Valve Expands Hardware Lineup: Announces New Steam Machine, Controller, and “Steam Frame” VR Headset for 2026
Valve, the company behind the Steam gaming platform and the successful Steam Deck handheld, have announced a major expansion of its hardware division with three new products: a revived Steam Machine, a next-generation Steam Controller, and a new wireless VR headset dubbed the Steam Frame. All three devices are slated for release in early 2026.
The announcement signals a renewed, aggressive push into the hardware market, building on the momentum of the Steam Deck.
According to Valve President Gabe Newell, the company is very pleased with the success of the Steam Deck, and PC gamers have consistently requested more ways to play their extensive Steam libraries. He noted that Valve’s long-term development of both hardware and, crucially, SteamOS has made the new Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame possible.
The Steam Machine Returns for 4K Gaming
Following its initial attempt nearly a decade ago, Valve is re-entering the console-style PC market with a new Steam Machine. Housed in a compact 6-inch cube, the device is a powerhouse designed for 4K living room gaming.
It features a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU and an RDNA3 GPU, which Valve claims is “over 6x more powerful than Steam Deck” and supports modern features like ray tracing and FSR. The machine will run the same familiar SteamOS as the Deck and will be available in 512GB and 2TB models.
A Modernised Steam Controller
Finally, the beloved and discontinued Steam Controller is getting a modern update. The new design incorporates the input layout of the Steam Deck, featuring precision magnetic thumbsticks, dual trackpads with HD haptics, gyro functionality, and four assignable grip buttons.
The controller boasts a 35+ hour rechargeable battery and connects via a proprietary, low-latency “Steam Controller Puck,” which allows up to 4 controllers to connect at once. It will also be compatible with PC, Steam Deck, and the new Steam Frame.
The Steam Frame: A Wireless VR Headset
The most surprising reveal is the Steam Frame, a wireless VR headset powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Running SteamOS, the device can play standalone VR and non-VR games from a user’s Steam library.
Key features include high-resolution 2160 x 2160 LCDs per eye, pancake optics for a large field of view, and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. The headset will use Wi-Fi 7 for high-speed streaming and features eye-tracking to enable “Foveated Streaming,” sending the highest resolution only where the user is looking. It will be bundled with full 6-DOF (six-degree-of-freedom) controllers that feature magnetic thumbsticks and haptic feedback.
All three products are available to wishlist on Steam and will begin shipping in early 2026 to all current Steam Deck regions, with an expanded launch in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Sadly, Malaysia is still not an officially supported region, but we’re still hoping Valve might include us in the future.
