Valve Unveils 2026 Steam Hardware Ecosystem: Machine, Controller, and Frame VR
Valve announces comprehensive 2026 hardware lineup including Steam Machine gaming PC, redesigned Controller, and Frame VR headset with wireless streaming.
Valve has announced a complete refresh of its Steam hardware ecosystem for 2026, introducing three new products designed to work seamlessly together: Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam Frame.
Steam Machine: Compact Gaming PC
The Steam Machine returns as a compact SteamOS-powered gaming PC featuring a six-core Zen4 CPU and RDNA3 GPU with 28 compute units. Valve claims the device delivers over six times the performance of the Steam Deck while maintaining a console-style form factor. The system is designed to bring PC gaming to the living room with the tagline "Your games on the big screen."
Steam Controller: Universal Compatibility
Valve has re-launched the Steam Controller with universal compatibility across the Steam ecosystem. The redesigned controller features comprehensive input options to support "all the games on Steam, wherever Steam is." The controller works seamlessly with Steam Machine, Steam Deck, and PC setups.
Steam Frame: Standalone VR Headset
The Steam Frame represents Valve's entry into standalone VR headsets, powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB storage. At just 185 grams for the headset alone (440g fully equipped), Steam Frame utilizes foveated streaming technology with eye-tracking to dynamically optimize resolution where users look.
The headset includes Wi-Fi 7 connectivity with a low-latency adapter for wireless streaming from gaming PCs. Steam Frame runs SteamOS and uses the FEX translation layer to run x86 games on its Arm processor, enabling access to the entire Steam library without cables or base stations.
Ecosystem Integration
All three products work together as a unified ecosystem. The Steam Machine can serve as a powerful streaming source for the Steam Frame, while the Steam Controller provides consistent input across all devices. The lineup also maintains full compatibility with existing Steam Deck hardware.
Valve's 2026 hardware ecosystem aims to provide flexible gaming options from portable handheld to living room console to wireless VR, all running the same SteamOS platform and sharing the same game library.
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