ConnexionValve officially unveils the Steam Frame, Steam Controller 2 and Steam Machine console
In recent months, rumours have been swirling around new hardware from Valve, the company behind Steam. Today, the curtain was officially lifted, revealing not only the Steam Frame wireless VR headset, but also a second-generation Steam Controller, which serves as a more traditional gamepad compared to the original. On top of all of that, Valve's Steam Machine is also making a grand comeback, this time as a first-party console to complement the Steam Deck.
The Steam Frame is, as previously predicted, Valve's wireless VR solution. Replacing the Index, this is a lightweight VR headset with Touch-style controllers and built-in sensors. It isn't just a VR headset though, it is its own PC, complete with SteamOS installed, so you can download and run traditional PC games and play them on a massive virtual screen.
Just like with the Valve Index, the Steam Frame is designed with comfort at the forefront. The dimensions of the headset are compact and slim, so you won't have too much weight hanging off your face. The headband is designed to easily slip on and off, and there is a tuning dial in the headset to help you fine-tune the fit.
Custom lenses have been created for the headset to create a large viewing window and keep the image sharp from edge-to-edge. Better yet, you'll have a total pixel count of 2160×2160, so you shouldn't even really notice gaps between the pixels, something that was an issue for early-generation VR headsets. Games will feel fluid too, with a full 144Hz refresh rate.
Just like the Steam Deck, Valve will have a ‘Steam Frame Verified' system in place, so you'll easily be able to tell at a glance which titles in your library, or on the Steam Store, can comfortably run on the headset.
Now the second announcement today is one we did not expect. Valve is bringing back the Steam Machine. It is a small cube-shaped PC, one that measures smaller than a banana, meaning it should be easy to integrate into most gaming set-ups. If you really don't want to see it, it should be small enough to stash behind your TV, or a plant, or just about anything. The faceplate of the Steam Machine is also removable, so you can swap out the plain black one for a custom one of your choosing.
Valve is promising 4K/60FPS gaming from the Steam Machine (with FSR), making it ideal for living room gaming. Under the hood, it is powered by a custom AMD chip with six Zen 4 CPU cores, alongside a semi-custom RDNA 3 GPU with 28 Compute Units, 8GB of VRAM and a 110W TDP. As you would expect, it comes with SteamOS pre-installed, and it has plenty of USB ports to hook up a controller, keyboard and mouse, along with any speakers or additional peripherals. Through its HDMI 2.0 connection, you can achieve 4K at 120Hz, or alternatively, you can use the DisplayPort 1.4 port for 4K resolution at up to 240Hz.
Just like the Steam Deck and Steam Frame, games on the Steam Store will all be subject to a verification programme, so you'll easily be able to filter your library, or the Steam Store, for games that will reliably run and play well on the system. As this is essentially a desktop PC, you can always exit the Steam Big Picture mode and access the full desktop, enabling you to install your own apps, get work done or browse the web.
To complement the Steam Machine, Valve has also announced its new Steam Controller. This is a lot larger than your typical Xbox or PlayStation style game pad, thanks to the addition of two large trackpad surfaces underneath the thumbsticks. It also has gyro controls, HD rumble and a wireless charging puck. Imagine a Steam Deck without the screen and the two controller halves smushed together and bam, you have the new Steam controller. It isn't quite as nice looking as the original to me, but if you are after a pad with lots of functionality, this one appears to have it in spades.
Unfortunately, we do not have pricing information just yet, but all three products are due to launch in ‘early 2026', so expect more news within the next few months.
KitGuru Says: Valve now has an entire hardware ecosystem for PC gamers, fully leveraging the power of the Steam platform. As we've seen with the Steam Deck, Valve is also likely to support these systems for a long time, so anyone buying won't have to worry about a ‘Gen 2' being just around the corner. Valve has shown a willingness to wait for technology to deliver truly meaningful upgrades, rather than jump at the first opportunity to push customers to newer, more expensive devices.
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