Famed developer Valve Software, who has made everything from great games to awesome VR headsets, and even runs the Steam PC games marketplace, has just made three big announcements.
Valve will be launching three new pieces of hardware in early 2026, all announced on a single day. Perhaps the most exciting is a new Steam Machine console. The company did attempt a Steam Machine back in 2015, but it didn’t take off. The console’s goal was to provide access to PC gaming experiences through Steam, but from the comfort of your couch. The operating system, however, wasn’t ready.
The new Steam Machine is more compact and powerful, and runs off an improved Steam operating system that is ready for console-like gaming. You may have seen Steam improving through the PC gaming handheld called the Steam Deck. Will the Steam Machine be a hit this time?
The company also announced the Steam Controller, which looks a bit like an Xbox Pro Controller, with next-generation thumbsticks, HD rumble, four additional grip buttons on the back and motion controls. The biggest difference is two touchpads under each stick, for mouse-like controls.
Finally, we have the oddly named Steam Frame. This is a wireless VR headset like Meta Quest 3. It comes with new handheld controllers that don’t require base stations to be tracked, built-in stereo speakers, eye-tracking, a microSD slot and a slim, comfortable looking design. It will be able to play both VR and non-VR games, too.
Plenty of exciting new toys to play with this year, but we’ll have to wait for a final release date and price before we get too excited.
