling rate (measured at 5m) • More stable than Bluetooth • Supports up to 4 Steam Controllers per Puck |
| Bluetooth | Supported |
| USB Tethered Play | Supported |
| Battery | • Li-ion rechargeable battery • 35+ hours play time • Charge via Steam Controller Puck or USB |
| Magnetic Thumbsticks (TMR) | • Improved responsiveness and reliability • Capacitive touch |
| Grip Sense | • Quick way to activate/deactivate gyro • Assignable input |
| HD Haptics | • 4× haptic motors total • 2× LRA motors in trackpads for HD tactile feedback • 2× high-output LRA motors in grips for HD haptics and rumble |
| Buttons | • ABXY, D-pad • L/R triggers, L/R bumpers • View / Menu / Steam / QAM buttons • 4× assignable grip buttons |
| Input Features | • Magnetic thumbsticks (TMR) • 2× trackpads with haptic feedback • Pressure-sensitive configurable click strength • 6-axis IMU • Capacitive grip sense |
Why It Matters
The original Steam Machine (2015) was ahead of its time — but fragmented hardware and limited SteamOS compatibility doomed it. In contrast, Valve now has a winning formula thanks to the Steam Deck’s success and years of improving Proton, its Windows game compatibility layer.
With SteamOS 3 now mature and a rich ecosystem of games ready to play, the Steam Machine’s return could be the living room PC-console hybrid that finally works.
Valve hasn’t revealed pricing or an exact release date, but it plans to launch the Steam Machine — bundled with the Steam Controller — in 2026.
If the Steam Deck proved portable PC gaming could thrive, this new Steam Machine might just make PC gaming on your TV cool again.
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