Steam’s New Hardware Launch: Full Breakdown of Specs, Price & Performance

Valve is back with a new Steam hardware ecosystem to complement the Deck. Gamers (and streamers) will soon see three fresh devices in early 2026: the Steam Machine (a compact living-room PC), the Steam Frame (a wireless VR headset), and an all-new Steam Controller. These are all SteamOS devices built on today’s silicon. In short, Valve is taking PC gaming to your couch and VR headset in one fell swoop. Below is a deep dive into each device’s specs, performance goals, and (so far unknown) pricing.

Steam Machine: The New Living-Room Console-PC

The Steam Machine is Valve’s compact, console-like PC designed for big-screen gaming. It’s roughly GameCube-sized (about 6.4×6.1×6.0 inches and ~5.7 lbs) and fits neatly under a shelf or TV. Inside is a custom AMD solution: a 6-core Zen 4 CPU (boosting up to ~4.8 GHz) paired with a semi-custom AMD RDNA 3 GPU (28 compute units with 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM) and 16 GB RAM. Valve claims this hardware is about six times more powerful than the Steam Deck, enough to target 4K/60 FPS gaming with ray tracing (using AMD’s FSR upscaling). In other words, expect performance in the ballpark of a mid-range gaming PC (roughly an RX 7400 or RTX 4060 class on desktops).

Connectivity is thorough: the Steam Machine includes Wi-Fi 6E (2×2), Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, plus plenty of I/O. There’s an HDMI 2.0 port (driving 4K@60Hz, with tested support up to HDMI 2.1 speeds) and a DisplayPort 1.4 (8K@60 or 4K@240Hz). Front and rear I/O includes USB‑A ports, a USB‑C port, and even a full-size microSD slot (so you can swap your Steam Deck card straight into the Machine). Valve built a beefy 120 mm cooling fan and multiple heat pipes to keep everything quiet, about 20 to 30 dB under normal loads. The goal was a console-like experience: fast suspend/resume, HDMI-CEC for one-button TV on/off, and an easy plug-in gaming box you can leave on all the time.

On the front, the Steam Machine has a removable faceplate and a subtle LED halo around the edges. This front panel is actually magnetic (Valve will release CAD files so fans can 3D-print their own faceplates). The base model ships with a 512 GB M.2 SSD (2230 size), but you can upgrade to a 2 TB SSD (or even slot in a full-size 2280 M.2) thanks to the easily accessible drive bay. The internal power supply is a built-in 300 W brick, and interestingly, Valve used blade connectors to the board for efficiency. In practice, the Steam Machine works seamlessly with Steam Deck hardware: it has a built-in Steam Controller receiver (for up to four controllers), and you can instantly resume your Deck games on the big screen if you dock or stream via Steam Link.

In summary, the Steam Machine is a home-console PC running SteamOS. It packs modern AMD hardware under the hood (Zen 4 CPU + RDNA 3 GPU), targets 4K gaming, and is designed to blend into your living room. Valve’s big bet: give you something more powerful than your old PC for couch gaming, but still as easy to use as a console.

Steam Frame: Valve’s Wireless VR Headset

Next is the Steam Frame (codename “Deckard”), Valve’s next-generation VR headset. Think of it as a standalone, streaming-first VR headset: it runs SteamOS on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset (ARM-based) with 16 GB LPDDR5 RAM, so it can play lighter VR or Android titles on its own. Crucially, though, the Frame comes with a dedicated USB Wi-Fi 6E dongle that creates a direct 6 GHz link to your gaming PC for high-fidelity VR streaming. This means you can stream PC VR games wirelessly at very low latency (Valve claims <8 ms round-trip) instead of using an HDMI cable. Valve even added eye-tracking for foveated rendering during PC streaming, further improving quality. In Valve’s words, the Steam Frame is “streaming-first.”  it replaces the old Valve Index, ditching base stations and tethers in favor of mobile versatility.

The display hardware is cutting-edge: dual 2160×2160 LCD panels (one per eye) with multi-element pancake lenses, yielding roughly a 110° field of view. These high-res screens are a major step up from older headsets (they have about twice the pixels of the Index and match or exceed the Meta Quest 3). Refresh rate goes up to 120 Hz (with an experimental 144 Hz mode), for smooth VR. And it’s very light: the core headset is only about 185 g (0.41 lbs) by itself, or roughly 440 g (0.97 lbs) with the rear battery strap and facial interface attached, slimmer than most PCVR headsets. Valve even used a collapsible rear battery (21.6 Wh) in the strap for comfort. In short, the Frame is one of the lightest “full-featured” standalone VR headsets yet.

Under the hood, the Frame is packed with sensors and radios. It has four outward-facing monochrome cameras for inside-out tracking (including two for passthrough) and two inward-facing cameras for eye tracking. Unlike the Steam Machine, it has no HDMI or DisplayPort input. VR from PC comes only over that Wi-Fi 6E link. Onboard battery life is modest (it’s built more for tethered play), but you can also plug it into USB-C power during standalone use. Connectivity-wise, the headset itself also has standard Wi-Fi 5/6 and Bluetooth for software updates and wireless audio.

All told, the Steam Frame is designed as an all-in-one PC/VR headset: enjoy “zero-PC” VR with Android or native Linux/Windows titles running on ARM, or use it as a wireless PCVR display with up to 2160p per eye. Either way, it’s meant to leverage Steam’s massive library. As PC Gamer notes, this system literally runs SteamOS on ARM (via Valve’s “FEX” compatibility layer), so you can play traditional Steam games in a big virtual screen or in VR. For users and streamers, that means you could broadcast VR or 2D PC games directly from the Frame over Twitch (the headset itself or through the PC stream).

Steam Controller: Valve’s New Gamepad

Last but not least is Valve’s new Steam Controller (codename “Triton”), a radical rethink of their earlier gamepad. At first glance, it looks fairly conventional: two analog sticks, ABXY buttons, and triggers, but it retains Valve’s signature features for couch-based PC play. Notably, it now has two thumbsticks (using Valve’s new drift-resistant Tunnel MagnetoResistive, or TMR, technology), plus two large touchpads beneath them. These touchpads are slightly angled inward, pressure-sensitive, and provide precision pointing/clicking (just like on a Steam Deck). There are also four easy-to-press capacitive grip buttons on the back and gyro sensors for motion control. In practice, you can use the controller as a traditional gamepad or as a virtual mouse/keyboard: for example, swipe on a touchpad to pan a map or aim, or tilt the pad like a joystick for movement. Valve even included “GripSense” touch sensors in the handles so that loosening your grip can drop to disable the gyro, then re-enable it when you grip again. The whole unit is lighter than many pro controllers (about 292 g) and charges via USB‑C or the included puck.

Connectivity is very flexible. By default, the Steam Controller ships with a magnetic wireless puck, a tiny USB dongle that snaps onto the controller to charge it and acts as a 2.4 GHz receiver. This proprietary link delivers ~8 ms latency and supports up to 4 controllers per puck simultaneously (so 4 players with one PC). Crucially, that 8 ms latency stays constant even as more controllers join, unlike Bluetooth, which can suffer lag when many devices share a channel. The puck also doubles as a charger when snapped on. Of course, you can also pair the controller via Bluetooth (it supports BT 4.2+) or play wired over USB-C. With a 35+ hour battery life, you likely won’t need to recharge it often. This means you get desktop-style precision (trackpads + gyro) with console convenience.

Under the hood, the controller introduces Valve’s latest tech: the two analog sticks use the new TMR magnetic sensing for longer life, and GripSense capacitive sensors run the length of the handles. All face buttons and triggers are also capacitive to enable things like on-off by touch. Valve designers kept the body simple (no rubber textures) but refined the input feel, for example, a more tactile D-pad and even capacitive thumb pads. In short, this controller is hugely versatile: it can mimic a mouse cursor via gyro, or act exactly like a console pad, or anything in between. This makes it ideal for big-screen PC games (you could play CS:GO or Fortnite from the couch with a trackpad+gyro combo) as well as sitting back with a Steam Deck-style game mode.

As this new Steam hardware ecosystem grows, it quietly benefits platforms that sit at the intersection of gaming and creator engagement. Tools like Glitchover, where fans can queue up, play along, and interact directly with their favorite creator, stand to gain from smoother couch gaming and wireless VR setups. With devices like the Steam Machine and Steam Frame making PC gaming more accessible in the living room, creators can host play sessions more easily, and fans can jump into games with them without needing bulky PC setups. In a way, Valve’s hardware push doesn’t just expand how people play, it expands how creators connect with their communities.

Price, Release & Takeaways

All three devices are slated for “Early 2026” release. Valve has not announced prices yet, but analysts expect a range: the Steam Controller will likely be the cheapest (maybe ~$100 or less, akin to high-end gamepads), while the Steam Machine could land around $800+ for the 512 GB model (the 2 TB version more). The Steam Frame might price between the Meta Quest 3 ($499) and the Oculus Rift S era ($400)  perhaps around $600–700, given its premium features. We’ll have to wait for Valve’s official reveal.

Key specs at a glance: the Steam Machine packs AMD Zen 4 (6-core) + RDNA 3 (28 CU) with 16 GB RAM and up to 2 TB SSD; the Steam Frame uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC with 16 GB RAM, dual 2160×2160 LCDs (≈110° FOV), and a 6 GHz Wi-Fi6E dongle for PCVR; the Steam Controller offers two TMR analog sticks, dual capacitive touchpads, gyro, and a 35+ hour rechargeable battery. All three run SteamOS (with Proton support for Windows games) and integrate with Steam’s library and Steam Deck seamlessly.

For gamers and streamers alike, Valve’s new hardware means more ways to play and share PC games. The Steam Machine brings console simplicity to Steam’s massive game catalog; the Steam Frame brings untethered VR (or VR streaming to friends) with Steam’s ecosystem; and the new controller lets you navigate PC games comfortably from your couch. Keep an eye out for early 2026: Valve is building a whole new “Steam Box” family, and it could finally bridge PC gaming with the living room in a big way.