In a world where video game consoles are largely becoming PCs for your TV, it makes sense that Valve would be jumping back into the console market with a new Steam Machine. The original Steam Machine launched in 2015 and let you play your PC games on your TV, but the project was short-lived. Valve stopped selling the thing in 2018, but hasn’t stopped trying to bring PC gaming and the SteamOS to new formats. Just take a look at the Steam Deck. Now, the Steam Machine is back with a new model for a new era. Will the public be more receptive this time around?
We don’t have a price or release date for the new Steam Machine just yet beyond a 2026 window, and the cost will likely color how folks react to the device overall. We do know that the cube-like computer is around six times more powerful than the Steam Deck is. The six-inch tall box has a sleek, lowkey design that the PlayStation 5’s Seto-Kaiba-ass popped collar could learn from, and its controller has traditional analog sticks on top of the signature trackpad that made the original’s controller an oddity. It also doubles as a full-blown PC you can install non-gaming apps on. If Valve makes it a reasonable price, I could see it popping off, especially with the libraries of many consoles being nearly indistinguishable from that of the PC these days. A PC you play on your TV could easily become a viable alternative to buying a PlayStation or Xbox down the line.
When the new Steam Machine launches, Valve’s digital storefront will be adding a new indicator for games that perform optimally on the device, similar to the Steam Deck verification games go through now. IGN says that the Steam Machine is about as powerful as a last-generation PC, which means some modern games may have some performance struggles, but their experience with the device was an overall positive one.
“Valve says it intends for the Steam Machine to be able to play all current games at 4K with FSR upscaling, but there are going to be plenty of games – especially ones running on Unreal Engine 5 – where you’ll have to lower settings to get it running at a smooth frame rate,” Jacqueline Thomas writes. “Ultimately, I’ll have to get it in the lab to benchmark it to see exactly what it’ll be capable of, but I have little doubt this PC will be running most things – it’s just that the quality settings are definitely going to vary.”
For now, the device is giving people a lot to speculate about, from the impact it could have on the console market to what kind of faceplates they can slap on the side of the thing to just how much it’s actually going to cost.
Valve just casually dropping a complete game changer for the console space with their own home console, the Steam Machine.
This is going to be a gigantic shake-up for Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox. Hard to compete with the Steam platform. I expect they dreaded this. https://t.co/8uVjIisABU
— Ryan T. Brown @ To the Moon (@Toadsanime) November 12, 2025
Steam Machine? Nah, Gabecube. pic.twitter.com/77bPoA5C0j
— GoogleyGareth (@Googleygareth) November 12, 2025
Valve’s overhauled 2026 Steam Machine is a polished, finely crafted console-like PC system. It’s a great little home entertainment box – and it should give Microsoft a lot to worry about. https://t.co/jBYsTq6JNO
— Oliver Mackenzie (@oliemack) November 12, 2025
Hey Valve I got a sick idea for you and your new Steam Machine
I call it The Orange Box pic.twitter.com/viQehyzQMo
— Lance White Star Cluster VTuber (@WhiteLance655) November 12, 2025
If this works out, Steam could become the most ubiquitous force in video games. It could have a console, handheld, and VR headset leading the pack in multiple markets. PlayStation and Xbox are trying to carve out their space in those niches, but it would be kind of wild if Valve became the industry’s most notable triple threat.
