On Wednesday, Valve announced not one, not two, but three new pieces of video game hardware: The console-like Steam Machine, the Steam Frame VR headset, and the Steam Controller. All of this stuff launches sometime in 2026 (price unknown) and works together, alongside the Steam Deck, to create what is shaping up to be an impressive Steam ecosystem that rivals anything from Xbox, PlayStation, Apple, or Nintendo.
But announcing three pieces of gaming hardware in one day means there are a lot of information and interviews floating around. So I’ve read through all of it, as well as all of Valve’s own posts, to narrow down 16 interesting, cool, important, and fun details about the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller.
The Steam Machine is bringing back Xbox 360-like faceplates
Valve’s new Steam console features a removable faceplate that reminds me a lot of the Xbox 360 faceplates from back in the day. Sadly, the company doesn’t sound committed to selling different plates, but they will be sharing all the files needed to 3D print your own. So I expect a lot of third-party plates will be available after launch. Oh, and Valve, you should totally sell this e-ink plate, please!
Valve wants every game running at 4K60 on Steam Machine
“Our benchmark has always been that it should have enough performance to play every game on Steam at 4K60 when you do some sort of upscaling like FSR,” Yazan Aldehayyat, a Valve engineer working on the Steam Machine, told PC Gamer. That’s a pretty big promise and likely will mean some newer, Unreal Engine 5 games will need to have their settings lowered a lot. But games from a few years ago, indie titles, and other similar titles should run like a dream on the device.
You can easily expand Steam Machine’s storage and even change the RAM
Valve has designed the Steam Machine to let you add more SSD storage easily if you so desire. You can also slap in a fast, high-performance SD Card to add more storage. And for those willing to open the console up a bit more, you can even replace the RAM, though Valve says this will be tricky and likely not something most people do.
The Steam Machine is reportedly very, very quiet
According to PC Gamer, the Steam Machine is very quiet. Even while playing Cyberpunk 2077 and standing close to the Steam console, it barely made any noise.
It’s also just a computer, if you want
Similar to the Steam Deck, Valve has designed the Steam Machine to be usable as a computer. Hook it up to a monitor, connect a mouse and keyboard, and you have a beefy little Linux-powered desktop PC that can run Steam and other software easily.
You can wirelessly connect four Steam Controllers to the Steam Machine
Want to play a game with your pals on the Steam Machine? Well, good news: It supports four Steam Controllers at once without needing any extra dongles. Nifty stuff!
Steam Machine can run Windows, if you like that kind of thing
If you’re someone who prefers gaming on Windows, you can swap out SteamOS for Windows 11 and run that operating system instead. I wouldn’t recommend doing this, but hey, I’m not your dad.
The Steam Machine will be available in every country where the Steam Deck is sold
If you can legally buy a Steam Deck where you live now, you’ll be able to buy a Steam Machine, Frame, and Controller when they launch globally in 2026. Here’s the list of countries where the Steam Deck is currently for sale:
- USA
- Canada
- UK
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- Japan
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Hong Kong
The Steam Deck, Controller, and Frame VR headset all work together
Valve is making a big deal about how all of these new Steam devices work together and connect in various ways. So you can, for example, stream a newer game from your Steam Machine to your Steam Deck. Or play a Steam Deck favorite of yours natively on the Steam Frame headset while using the Steam Controller completely wirelessly. And of course, all your Steam games and progress hop around seamlessly between every device.
Steam Controller’s thumbsticks sound very fancy
The Steam Controller includes Tunnel Magnetoresistance (TMR) thumbsticks, which are even better, more reliable, and more precise than Hall Effect sticks. “They’re super responsive, meaning that we’re able to lower the default dead zone by more than half. And super reliable. They’ll keep drift at bay much, much, much longer. These things are super great,” Steve Cardinali, an engineer at Valve, told PC Gamer.
The Steam Controller fully supports gyro aiming
Here’s a fun story: The Steam Controller features full gyroscopic control because one person at Valve is way into gyro aiming and moved his desk into the same place the device was being designed to help get the feature in the gamepad. All you fans of gyro aiming should thank that person if you get the chance.
Steam Frame is basically a Steam Deck on your face
While they don’t run on the same hardware, the Steam Frame VR headset runs the same OS as the Steam Deck and should feel familiar to anyone who has played Valve’s portable PC. And because it’s a standalone device that runs SteamOS natively, all your Steam Deck games can be played on it in a big virtual theater.
The new VR headset is built for streaming, so no more wires
While you can plug a Steam Frame into a computer, Valve has designed the device to be totally wireless. It uses a dedicated 6 GHz connection via an included USB dongle to make sure your game is streamed perfectly to the headset. Those who have tried it out say it’s flawless, and the lack of cables is freeing in games like Half-Life: Alyx.
All Steam Deck Verified games will instantly be Steam Machine Verified
Valve is expanding its Verified program with the launch of all this new hardware. So now games can be Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and/or Steam Frame Verified. And because the Steam Machine is so much more powerful than the Steam Deck and supports a controller experience, Valve is automatically marking all Steam Deck Verified games as Steam Machine Verified. That means this device will launch in 2026 with a shit-ton of games that should, in theory, just play without issue on it.
You can stream games from the Steam Machine to the Steam Deck
While someone is watching TV, you can use the Steam Machine to play a newer, more taxing game on your Steam Deck wirelessly via streaming. It’s like the Wii U is back, but actually good.
