New Gaming Revolution: Valve Unveils Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame for 2026

The impressive success of the portable Steam Deck has inspired Valve to broaden its range of gaming hardware. Today’s announcement introduces the new Steam Controller, the mini-PC Steam Machine, and the virtual reality headset Steam Frame.

All three devices are set to launch in early 2026. Let’s take a detailed look at each:

The new controller from Valve will be compatible with a variety of devices that have Steam or the Steam Link app installed, including not only Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs and laptops, but also smartphones, tablets, the Steam Deck, the Steam Machine, and the Steam Frame.

Included with the controller is a Puck connector, which functions as both a charging station and a wireless transmitter. To broaden accessibility, Valve has also integrated Bluetooth and USB-C support.

Highlighted features of the Steam Controller include:

Measuring 111 mm x 159 mm x 57 mm and weighing 292 grams, the Steam Controller boasts a battery life of over 35 hours in wireless mode. However, it’s worth noting that the battery drains faster when using motion tracking with the Steam Frame’s cameras.

In the past, Valve attempted to penetrate the desktop device market but faced setbacks. Drawing from that experience, the engineers have developed a new gaming mini-PC, the Steam Machine, running on SteamOS 3. This device stands out not only for its compact design but also for its silent operation, even during resource-intensive gaming, and its performance is six times greater than that of the Steam Deck.

This cube, measuring 160 mm on each side and weighing 2.6 kg, features Ethernet ports, DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, one USB-C, and four USB-A ports. Additionally, it supports 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 with a dedicated antenna. The wireless adapter for direct connection to the Steam Controller is built directly into the unit, as is the power supply. Valve plans to release two versions of the Steam Machine, differing in internal storage capacity of 512 GB and 2 TB, both of which can be expanded using microSD cards.

While the Steam Machine is primarily designed for Steam gaming, Valve has opted not to restrict users, allowing the installation of third-party applications or even different operating systems. Another bonus is that games running on the Steam Machine can be freely streamed to the Steam Deck and Steam Frame.

For the processor and graphics card in the Steam Machine, Valve has collaborated with AMD. The specifications are as follows:

Like the Steam Deck, the new wireless virtual reality headset from Valve provides direct access to games from the Steam library. The Steam Frame can stream not only VR titles but also regular games.

Perhaps most exciting is that the Steam Frame serves both as a VR headset and a portable PC running SteamOS. It is powered by a 4-nanometer Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor (ARM64 architecture) and comes with 16 GB of RAM, allowing for standalone gaming without the need for additional devices. Similar to the Steam Machine, Valve will release two versions of the Steam Frame with storage options of 256 GB and 1 TB, which can also be expanded via microSD cards.

To enhance comfort, Valve has balanced the headset’s weight both front and back. The weight of the controller is 245 grams. Ensuring high-quality, stable streaming has also been a priority. A wireless adapter operating at 6 GHz with Plug and Play capabilities is included with the Steam Frame, providing a dedicated communication channel for both regular and VR streaming. Reliability is further ensured by two radio receivers—one for audio and video streaming, and another for Wi-Fi connectivity.

To optimize performance, the system employs a technique called foveated rendering, which uses sensors to track the player’s eyes and dynamically increases image quality by up to ten times in the areas where the player is looking. This technology is applicable to the entire Steam library. The optical system features two LCD panels, each with a resolution of 2160×2160 pixels for each eye, and supports refresh rates between 72 Hz and 144 Hz. Concurrently, the headset delivers high-quality audio through dual stereo speakers on each side.

No preliminary setup is required. Four high-resolution monochrome cameras are utilized for tracking the controller and headset, and external infrared LEDs ensure tracking quality remains high even in low light conditions.

The controllers for the Steam Frame are designed as split gamepads and equipped with high-quality magnetic sticks, standard input buttons, and sensors connected to the headset that cater to all standard VR functions. Both controllers use AA batteries, lasting approximately 40 hours on a single charge.