TL;DR
- Valve has announced a new VR headset called the Steam Frame.
- The company is also launching a next-generation Steam Machine.
- A new version of the Steam Controller has been revealed as well.
It’s a big day for Valve, as it announced brand-new hardware today. Not one, not two, but three devices are getting launched. You may be familiar with Valve’s previous attempts at the Steam controller and Steam Machine. Well, the company is taking another crack at them with new versions. It also revealed a brand new VR headset called the Steam Frame. Here’s what you need to know about the new hardware.
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The Steam Machine
The new Steam Machine is Valve’s return to hybrid PC/console hardware. The system contains a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T CPU, a Semi-Custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs GPU, 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, and your choice of 512GB or 2TB SSD storage. That’s all contained in a shell that’s roughly a 6-inch cube, that also lets you swap out the front side for customization. Valve says the new Steam Machine has six times the horsepower of the Steam Deck.
With that power, you get support for 4K resolution with a 240Hz refresh rate or 8K with a 60Hz refresh rate through the DisplayPort 1.4 slot. Meanwhile, the HDMI 2.0 port supports up to 4K at 120Hz. Along with those ports, you get two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports in the front, two USB-A 2.0 high-speed ports in the back, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port in the back, a microSD slot, and an Ethernet port.
The Steam Frame
As Valve describes it, the Steam Frame is a streaming-first, wireless VR headset. It comes complete with two controllers and a plug-and-play 6GHz wireless adapter for a dedicated link for both VR and non-VR streaming. Compared to the company’s previous VR headset, the Valve Index, the Frame is said to be lighter and more compact. The headset also uses foveated streaming to optimize the image quality where you’re looking.
In terms of content, Valve says the headset can handle your “whole Steam library.” But it won’t stop at just your Steam library, as you’ll be able to use the device for PC and mobile VR games and apps. According to Linus Tech Tips, you can even sideload an Android APK onto the device.
On the inside, we’re looking at a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. For comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy XR uses a Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 SoC. There’s also 16GB of unified LPDDR5X RAM, 256GB/1TB of UFS storage, and a rechargeable 21.6Wh Li-ion battery. You can also expect a 4K LCD display (2160 x 2160 per eye), up to a 144Hz refresh rate, inside-out camera tracking, and support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3.
The Steam Controller
Unsurprisingly, the Steam Controller is made to work with both the Steam Machine and Frame. It will also work with your PC, laptop, and other devices. Right away, you can tell it has a unique design, with two track pads underneath the parallel thumbsticks. An interesting deviation from the original Steam Controller. Those thumbsticks use TMR technology for better responsiveness and long-term reliability. A few other notable features include motion controls, high-definition rumble, a Steam button for navigating the store, and a quick access menu for accessing notifications and more.
There’s also a puck that attaches to the controller. This puck acts as a wireless transmitter to create a stable connection. It can also be used as a charging station. However, you also have the option to simply connect with Bluetooth or with a USB-C cable.
Availability
If you want to dive deeper, you can visit the product pages where they offer the full spec sheet for each device. Although Valve offers plenty of details about all three devices, there’s one thing missing from today’s announcement. The company neglected to reveal how much we’ll be paying for these items. However, we do know that the Steam Controller will be bundled with the Steam Machine — it will also be available as a standalone — when it ships in 2026. The Steam Frame is also expected to ship in the same year.
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