Valve Announces Steam Controller, Steam Machine and Steam Frame, Coming in 2026


Valve
has announced three new pieces of hardware joining the Steam family in 2026: the new and improved Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame.

Here is an overview of the new hardware as provided by Valve.

About Steam Machine:

Your Steam Library in more places.

With over six times the horsepower of Steam Deck, Steam Machine has the power to play your whole Steam library, including your favorite AAA titles. Just sign in with your Steam account and your entire library is there.

SteamOS

An OS optimized for gaming, with fast suspend/resume, and cloud saves. And that's just the start.

Small form factor

Put it under your TV. Set it on your desk. Hide it under a banana. It's powerful PC gaming packed into a roughly 6-inch (~160mm) cube.

Cool & quiet

Steam Machine keeps cool and runs whisper-quiet, even while running the most demanding games.

I/O for days

Ready for all the peripherals and monitors you can throw at it: 1 Gigabit Ethernet. DisplayPort 1.4. HDMI 2.0. One USB-C and four USB-A ports.

CPU & GPU

4K gaming at 60 FPS with FSR, thanks to a discrete semi-custom AMD desktop class CPU and GPU.

Storage

Available in two storage sizes: 512GB and 2TB. Both come with expandable storage via microSD.

Connectivity

2x2 Wi-Fi 6E, plus Bluetooth 5.3 with a dedicated antenna. Steam Controller's wireless adapter is built right into Steam Machine for direct pairing.

Power

No giant brick! Steam Machine's power supply is built right in.

Optimized for gaming...

It runs SteamOS

Steam Machine runs Valve’s gaming-first operating system. SteamOS is designed to provide a plug-and-play user experience, while keeping the power and flexibility of a PC. Experience SteamOS in the same way as other Steam hardware, like Steam Deck and Steam Frame.

Steam Machine Verified

We are expanding our Verified program to include ratings for Steam Machine, so customers can understand how their games will run.

...and it's a PC

Yes, Steam Machine is optimized for gaming, but it's still your PC. Install your own apps, or even another operating system. Who are we to tell you how to use your computer?

Steam Machine plays well, wherever Steam is

Made for Steam Controller

Steam Machine comes with a built-in wireless adapter, just for pairing with Steam Controller. (Up to four with a single adapter!) This means you can pair your Steam Controller without its puck, and you can wake your Steam Machine without leaving your couch.

Great for Streaming

With enough horsepower to take on the most demanding games, Steam Machine is the perfect host PC for streaming to other devices. Easily stream to your Steam Deck, Steam Frame, or any other device running Steam or Steam Link.

Powered by Steam, optimized for gaming in any form.

The Steam Hardware family officially expands in early 2026. Just like Steam Deck, all are optimized for gaming on Steam, and all are designed to help players get even more out of their Steam Library.


About Steam Frame:

Your games in every dimension

Wireless, comfortable, lightweight VR for your Steam library

VR and non-VR gaming

Steam Frame is a streaming-first, wireless VR headset + controllers that can handle your whole Steam library. Step into immersive VR, or lean back and enjoy your non-VR catalog. And it supports stand-alone play too.

Designed for comfort. Easy to use

The Steam Frame headset is lightweight and compact, with the weight balanced front-to-rear for a comfortable experience. It's also easy to just slip on and play, with no wires and no setup.A high quality streaming-first experience

Streaming can be highly variable, so we prioritized making Steam Frame a stable, high quality streaming experience.

Wireless Adapter and Dual Radios

The included plug-and-play 6GHz wireless adapter provides a dedicated link for both VR and non-VR streaming. Steam Frame's dual radios make this connection even more stable: One radio is dedicated to streaming the audio and visuals, and the other connects to your Wi-Fi. Two dedicated links, no competition for bandwidth.

Introducing Foveated Streaming

Foveated Streaming is a new feature that optimizes detail where your eyes are looking, and typically offers over a 10x improvement in image quality and effective bandwidth. Behind the scenes, we're using low-latency eye tracking data to steer the best quality pixels only to where you're looking. This is all happening without you noticing, and works for your entire Steam library.

Jump right into your games

Just wake up the headset, and you're gaming. No fuss, no setup; just games. 

Who wants pancakes?

Thin and light custom pancake lenses provide edge-to-edge sharpness and a large eye box. Optics feature 2160 x 2160 LCD panels, one per eye. Supported refresh rates are 72-144Hz.

Seamless audio experience

Steam Frame has high fidelity audio via dual stereo speakers on each side. The speakers within each pair are oriented in opposite directions to cancel out vibrations, which can be a tracking system buzzkill.

Camera tracking


No setup required. Four high-resolution, monochrome cameras provide controller and headset tracking. Infrared LEDs on the outside make tracking great even in dark environments.

Controllers for all your games

Hop between your VR and non-VR games. Steam Frame Controllers are designed with a split gamepad layout to work with your whole Steam library.

The VR inputs you'd expect...

Steam Frame controllers are tracked in space by the headset, and come with all the inputs needed for your VR games. Capacitive finger tracking enhances immersion. These controls are fully backwards compatible and support the full SteamVR catalog.

...and inputs for non-VR games, too

The Steam Frame controllers also have all the familiar inputs you need to play non-VR games: D-pad, ABXY, thumbsticks, triggers, and bumpers, all right where you'd expect them. 

Magnetic thumbsticks

Steam Frame includes next-generation magnetic thumbsticks for precision and capacitive finger sensing. These are the same thumbsticks included in Steam Controller.

Easy battery access

Each Steam Frame controller runs on a single AA battery, offering ~40 hours of play time.

Supports stand-alone play, too

Steam Frame is a PC:

It runs SteamOS

Quick suspend/resume. Cloud saves. All the features of SteamOS that make for a great user experience are now available in VR. Just like any SteamOS device, install your own apps, open a browser, do what you want: It's your PC.

Steam Frame Verified, for stand-alone games 

Just like Steam Deck and Steam Machine, Steam Frame will have a verified program that helps you see which games in your library (VR and non-VR) will work stand-alone.

Steam Frame is a PC, and runs SteamOS powered by a Snapdragon® 8 Series Processor. With 16GB of RAM, Steam Frame supports stand-alone play on a growing number of both VR and non-VR games without needing to stream from your PC.

Yes, there's a Developer Kit!

Hi devs! We want a great experience on Steam Frame for as many Steam games as possible, whether it's via streaming or stand-alone. We're opening up a Steam Frame Developer Kit program to help.

The more developers with Steam Frames in hand, the more feedback we can grab; and the better we can make Proton and SteamOS and improve compatibility for the entire Steam library. You can request a Steam Frame developer kit in your Steam partner dashboard. Supplies are limited, but we will be sending out kits on an ongoing basis.

Steam Frame plays well, wherever Steam is.

Your Steam Frame headset easily pairs with your Steam Controller; you’ll even see a virtual Steam Controller floating in your VR space. Stream from your PC, laptop, Steam Deck or Steam Machine for an immersive experience with any of your favorite games. 

Powered by Steam, optimized for gaming in any form.

The Steam Hardware family officially expands in early 2026. Just like Steam Deck, all are optimized for gaming on Steam, and all are designed to help players get even more out of their Steam Library.


About Steam Controller:

Play your whole Steam library

Built for Steam, and configurable with Steam Input. Play all your games however you like, on whatever you like: PC, laptop, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and more.

Defining features of Steam Controller

Plug and play with the Steam Controller Puck

One puck, two jobs: It’s a wireless transmitter that provides a fast, stable connection for your Steam Controller. It's also a charging station, connecting to your Controller magnetically with a satisfying click. Prefer using Bluetooth or USB? Steam Controller supports those too.

Next-generation magnetic thumbsticks

Steam Controller comes with magnetic thumbsticks using TMR technology, designed for improved feel, responsiveness and long-term reliability. They also support capacitive touch to enable motion controls.

High definition rumble

Steam Controller's powerful motors are capable of handling complex waveforms for immersive, accurate haptics.

Grip-enabled gyro

We're calling it Grip Sense, and it's a new input for Steam Controller that enables gyro with capacitive touch. Hold and release to enable and disable gyro aiming. You can also map it like any other button.

Plus, all the inputs you'd expect

Control & comfort

Steam Controller is built for comfortable extended play, with thumbsticks, buttons, bumpers, and triggers positioned for hands of all sizes.

Trackpads

Use Steam Controller to play even your favorite mouse and keyboard games. With increased precision and customizability, it's another way to enjoy fast-paced FPS games.

Motion control

Aim more naturally with gyro, capacitive touch thumbsticks, and the new grip-sense feature, to achieve even more precision.

Grip Buttons

Four buttons on the back; you choose how to use them, all while leaving your thumbs on the trackpads or thumbsticks.

Steam Button

The Steam button is both the power button and the quickest way to navigate to your library, the store, game controls, settings, and more.

Quick Access Menu

Easily access notifications, friends list, Steam Chat, and more. Press and hold to get a handy list of shortcut options in Steam.

Customizable for Steam Input

Steam Controller was designed with all the inputs for all your games. Paired with Steam Input, it’s the ultimate customizable controller. Thanks to its input parity with Steam Deck, Steam Controller will be pre-populated with community configurations for thousands of games from day one, or you can make and share your own.

Steam Controller plays well, wherever Steam is

With anything running Steam

Steam Controller works with any PC or device running Steam or the Steam Link app. This includes Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs, as well as tablets and smart phones.

Steam Deck

Whether your Steam Deck is docked or on the go, Steam Controller is a great companion, with all the same familiar inputs.

Steam Machine

Steam Controller pairs easily to Steam Machine without its puck. Wake your Steam Machine without leaving your couch.

Steam Frame

Infrared LEDs make Steam Controller trackable by Steam Frame’s cameras when you’re immersed in VR. Perfect for playing all of your non-VR games on a giant virtual screen.

Powered by Steam, optimized for gaming in any form.

The Steam Hardware family officially expands in early 2026. Just like Steam Deck, all are optimized for gaming on Steam, and all are designed to help players get even more out of their Steam Library.


To learn more, you can head over to Steam's official hardware website.

Announcement Trailer:

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