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Valve Relaunches Steam Hardware: Steam Machine, Steam Frame Headset and New Controller Target Early 2026

Price guidance points to entry-level PC territory, prompting scrutiny of Valve’s 4K claims given the 8 GB VRAM.

Overview

  • Valve unveiled a compact SteamOS living‑room Steam Machine alongside the Steam Frame VR headset and a redesigned Steam Controller, all slated for an early 2026 release.
  • The Steam Machine features a semi‑custom AMD Zen 4 6‑core CPU, a 28‑CU RDNA 3 GPU, 16 GB DDR5 system memory, 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM, and 512 GB or 2 TB SSD options with microSD expansion.
  • Valve claims over six times the Steam Deck’s performance with 4K/60 fps and ray tracing when using AMD’s FSR upscaling, a target independent analysts say will require lowered settings in modern blockbusters.
  • Prices were not announced; Valve told press the console will be comparable to a similarly specced PC and aims near entry‑level PC pricing, leaving competitiveness versus PlayStation and Xbox dependent on the final number.
  • The Steam Frame is a lightweight wireless headset running a VR build of SteamOS with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 16 GB RAM, eye‑tracking for foveated streaming, PC streaming via a bundled USB wireless adapter, and 256 GB or 1 TB storage, while the new controller adds magnetic sticks, dual trackpads, gyro, haptics, multi‑mode wireless, and a ~35‑hour battery with a 2.4 GHz charging puck.