Valve officially announced that they will be releasing a new controller, a new console, and a new Virtual Reality headset. Let’s talk about what we can expect from these new, exciting devices.
The Steam Controller
The first product announced in Valve’s video, the Steam Controller, was made specifically for Steam and other Steam products, whether that be playing with it on your PC, Steam Deck, or even the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, which I shall get to later. Never before seen in other little controllers, the Steam Controller has thumbsticks that are magnetic, meaning that stick drift is no longer an issue with this controller. And the controller also has a simple connection system using the puck that comes with the product; connecting to the device, the puck is attached in a simple “Plug and Play” format. But don’t worry; even if your device cannot support the Steam Controller Puck, the controller also supports USB or Bluetooth. And much seen in the Nintendo Switch’s controllers, the Steam Controller also has gyro controls, or what Valve calls it “Grip Sense.” When your hand touches a certain area on the controller, it will activate the gyroscope controls and from the looks of it, stay active until it gets that input again. On top of these features, the Steam Controller also has four programmable buttons on the back that can be programmed to support any kind of playstyle.
As you can see, the controller has some unique and innovative features, like driftless thumbsticks, easy connectivity, gyro controls, and reprogramble buttons. But it doesn’t end there. Smaller but equally important features are within the Steam Controller, such as trackpads, the Quick Access button, and the Steam button, all seen before on the Steam Deck. If anything, this controller can replace your current controller with the features and adaptability it has! But you can’t forget what the Steam Controller was also made for.
The Steam Machine
The second, and probably the largest product mentioned in Valve’s announcement. The Steam Machine, name identical to the console released in 2015, is a console mixed with PC qualities, running off of SteamOS, Valve’s operating system. It is advertised as a gaming console for people who prefer simplicity, but also advertised as a personal computer for those who want to use Steam applications such as Blender or RPG Maker.
The Steam Machine itself will be a roughly 6 inch cube on all angles, making it a small yet compact machine. Along with this, the internal GPU will be able to handle most games at 4K 60 FPS. Since it’s a computer, you can still change in-game settings if your game needs to be more optimized, and both the GPU and CPU was made by AMD. Wifi and Bluetooth won’t be an issue, as Steam Machine runs on Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. And a large chunk of the internals is a heatsink with the fan, specifically the back, so cooling won’t be an issue for games requiring a large chunk of processing power. Storage also won’t be an issue, as the Steam Machine comes in 521 GB or 1 TB model sizes. You can also use a microSD card for extra storage if needed. How about the specs for the tech nerds? While not everything is known, here are what we know so far:
- 16 GB DDR5 RAM
- 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM
- AMD RDNA 3 GPU, similar to the RTX 4060 in terms of graphics power.
- AMD Zen 4 CPU
- Both Display Port and HDMI support 4K HDR
And features brought back from the Steam Deck:
- Runs on SteamOS (Linux)
- Fast Suspend/Sleep mode
- Access to the Steam Communities/Workshops
- Full connection with the Steam Controller
- Able to change controller inputs for most controllers
- Updates automatically
- Steam Cloud Save
- Access to the Steam Store and Discounts
- SD Card Slot for extra data
- Remote connections to any Steam products for remote play
- Customizable/Informative LED Strip
The LED strip on the case of the Steam Machine can change colors or areas depending on what you set it to be, but Valve stated that the strip could also be used to show if a game is being downloaded or if it is finished downloading, but can also be changed to show specific lights, or show multiple lights changing at once. There is also more to the case than what it seems, as the front of the Steam Machine above the LED strip can be detached and changed with a custom design that can be 3D printed or bought from external sources, or potentially bought from Valve themselves. So much potentials!
Finally, let’s talk about this third product.
The Steam Frame
Steam Frame is Valve’s showcase of making a VR headset that directly competes with Meta’s Oculus headsets. Unlike the Valve Index, the Steam Frame is a standalone headset that does not require a link to your computer, body-tracking cameras, or anything fancy.
The controllers that come with Steam Frame have tracking that detects whether your finger is raised or not, for all your fingers. The controllers are detected by Steam Frame using the cameras on the outside of the headset. The crazy part about Steam Frame is — it is still a computer, just like the Steam Machine. That’s right, it runs on a version of SteamOS, and can operate the same as a Steam Machine. And it can connect seamlessly to the Steam Controller using the cameras, meaning there is no potential need for having to go to your settings and connect it to your Steam Frame. And if you want the graphics from your PC or Steam Machine, there is a dongle you can attach to either and have a smooth connection from your device to your Steam Frame, but that won’t be necessary since the Steam Frame shares the same features as the Steam Machine. You can download apps and games directly into the Steam Frame. And even if you don’t want to play a VR game, the controllers were made to be able to play both VR and normal Steam games alike.
A new feature that the Steam Frame introduced is called “Foveated Streaming,” a feature where the headset optimizes the screen where ever you are looking, increasing quality by 10x for both VR and non-VR games alike, making the quality where you are looking much better than what the quality typically could be. While this may seem odd, this is actually a great optimization tool, considering that it will optimize a certain area of your screen rather than optimizing the entire headset, focusing on a certain area rather than anywhere else you look, all in a fraction of a second.
Steam Hardware Availability and Price
The Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam Frame are three new-generation competitors to current hardware gaming products. PlayStation and Xbox with the Steam Machine, Oculus and the Apple Vision Pro with the Steam Frame, and competing against most non-renewable controllers with the Steam Controller. Each of these products are due to release in early 2026, and the price is not yet known, but if Valve decides to set the prices similar to it’s competitors, it can be said that Valve could be the future of console and VR gaming. Stay tuned in the future for price updates.
