Wednesday, November 12th 2025
Valve Announces Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller
Valve has finally put an end to the months-long rumor cycle about its next-generation hardware. Today, Valve has introduced three new additions to its hardware library with Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller. Starting with the more interesting hardware, we finally have a successor to the original Steam Machine more than a decade after the original was introduced. Also called the Steam Machine, this one brings more modern hardware optimized to co-exist with the SteamOS Linux build, and a powerful software stack to run any game. Available in 512 GB and 2 TB SSD models with microSD expansion, it pairs a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 processor with RDNA 3 graphics to achieve supposed 4K gaming at 60 FPS with ray tracing and FSR support. Being semi-custom GPU, it might be closer to AMD's RDNA 3.5, than the pure RDNA 3.
Bundled with a Steam Controller, the system features an integrated 2.4 GHz radio alongside Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth for wide peripheral compatibility. Video output options include DisplayPort 1.4 for up to 4K at 240 Hz and HDMI 2.0, complemented by Ethernet, USB-C 10 Gbps, and four USB-A ports. Running SteamOS with rapid suspend/resume and wake-on-controller functionality, it combines 16 GB DDR5 system memory with 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM, an internal power supply, and a customizable LED bar that reflects system status for a complete living room experience. Valve has packaged it as a small black box, which will blend in with any HTPC environment.
Next, we have Valve's Steam Frame—the second VR headset from the company. The Steam Frame is designed as a featherweight PC VR gaming headset with a modular architecture, weighting a mere 185 g by itself, and 440 g with included headstrap that includes facial interface, audio, and a rear battery. Inside there is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor with 16 GB unified LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1 TB storage. This will help it stream Steam games via Wi-Fi 7 and an included low-latency adapter, using eye-tracking to drive foveated streaming that sharpens resolution precisely where you look.
There is a dual 2160x2160 pancake display pair that refreshes at 144 Hz across a 110-degree field. Four outward cameras and an IR illuminator maintain tracking in any environment, so that your VR experience becomes life-like. Integrated audio and a 21.6Wh battery complement the SteamOS experience with full suspend/resume, powering Steam Frame Controllers that feature magnetic TMR thumbsticks and capacitive finger sensing on 40-hour batteries, bridging traditional gamepad familiarity with VR immersion.
Last but not least, we have Valve Steam Controller. This controller works across Steam's whole ecosystem with three ways to connect. The pre-paired Steam Controller Puck is the main hookup, using a proprietary wireless signal that hits about 8 milliseconds of lag at 5 meters—more stable than Bluetooth—and lets you sync up to four controllers at once. You can also use regular Bluetooth or just plug in via USB. The rechargeable battery runs for 35+ hours and charges either through the Puck or a USB cable. For controls, you get magnetic TMR thumbsticks that are super responsive, capacitive grips that can trigger gyro or other commands, and four haptic motors that give really detailed feedback. There's also pressure-sensitive trackpads with a 6-axis IMU, four programmable grip buttons, and all the standard controls you expect. It works with Windows, Mac, Linux, handhelds, phones via Steam Link, and all Steam hardware. Every new hardware announced today will start shipping in early 2026.
Source:
Valve
Bundled with a Steam Controller, the system features an integrated 2.4 GHz radio alongside Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth for wide peripheral compatibility. Video output options include DisplayPort 1.4 for up to 4K at 240 Hz and HDMI 2.0, complemented by Ethernet, USB-C 10 Gbps, and four USB-A ports. Running SteamOS with rapid suspend/resume and wake-on-controller functionality, it combines 16 GB DDR5 system memory with 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM, an internal power supply, and a customizable LED bar that reflects system status for a complete living room experience. Valve has packaged it as a small black box, which will blend in with any HTPC environment.
There is a dual 2160x2160 pancake display pair that refreshes at 144 Hz across a 110-degree field. Four outward cameras and an IR illuminator maintain tracking in any environment, so that your VR experience becomes life-like. Integrated audio and a 21.6Wh battery complement the SteamOS experience with full suspend/resume, powering Steam Frame Controllers that feature magnetic TMR thumbsticks and capacitive finger sensing on 40-hour batteries, bridging traditional gamepad familiarity with VR immersion.
204 Comments on Valve Announces Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller
Besides, like I mentioned, if a game still uses more than 8 GB of VRAM (regardless of in-game graphics settings) at 1080p, then that game is not optimized and should be shit on publicly.
I would love to have a Steam Machine and Frame and will probably buy both soon after they release. My experience with the Steam Deck has been nothing short of amazing, crappy GPU or not. Steam makes their device punch well above it's weight, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Steam Machine actually living up to the "4K at 60FPS with FSR." IGN at least has done a hands-on with it and said that Cyberpunk 2077 ran perfectly playable with RT and FSR at 4K. I doubt that "Perfectly playable" meant 60+ FPS and I doubt that by RT they meant path tracing, but honestly (so long as its not a competitive shooter) 30-40FPS is just fine for me.
Also, if speculation is correct, then it'll sell for anywhere from $350 to $500 which is well below what you got the Acemagic for and quite a bit below what the listing on the page says.
I am actually really interested on the price of the thing, if that is really competitive, it could make a hit on the market as there is a niche for a cheap gaming system that is simple to setup and use.
GPU in Timespy. Strix Halo (8060S) = RTX 4060 desktop = Steam Machine (7600S/7600M XT @ 110-120w).
Timespy scores for the 7600M XT (75-120w) range from 7500 to 11000. So at the 110w target, it should be in the 10000 range similar to Strix Halo and RTX 4060.
Timespy scores for the 7600S (50-75w) range from 9000-9500. At 110w it should be similar.'Moores Lore is Dead' did a pricing of major components which works out to around $500 (+/-50). PS5 & Xbox sell at/near cost price. Valve can technically do the same as a special sales price. When the next Xbox/PS6 comes out (at $750-1000) it won't compete if it's the same price...110w
The rest? They just adapt, much like the majority of the marketplace, and we now have an endless ocean of low-performance-impact indie and non-indie games at very decent prices exploring game concepts before graphics. That's where Steam is at, and that's where the majority of gaming happens. It always will. Steam knows it has the volume of sales and its AAA offerings are just a drop in that ocean. If Ubisoft or EA leaves them, they shrug and move on, knowing they'll be coming back sooner or later, because they chase sales and Steam sells most.
This is the reason the PC is king of gaming. Not because it can chase the cutting edge, but because it doesn't have to at all. And gaming is large enough for both realities to exist. The elite crowd has a handful of RT posterboys (emphasis on handful, even today) so they can be happy about that. The rest just doesn't go there and doesn't miss a thing. dGPU is skyrocketing in price... APUs are slowly taking over from the bottom and nudge more and more developers to that segment instead.
And you really need to be in a cult to think that a company which de facto monopolised PC gaming, killed off physical media and true ownership, and rides on draconian profit margins, is somehow a champion which makes this platform "a king".
Although, given how many fall for this and many other delusions (yea, Valve is totally not spying on you), I guess we can skip the "cult" stage and elevate it straight to "religion".
Valve isn't what I would consider a monopoly, Valve simply provides a gaming platform complete with a better storefront and features no other company has cared to compete with or are too greedy to care about their customers to offer those features, EGS and the EA app as a few examples. And now with SteamOS they're providing a better operating system than Windows to get people using Steam if they weren't already, while Microsoft has been fixated on cramming more AI and spyware into their OS, with not giving a sh*t about how invasive all of the AI slop is or how many things their updates manage to break.
Do-it-yourself guide: Build Valve's new Steam Machine console yourself
ComputerBase (de)
With a friendly smile,
Fred.
Also, that would require a clamshell memory configuration, which is not possible with a mobile chipset and this form factor. There'd be no way to cool the RAM chips on the underside of the PCP.
And the main memory is only 16GB.