Valve is taking a second swing at home consoles, as it has announced a new Steam Machine PC/Console hybrid, alongside an upgraded version of the Steam Controller.
As part of a larger wave of Valve hardware announcements, the new Steam Machine takes some design cues from the Xbox Series X with its cubic form factor and minimalistic aesthetics, and will come in 512GB and 2TB models. Under the hood, the console will feature a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T CPU and a semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU, with support for 4K gaming at 60fps with FSR (AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution).
The new Steam Machine will also feature 16GB of DDR5 and 8GB of DDR6 VRAM, and according to Valve, it will be six times more powerful than the Steam Deck, its handheld gaming console released in 2022. The console will run on SteamOS, but will function essentially like a PC too, allowing users to install apps outside of Valve’s platform.
The launch of a new Steam Machine definitely comes as a surprise, especially considering how the original console, which was released in November 2015, was dead on arrival, barely lasting three years before being pulled from stores. Perhaps with the advancement of gaming graphics technology, a compact PC/Console hybrid is more feasible now, with the rise of gamers’ desire for more powerful home console experiences.
The 2015 Steam Machine also launched alongside the release of the original Steam Controller, so it makes sense that Valve is releasing an upgraded controller variant to coincide with this new launch. Unlike the original, which replaced the traditional D-Pad and right thumbstick with circular touchpads, the new Steam Controller will mostly follow the layout of Sony’s PlayStation controllers, with its D-Pad situated above the two thumbsticks, while simultaneously including two touchpads, one below each thumbstick, giving users more options in-game.
Much like its predecessor, the new Steam Controller is designed to work with the Steam Machine, although it will be compatible with any PC. Similarly, users will also be able to use any PC-supported gamepads with the Steam Machine.
While Valve has yet to announce the prices for both the Steam Machine and Steam Controller, both are expected to launch sometime in 2026 in either a bundle or standalone.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
