Valve just announced a bunch of new hardware arriving in early 2026
Valve's new Steam Machine seems poised to gobble up Microsoft's lunch
With surprisingly little fanfare, Valve just announced three new additions to its hardware lineup, arriving in early 2026. While pricing and exact launch dates are currently under wraps, Valve has already shared some extensive details regarding this hardware that have got us pretty excited about the future of SteamOS and living room PC gaming.
Arguably, the biggest announcement was the unveiling of a new Steam Machine. The original Steam Machine was phased out by 2018, and ran a more rudimentary version of SteamOS. This new, ominous, 6-inch cube will reportedly be capable of running 4K games at 60 FPS, feature configurations with up to 2 TB of SSD storage expandable via microSD cards, and offer nearly as many ports as a conventional desktop. Each of the available models will reportedly feature the same processor and GPU, as detailed on Valve's product page.
Steam Citizens were saddened when Valve discontinued its original Steam Controller back in 2019, hoarding them like precious relics. Thankfully, Valve has resurrected this peripheral for use with its new home console. The new controller has adopted a (slightly) more conventional layout, with two thumbsticks in addition to the dual trackpads. The new controller will also feature many of the same hardware upgrades found on more contemporary controllers, including TMR thumbsticks and gyro controls.
The Controller will also include a magnetic puck that provides 2.4 Ghz wireless connectivity, but doubles as a charging station. However, you can also use the controller in Bluetooth mode with mobile devices.
Finally, it appears Valve is re-entering the VR market with the introduction of the Steam Frame. Unlike its previous headsets, the Steam Frame will be completely wireless, capable of operating independently of a console or requiring additional cameras.
Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and featuring two 2160x2160 LCD screens, the Steam Frame weighs in at just 440 grams, making it both more powerful and lighter than the Meta Quest 3. The Frame will be available in configurations with either 256 GB or 1 TB of internal storage, with the option to expand via microSD cards.
Valve still hasn't announced pricing details or provided an exact launch date for any of this new hardware, but if it follows the trend established by the Steam Deck, we're excited about what this could mean for PC gaming in the living room.
