Valve is officially stepping back into the console arena. The gaming giant announced on November 13 the return of the Steam Machine, alongside new hardware releases including the Steam Controller and Steam Frame, set to launch in 2026. The updated Steam Machine will feature a custom AMD GPU capable of 4K visuals at 60 fps and incorporate familiar Steam Deck elements such as expandable storage via SD card.
This marks the first time Valve has revived the Steam Machine line since its earlier collaboration with manufacturers like Alienware and Lenovo in the 2010s.
The new Steam Machine runs on SteamOS and is reportedly six times more powerful than the Steam Deck. Valve says the console will support all current Steam titles in 4K with FSR upscaling. However, the company acknowledged that graphically demanding games built on engines like Unreal Engine 5 may require players to scale back settings for smoother frame rates.
Valve’s renewed push into living room gaming signals a return to its hardware ambitions, following the success of the Steam Deck in 2022. The Steam Machine was first introduced in 2015 as a bold attempt to merge PC flexibility with console accessibility, but production quietly ended by 2018. Now, with stronger hardware and lessons learned from the past, Valve aims to reenter the console wars on its own terms.
As of time of writing, pricing and availability details have yet to be announced.
