The day has arrived, Valve have announced a major hardware expansion with multiple devices including the new Steam Frame, Steam Controller and Steam Machine. And of course, they’re powered by SteamOS (Linux), exactly the sort of thing we cover! Massive news for Linux gaming, and shows how committed Valve are to open source and having an open platform.
“We’ve been super happy with the success of Steam Deck,” said Gabe Newell, President of Valve, “and PC gamers have continued asking for even more ways to play all the great titles in their Steam libraries. Our work over the years on other hardware and even more importantly on SteamOS has enabled Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame to do just that.”
Here’s what they’ve announced for 2026:
Steam Controller:
Steam Controller shares DNA with Steam Deck, with all the inputs to play all the games on Steam, wherever Steam is.
High-performance, ergonomic controller with next-generation precision magnetic thumbsticks, full-sized controls, trackpads, gyro, and grip buttons.
Steam Controller is great wherever Steam is: PC, laptop, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame.
Steam Machine:
Made for powerful, versatile PC gaming on a big screen; quiet and small enough to fit under your TV, on your desk, or anywhere else you want to game. (It’s a roughly 6-inch (160mm) cube!)
Runs SteamOS for the same great experience as Steam Deck
Made to work with Steam Controller, but can pair with your other favorite accessories too.
Steam Frame:
Stream ALL of your Steam games, VR and non-VR alike
Comfortable, wireless, lightweight VR designed to give you a new way to experience your entire Steam library
Full controller input for PC VR and non-VR games
It’s a PC! Steam Frame is powered by a Snapdragon® processor, and runs SteamOS for the same great experience as Steam Deck
Supports standalone play for immersive gaming anywhere
All of them will ship to the same regions as the Steam Deck (US, CA, UK, EU, AU) as well as regions covered by KOMODO: Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. No specific launch timings or pricing has been announced yet.
Steam Machine Info:
Models
512GB model and 2TB model
Steam Machine will ship in a bundle with Steam Controller and will also be available standalone
Main Specs
CPU: Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T
GPU: Semi-Custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs
2.45GHz max sustained clock, 110W TDP
Supports 4K gaming at 60 FPS with FSR
Ray tracing supported
Over 6x more powerful than Steam Deck
16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
512 GB & 2 TB SSD models
micro SD card slot for expanded storage/portable catalog
Internal power supply, AC power 110-240V
I/O
DisplayPort 1.4
Up to 4K @ 240Hz or 8K@60Hz
Supports HDR, FreeSync, and daisy-chaining
HDMI 2.0
Up to 4K @ 120Hz
Supports HDR, FreeSync, and CEC
Ethernet 1 Gbps
USB-C 10 Gbps, 3.2 Gen 2
4x T ype USB-A ports
2x USB 3 in the front
2x USB 2 in the rear
2×2 Wi-Fi 6E, dedicated BT antenna
Integrated Steam Controller 2.4GHz radio
Other features
Works with other controllers, accessories, and PC peripherals
Wake with Steam Controller
Runs SteamOS
Familiar, gaming first user experience
Fast suspend / resume
Steam cloud saves, and all the other Steam features you’d expect
Customizable LED bar
Personalize with colors and animation
Reflect system status (e.g. downloads, booting, updating)
Steam Frame Info:
Lightweight, modular architecture
185g core
440g with included headstrap
(facial interface, audio, rear battery)
Main Specs
4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ARM64 processor
16GB Unified LPDDR5X RAM
Wi-Fi 7, 2×2
Dual 5Ghz/6Ghz streaming for simultaneous VR and Wi-Fi
256GB / 1TB UFS storage options
microSD card slot for extended storage
Optics
Pancake optics
2160 x 2160 LCD (per eye)
72-144Hz refresh rate (144Hz experimental)
Large FOV (up to 110 degrees)
Tracking
4x outward facing monochrome cameras for
controller & headset tracking
2x interior cameras for eye tracking
Outward IR illuminator (for dark environments)
Other features
Wireless Adapter included
Wi-Fi 6E (6Ghz)
Fast, direct, low-latency link between headset & PC
Foveated Streaming
Eye-tracking drives video stream, sending highest resolution to where you’re looking.
Audio
Dual speaker drivers (per ear), integrated into headstrap
Dual microphone array
Monochrome camera passthrough
User accessible front expansion port( 2x 2.5Gbps camera interface / Gen 4 PCIe )
Rechargeable 21.6 Wh Li-On Battery
SteamOS
Sleep / wake, cloud saves, Proton
Steam Frame Controllers
Full 6-DOF tracking and IMU support
Capacitive finger sensing
Magnetic thumbsticks (TMR) for improved
precision, responsiveness and reliability
Haptic feedback
Input parity with traditional game pad
Replaceable AA battery (40hr life)
Optional straps
Steam Controller Info:
Works with any device that runs Steam
Windows / Mac / Linux PCs
PC handhelds
iOS / Android (with Steam Link)
Steam Deck
Steam Machine
Steam Frame
Three ways to connect
Steam Controller Puck
Pre-paired, plug and play
Proprietary wireless connection
Low-latency (~8ms full end-to-end)
4ms polling rate
measured at 5m
More stable than Bluetooth
Up to 4 Steam Controllers per Puck
Bluetooth
USB tethered play
Li-ion rechargeable battery
35hr+ play time
Charge with Steam Controller Puck or USB
Magnetic thumbsticks (TMR)
Improved responsiveness and reliability
Capacitive touch
Grip sense
Quick way to activate/deactivate gyro
Assignable input
HD haptics
4x haptic motors
2x LRA haptic motors in trackpads for HD tactile feedback
2x High output LRA haptic motors in grips for HD game haptics including rumble
Full input list
ABXY, D-pad
L/R triggers, L/R bumpers
Magnetic thumbsticks (TMR)
View / Menu / Steam / QAM buttons
4x assignable grip buttons
2x trackpads with haptic feedback
Pressure sensitivity for configurable
click strength
6-axis IMU
Capacitive grip sense
Valve do note in the press details how some of the specs are subject to change, so these may not be exactly final.
As part of this, Valve will be expanding the Steam Deck Verified program. This will include new ratings for the Steam Frame and Steam Machine. They will be known as Steam Machine Verified and Steam Frame Verified.
This is what we have been waiting for and why GamingOnLinux exists. We’ve been covering Linux gaming for years before Valve even came along, and Valve have practically kept us in business with all their open source work (and especially Proton).
Unlike the original launch of the first attempt at the Steam Machine, Valve has come a seriously long way to make it viable. Proton, the tool to run Windows games on Linux, has made it click and play for tens of thousands of games. So now, it makes a lot more sense.
Absolutely amazing. Much like when Valve originally announced Proton, I feel a bit of the shakes over here from excitement. This is truly some world-changing stuff going on for Linux gaming. It’s time for the stranglehold that Microsoft have had with Windows to end.
What this also should hopefully do, is put a bit more pressure on developers to get their anti-cheat enabled for Linux, otherwise that’s still going to be quite a number of popular games that won’t be playable on any of these devices. As we’re tracking on our dedicated anti-cheat page. Especially so if the Steam Machine is priced reasonably, that could be a ridiculous amount of extra players using SteamOS Linux. Developers are going to need to pay a lot more attention to how their games run on Linux.
On top of that, it will be interesting to see if Epic Games will rethink their stance on the Epic Store and Fortnite.
We’ve opened up some new content tags for you to follow along: Steam Frame | Steam Machine. You can also join us on Discord with dedicated chat channels.
Sadly, Valve did not provide GamingOnLinux with any heads up on it, so we’re playing catch-up on all the details. There’s also currently no word on review samples like we had for the Steam Deck LCD and Steam Deck OLED, so if you want to ensure we can grab them please do support GamingOnLinux directly.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
