Valve is still set to release a PC gaming console for the living room, called the The Steam Machinedespite the rising prices of gaming hardware across the board, including his own company The Steam Deck. June is considered one of the most likely times for Valve to release its home console, but while there is no exact release date yet, Valve has given an update on when it will launch the Steam machine.
The Steam Machine will release sometime this summer, according to a blog post by Valve on Thursday. It will come out next to the Steam FrameValve’s VR headset, which was unveiled alongside the Steam Machine as well The new Steam controller last November.
The Steam Machine is Valve’s gaming PC, built into a roughly 6-inch cube designed to plug into a living room TV. The goal is to bring simplified PC gaming to a wider audience and for game developers to use a single specification like they did with Steam Deck. While the Steam Machine hardware is expected to be more powerful than the standard PS5 or Xbox Series X, the company does not see the Steam Machine as a direct competitor to those consoles. Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but with persistent lack of PC memorythe price won’t be easy on players’ wallets.
Here’s everything we know about the Steam Machine.
When is Steam Machine coming out?
Valve said Thursday that Steam Machine will have a summer release date. When the hardware was first revealed, the company said it would arrive in early 2026. On Feb. 4, Valve has confirmed that the PC will be delayed in its first major update regarding the Steam Machine since it was revealed.
This year is shaping up to be a tumultuous time for sports. It’s been almost six years since the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, which is usually the time when those companies will start teasing their new hardware. However, due to memory shortages, those companies are instead forced to raise their prices respectively consoles and will likely hold back big news about next-generation hardware until memory prices drop. Game developers are also worried about releasing anything in November or getting caught up in the hype storm Grand Theft Auto 6will be released on Nov. 19. If there’s a good time for Valve to release its new console, it would be mid-August as a backup from September, which starts full of game releases.
Make some space in your living room for a Steam machine.
Can I pre-order a Steam Machine?
There are no pre-orders available for Steam Machine yet. When pre-orders are available, they will likely be available on the Steam Machine hardware page.
If Valve does pre-orders, the company may have a plan to release consoles on time, like it did with the Steam Deck. With Steam Deck, you can pre-order the device, and based on when the order was sent, you will get a set time for its release and when you will receive it.
Valve also required anyone who wanted to pre-order a Steam Deck to have a Steam account. This will prevent scalpers from ordering multiple devices at once, which may be the case with the Steam device.
Watch this: Valve’s Steam Controller Gets Major Design Changes
How much will a Steam machine cost?
This is the biggest question about the Steam Machine, and for good reason. Valve said the console will be priced the same as a gaming PC with the same capabilities. There have been speculations that this will put the price around $600 to $800.
However, the global RAM shortage continues to drive up the price of memory. This would mean that the Steam Machine could cost $1,000 or more, which would be a tough sell for many and make it less competitive compared to the PlayStation 5 or a standard gaming PC.
Valve said on Feb. 4 that it is still trying to find the Steam Machine value.
“The limited availability and rising prices of these key components mean we have to revisit our exact shipping plan and pricing (especially around the Steam engine and Steam Frame),” the company said.
What are the features of Steam Machine?
Valve has released the specs for the Steam machine, but on the hardware page, there is a note at the bottom that says, “some specifications are subject to change prior to availability.” It’s rare to see that kind of disclaimer, indicating that if pricing or a lack of RAM makes a console more expensive, Valve might make changes to keep the price attractive.
Steam Machine Details
| CPU | AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T, up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP |
|---|---|
| Memory | 16GB DDR5 and 8GB GDDR6 VRAM |
| Pictures | AMD RDNA3 28CUs custom clock, 2.45GHz max clock, 110-watt TDP |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe SSD or 1TB NVMe SSD, high-speed microSD slot |
| Ports | USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (x2), USB-A 2.0 (x2), USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 4K @ 240Hz or 8K@60Hz, supports HDR, FreeSync and daisy-chaining), HDMI 2.0 (up to 4K @ HDR support, ECgaz Freebit, Ethernet |
| Wireless network | 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Operating system | SteamOS 3 |
| Weight | 5.7 kilograms (2.6 kilograms) |
| The size | 6 inches tall (5.8 inches without feet), 6.4 inches deep, 6.1 inches wide |
What else is different about Steam Machine?
Valve does more than make a small gaming PC. The company offers some features that are not available on PS5, Switch 2 or Xbox Series consoles.
For starters, there are removable face plates for the Steam machine. This is similar to the Xbox 360 faceplates, which offer a bit of customization for the console.
The e-ink display can be used as a front panel on the Steam Machine (used for testing by Valve, not for sale) pic.twitter.com/Gd30STsifs
— Wario64 (@Wario64) November 12, 2025
Steam devices are being developed. You can expand storage by adding a microSD card to the console’s microSD card slot or by replacing the solid-state drive. There is also an option to upgrade the RAM, but that will take a few steps compared to the storage swap.
The Steam machine will also be a computer if needed. Connect it to the monitor with a mouse and keyboard, and the console will act as a Linux desktop. There is also an option to install Windows instead of SteamOS, which can still play PC games, although the experience won’t be as smooth as SteamOS.
Steam Machine is PC, too.
The Steam Controller for the Steam machine will connect seamlessly to the console. Also, for multiplayer games, four controllers can connect to the console very easily.
Wait, didn’t Valve have Steam machines anymore?
Kind of. Back in 2013, Valve unveiled a new system called SteamOS. That’s what powers Steam Deck and creates a Big Picture Mode, which allows gamers to play their PC games in an almost console-like fashion instead of the typical desktop experience of using a mouse to double-click a game to start.
Along with the operating system, Valve also released its own Steam Machine platform. This allowed hardware makers to develop computers shaped like home consoles instead of desktops. Alienware and Dell were among the notable companies that built their own Steam Machines, but none of them caught on, in part due to many games not being compatible with the Linux-based SteamOS.
Steam Machines were disrupted in the mid-2010s as making games compatible with SteamOS was not a priority for game developers at the time. It wasn’t until 2018 that Valve developed Proton, a compatible layer for SteamOS to make it easier to run many Windows games. Proton currently supports over 20,000 Windows games.
Valve also ended up providing another way to get a new piece of hardware. In 2015, the company was released Steam linka device that allowed PC games to be streamed directly to a TV.
