Valve is Making Steam Machines, Again

Don’t let this article’s title alarm you just yet. If you remember the huge failure that was Valve’s first attempt at making Steam consoles in the mid-2010s, the news that Valve is giving that idea another go might cause you to raise an eyebrow. However, it seems Valve has learned quite a few valuable lessons from both the failure of the first run of Steam Machines and the runaway success of the Steam Deck. Valve appears to have taken all those lessons into account in regards to their newly announced Steam Machines. I’ve summarized all the details I can currently find.

The main difference between the original Steam Machines and the new version Valve just announced is that, the first time around, Valve partnered with system integrators (“SIs”) like Syber and Zotac to furnish each different model of Steam Machine’s hardware, while Valve provided their SteamOS operating system. This time, however, it appears that Valve has designed pretty much every aspect of the new Steam Machines in-house. Valve partnered with AMD to develop a “semi-custom desktop class CPU and GPU” for the new Steam Machines, but it seems everything else is entirely first-party. That will likely keep most of the variables firmly within Valve’s control.

Since there will now only be one model of Steam Machine (with optional upgraded storage) available for sale as opposed to entire lines of them from different manufacturers, this has enabled Valve to standardize the machine’s internal components so that all Steam Machines will be equally powerful and capable in terms of running SteamOS and games. Not unlike the Steam Deck, the only difference between versions of these new Steam Machines is a choice between whether you want 512 gigabytes of internal storage or two terabytes. All Steam Machine models will support expandable storage via MicroSD cards, just as the Steam Deck does.

Basically, what we’re looking at here is a less portable, non-handheld, more powerful version of the Steam Deck — “6x more powerful than the Steam Deck,” to quote Valve directly. I say “less portable” because, even though these new Steam Machines are fully-fledged desktop computers, they’re tiny. The measurements of the machine Valve have published are as follows: “152 mm tall (148 mm without the feet), 162.4 mm deep, 156 mm wide, 2.6 kg [weight].” Or, in other words, Valve said the machine is small enough that you can feasibly “hide it under a banana.”

So, given the new Steam Machine’s rather compact size, I would wager it’ll probably still be decently portable so long as you’re careful with it. In terms of core hardware, the new Steam Machine comes with 16 gigabytes of DDR5 RAM, a 6-core/12-thread CPU based on AMD’s Zen 4 architecture that runs at “up to 4.8 GHz,” and an AMD GPU with 8 gigabytes of GDDR6 VRAM and 28 Compute Units that runs at “2.45 GHz max sustained clock.” It also features in-built 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, as well as an integrated wireless adapter for the new Steam Controller.

You read that right: Valve is trying its hand at a new Steam Controller in addition to the new Steam Machines. To the best of my recollection, the original Steam Controller was well-received, but it doesn’t appear to have sold very well. A few years ago, Valve discontinued the original Steam Controller and massively reduced its price so it could quickly clear out its inventory of them. As far as I can tell, the new Steam Controller will not be included with the purchase of a Steam Machine by default, but Valve will offer bundles that allow you to purchase both together.

The new Steam Controller looks to basically be a Steam Deck without the built-in screen. The new controller has the same allotments and placements of buttons, as well as dual trackpads that are also present on all models of the Steam Deck. Valve states that you’ll be able to connect up to four Steam Controllers to a single Steam Machine at one time via the Steam Machine’s in-built adapter for the new Steam Controller.

As you probably expect, the Steam Machine will come equipped with Valve’s own Linux-based SteamOS operating system by default. However, in yet another similarity with the Steam Deck, users will have the ability to remove SteamOS from their Steam Machines and use entirely different operating systems, such as Windows, if they so desire. Valve will also be expanding its Steam Deck game verification system to make it compatible with the Steam Machine. Theoretically, this will allow users to gauge at a glance how well their favorite games will run on the Steam Machine.

The main issue there is that Valve’s in-house game verification system is still wildly inconsistent at best. What I mean by that is that there are quite a few cases of games Valve has labeled “unsupported” that run flawlessly on SteamOS out of the box, and just as many examples of games Valve considers fully “verified” that don’t run on SteamOS at all. In light of that, unless Valve overhauls its game verification system to make it significantly less unreliable, I’d imagine third-party resources like ProtonDB will continue to provide users with the most accurate information as far as game compatibility is concerned.

At the time of writing, Valve has not published any concrete information as to the prices of the Steam Machine, the Steam Controller, or its new virtual reality headset called the Steam Frame. All the information Valve has provided in terms of release windows for these products is that they’re aiming to have all three items released sometime in 2026. There also hasn’t been any word on whether Valve will expand its existing partnership with iFixit to provide the parts and guides necessary for users to repair and/or upgrade any of these new products, though I can easily foresee that arrangement continuing.