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Valve dipped its toe into the hardware business when it released Steam surface It will be launched again in 2022. Last November, the company revealed Expanded selection of devices It includes a VR headset, a controller, and a living room gaming console called the Steam Machine.
The Steam Machine is Valve’s gaming PC, packed into a roughly 6-inch cube designed to connect to a living room TV. The goal is to provide a simplified PC gaming experience to a wide audience. Although the Steam Machines’ hardware makes them a bit more powerful than a standard PS5 or Xbox Series
Here’s everything we know about the steam machine.
When does the steamer come out?
Valve has yet to set a specific release date for Steam Machine, but last November, when showcasing the new hardware lineup, Valve employees said it would be coming in early 2026. On February 4, Valve shared First major update The Steam Machine has been around since its reveal, and it looks like it will be delayed a bit.
“Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed,” the company said. “But we have work to do to arrive at concrete prices and launch dates that we can announce with confidence, considering how quickly the circumstances surrounding these two things change.”
This could mean that Valve was expecting a Steam Machine launch in March, but the company is now changing it to a launch of perhaps May or June.
Allocate some space in your living room for a steamer.
Can I pre-order a Steam device?
There are no pre-orders available for the Steam Machine yet. When pre-orders become available, they will likely be available on Steam machine hardware page.
If Valve does hold pre-orders, the company may have a system in place to release consoles in a timely manner, as it did with Steam Deck. With Steam Deck, you can pre-order the device, and based on when you place the order, you’ll get a specific time frame for when it will be released and when you’ll receive it.
Valve is also requiring anyone who wants to pre-order the Steam Deck to have a Steam account. This would prevent scalpers from ordering multiple devices at once, which will likely be the case with the Steam device.
How much will a steam machine cost?
This is arguably the biggest question about the Steam machine, and for good reason. Valve said the console will be priced in the same range as a gaming PC with the same type of power. There has been speculation that this would put the price in the $600 to $800 range.
However, the global shortage of random access memory (RAM) continues to drive up the price of memory. This could mean that a Steam Machine could cost $1,000 or more, which could be a hard sell for many and make it less competitive against a PlayStation 5 or a regular gaming PC.
Valve said on February 4 that it was still trying to figure out the price of the Steam Machine.
“The limited availability and increasing prices of these important components means we have had to reconsider our shipping schedule and careful pricing (particularly around Steam Machine and Steam Frame),” the company said.
What are the specifications of the steam machine?
Valve has released specs for the Steam Machine, but on the hardware page, there’s a note at the bottom that states, “Some specs are subject to change before availability.” It’s not common to see this type of disclaimer, which suggests that if tariffs or RAM shortages make the console too expensive, Valve may make adjustments to keep the price attractive.
Steam machine specifications
| CPU | AMD Zen 4 6C/12T, up to 4.8GHz, 30W TDP |
|---|---|
| memory | 16GB DDR5 plus 8GB GDDR6 VRAM |
| Graphics | AMD RDNA3 28CUs semi-dedicated, 2.45GHz max sustained clock, 110W 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 at 240Hz or 8K at 60Hz, supports HDR, FreeSync, and daisy-chaining), HDMI 2.0 (up to 4K at 120Hz, supports HDR, FreeSync, and CEC), Gigabit Ethernet |
| Wireless networks | 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Operating system | Steam OS 3 |
| weight | 5.7 lbs (2.6 kg) |
| measuring | 6″ tall (5.8″ without feet), 6.4″ deep, and 6.1″ wide |
What else is special about the Steam Machine?
Valve is doing more than just creating a small gaming PC. The company offers some features not found on the PS5, Switch 2, or Xbox Series consoles.
To start, there are removable face plates for the steamer. This is similar to the Xbox 360’s proprietary interfaces, which offer little customization to the controller.
The e-ink screen can be used as a front panel on a Steam device (used for testing by Valve, will not be for sale) https://t.co/NIO6m4qm5o pic.twitter.com/Gd30STsifs
– Wario64 (@wario64) November 12, 2025
Steam machines are upgradeable. You can increase storage space by adding a microSD card to its designated slot on the console or turning off the solid-state drive. There’s also the possibility of upgrading the RAM, but that will take a few extra steps versus swapping out the storage.
The Steam Machine will also just be a computer when needed. Connect it to a monitor with a mouse and keyboard, and the console will work just like a Linux desktop. There’s also the option to install Windows instead of SteamOS, which will keep it running PC games, although the experience won’t be as smooth as SteamOS.
Steam is a computer too.
The Steam Controller for Steam Machine will connect seamlessly to the console. And for multiplayer games, four controllers can connect to the console very easily.
Wait, didn’t Valve already have Steam hardware?
Kind of. In 2013, Valve unveiled a new operating system called SteamOS operating system. It’s what powers the Steam Deck and creates Big Picture Mode, which allows players to play their PC games in a mostly console-like experience rather than the typical desktop experience of using a mouse to double-click the game to start.
Along with the operating system, Valve also released Steam machine platform. This allowed computer makers to develop computers in the form of a home console rather than a desktop. Alienware Dell and Dell were among the notable companies to develop their own Steam hardware, but none were able to catch up, partly due to the incompatibility of many games with the Linux-based SteamOS operating system.
Steam Machines died out 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 when Valve developed Proton, a compatibility layer for SteamOS to make it easier to run most Windows games. Proton currently supports Over 20,000 Windows games.
Valve also ended up offering an alternative to getting a completely new piece of hardware. In 2015, the company released Steam linka device that allows computer games to be broadcast directly to the TV.