Valve announces the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller

Valve has announced three major bits of new hardware coming in 2026, with a PC called the Steam Machine, a new wireless VR headset called Steam Frame, and a brand new controller simply named the Steam Controller. The hardware will allow you to play all of your games in your Steam library from indie titles to AAA titles. Additionally, the Steam Machine will let you install apps and different operating systems.

So what kind of specs are we looking at? Let’s start with the Steam Machine, which will come in two models with those being one equipped with 512GB NVMe SSD and the other a ​2TB NVMe SSD. All the other hardware will be the same internally, and both will include a high-speed microSD card slot.

• CPU :Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T. Up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP
• GPU: Semi-Custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs. 2.45GHz max sustained clock, 110W TDP
• RAM: 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
• Power: Internal power supply, AC power 110-240V
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi – 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E. Bluetooth – Bluetooth 5.3 dedicated antenna
• Steam Controller: Integrated 2.4 GHz Steam Controller wireless adapter
• Displays: DisplayPort 1.4. Up to 4K @ 240Hz or 8K@60Hz. ​Supports HDR, FreeSync, and daisy-chaining
• HDMI 2.0: Up to 4K @ 120Hz. ​Supports HDR, FreeSync, and CEC
• USB: Two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports in the front. Two USB-A 2.0 High speed ports in the back. ​One USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port in the back
• Networking: Gigabit ethernet
• LED Strip: 17 individually addressable RGB LEDs for system status and customizability
• :Size and Weight: 152 mm tall (148 mm without feet), 162.4 mm deep, 156 mm wide and 2.6 kg
• Operating System: SteamOS 3 (Arch-based)

Next up is the Steam Frame, which will support both VR and non-VR gaming. So you can strap the headset to your face, and play non VR games without needing another display. The Steam Frame will also come with controllers that are battery powered, so you will need a haul of AA batteries. The full specs for the Steam Frame and controllers are as follows.

Steam Frame

• Processor: 4 nm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3. Architecture: ARM64
• RAM@ 16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM
• Storage: 256GB / 1TB UFS storage options. microSD card slot for expanded storage
• Power: Rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery. One USB-C 2.0 port in the rear, for charging and data. Charge with USB-C, 45W
• Modular Headstrap: Headstrap includes integrated dual audio drivers and and rechargeable battery on rear. Headstrap weight: 245g. Core module can be separated from headstrap, for other headstrap solutions.
• Display: 2160 x 2160 LCD (per eye). 72-144Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental)
• Optics: Custom pancake lenses. Glass and non-glass optical elements/ Large FOV (up to 110 degrees)
• IPD target range: 60mm – 70mm
• Eye glasses max width 140mm
• Tracking: Inside-out camera based tracking
• Cameras: 4x outward facing monochrome cameras for controller and headset tracking. 2x interior cameras for eye tracking and foveated streaming
• Passthrough: Monochrome passthrough via outward facing cameras. Low-light support. IR illuminators for tracking and passthrough in dark environments
• Expansion: User accessible front expansion port. Dual high speed camera interface (8 lanes @ 2.5Gbps MIPI) / PCIe Gen 4 interface (1-lane)
• Wi-Fi@ Wi-Fi 7, 2×2. Dual radios enable concurrent 5Ghz Wi-Fi and 6Ghz VR streaming
• Wireless Adapter: Wireless adapter included in the box. Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz). Provides direct, low-latency link between headset and PC
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.3
• Speakers: Dual speaker drivers per ear, integrated into headstrap
• Microphone: Dual microphone array
• Size: 175mm x 95mm x 110mm (core module + facial interface)
• Weight: 440 g – core module + headstrap. 185 g – core module
• Operating System: SteamOS 3 (Arch-based)
• Desktop: KDE Plasma

Steam Frame controller

• Motion controls: Full 6-DOF tracking and IMU support
• Gamepad controls: A B X Y buttons (right controller). D-pad (left controller). Full-size magnetic thumbsticks (TMR) with capacitive touch. L & R analog triggers. L & R bumpers. View /  Menu / Steam buttons. Dual stage grip buttons
• Haptics: Haptic motor in each controller
• Finger tracking: Capacitive sensing for all input surfaces/ Capacitive finger tracking
• Connectivity: 2.4ghz link to dedicated headset radio
• Size: 126mm x 73mm x 87mm per controller
• Weight: With battery 130 g per controller. Without battery 107 g per controller
• Power: One replaceable AA battery per controller. 40hr battery life

Finally, we have the new Steam Controller, which sees revamp of the old Steam controller with newer hardware and a new design. It includes two trackpads on the front, four buttons on the back, parity with Steam Deck,  gyro, capacitive touch thumbsticks, and a grip-sense feature. The full specs are below.

• Gamepad controls: A B X Y buttons, D-pad, L & R analog triggers, L & R bumpers, View & Menu buttons. Steam & QAM buttons, 4x assignable grip buttons
• Thumbsticks: 2x full-size magnetic thumbsticks (TMR) with capacitive touch

• Haptics: 4x haptic motors

  • 2x LRA haptic motors in trackpads for HD tactile feedback​
  • 2x High output LRA haptic motors in grips for HD game haptics including rumble
• Trackpads: 2x 34.5mm square trackpads with haptic feedback. Pressure-sensitive for configurable click strength
• Gyro: 6-axis IMU
• Grip Sense: 2x capacitive areas along back of Steam Controller handles

• Connectivity: Steam Controller Puck. 2.4GHz Wireless connection

  • ~8ms full end-to-end, 4ms polling rate (measured at 5m)
  • Up to 4 Steam Controllers per Steam Controller Puck
  • Steam Controller Puck connects to PC via USB-C
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.2 minimum, 5.0 or higher recommended
• USB: USB-C tethered play
• Charging: Steam Controller Puck charging interface. USB-C connector

• Battery: 8.39 Wh Li-ion battery. 35+ hours of gameplay*

  • Battery life for tracked gameplay with Steam Frame is reduced

• Size

  • Steam Controller: 111mm x 159mm x 57mm
  • Steam Controller Puck: 50mm x 28mm x 9mm

• Weight

  • Steam Controller: 292 g
  • Steam Controller Puck: 16 g

Prices and release dates are yet to be confirmed for the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller, but we should learn more in the next few months.

Source: Valve

Tags: Steam controller, Steam Frame, Steam Machine, valve