Steam Machine, information, technical sheet

After years of rumors and a first failed attempt back in 2015, Valve is back at it with the Steam Machineits cube-shaped desktop console (or PC, depending on how you look at it) designed to bring the entire Steam library to your living room. The company presented it in November 2025 along with the new Steam Controller now the virtual reality glasses Steam Frameforming its own hardware ecosystem that revolves around Steam OS.

Regarding its launch, however, things are still not going as well as Valve would have wanted. The global RAM memory crisis and components has disrupted its plans, delaying both the price and the final date. Despite this, the machinery is already in motion, because at least we already have the Steam Controller on sale and, according to Valve’s latest update, the console aims for release this summer. Below these lines we tell you everything that is known to date about the Steam Machine.

What exactly is the Steam Machine?

The Steam Machine is not a normal console, but a compact cube-shaped PC that runs SteamOS, Valve’s operating system based on Linux. The idea is that it works like a console (you plug it into the TV, take the controller and play), but with the flexibility of a computer underneath.

It is, in essence, the tabletop older sister of the Steam Deck. In fact, Pierre-Loup Griffais, SteamOS developer, compared the experience with that of playing a Steam Deck connected to the dock, only with much more graphical muscle. Valve estimates that the Steam Machine offers about six times the power of the Steam Deck.

Unlike the 2015 attempt (which depended on external manufacturers and never caught on), this time Valve has developed everything in-house: hardware, software and accessories.

When is the Steam Machine released?

This has been the great unknown for months. When it was announced in November 2025, Valve was talking about an “early 2026” release window for all three devices. However, the component crisis forced the company to be more cautious, starting to talk first about the “first half of 2026.”

However, Valve has calmed the waters and in an official publication in Steam they assured that both the Steam Machine and the Steam Frame They will arrive this summer of 2026. It did so by expanding its Verified program to include both devices, where the company itself stated that both devices will go on sale during the summer.

The Steam Controller was ahead of the rest and hit the market on May 4, 2026 for 99 euros. Valve decided to release its controller first, in part, to not force PC users to wait for the console and, according to explained Steve Cardinali, the company’s hardware engineer, because the controller does not depend on the RAM memory, which is strangling the production of the rest of the catalog.

How much will the Steam Machine cost?

Valve has not yet announced an official price, and The reason is directly linked to the memory and storage crisis. The company has acknowledged that the escalation in component prices has precisely delayed the confirmation of the cost.

What Valve has dropped is its pricing philosophy. And the idea is to be in the range that it would cost to assemble a PC in parts with equivalent performance. In the initial presentation it was estimated that, due to the components it includes, the console could cost around $700. The problem is that, since then, DRAM prices have soared more than 170% year-on-yearas the VGC medium recalled, which makes it difficult to maintain any previous figure.

Added to this is the information from journalist Mike Straw, from Insider Gaming, who point because Valve has been debating internally about the price and whether it would be willing to sell the device at a loss, at least in the short term. There will be two models depending on storage (512 GB and 2 TB), so a price range is foreseeable. Likewise, any number should be taken with caution until the official announcement.

What specifications does the Steam Machine have?

Inside, the Steam Machine features custom-designed AMD hardware. These are the specifications that Valve has confirmed:

• CPU: Semi-customized AMD Zen 4 with 6 cores and 12 threads, with a frequency of up to 4.8 GHz and a TDP of just 30 watts.
• GPU: Semi-custom AMD RDNA 3 with 28 compute units (CUs) and sustained clock speed up to 2.45 GHz, accompanied by 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM.
• RAM memory: 16 GB of DDR5 (independent of VRAM, unlike the unified memory of the Steam Deck).
• Storage: NVMe SSD in 512 GB or 2 TB versions, expandable via microSD slot. The SSD goes in an M.2 slot accessible in the base.
• Performance goal: 4K at 60 FPS relying on AMD’s FSR scaling, with support for ray tracing.
• Refrigeration: a single 120 mm fan.
• Feeding: source integrated into the chassis, without external thief.

Regarding its positioning, it is advisable to moderate expectations. Valve counted that The console will have the price of an entry-level gaming PCavoiding selling it as a graphic beast. Its advantage over the current generation of consoles is in the architecture, since Zen 4 and RDNA 3 They are much more modern than the Zen 2 and RDNA 2 that they mount PS5 and Xbox Series. The route designed for 4K, of course, involves generating the image at an internal resolution close to 1440p and scaling it using FSRmore than by moving that resolution natively.

What design and size does it have?

The Steam Machine is a compact black cube that measures approximately 156 x 152 x 162 mm and weighs about 2.6 kg, designed to go unnoticed under the television.

In The front incorporates a customizable removable plate and a configurable LED stripin addition to the USB-A ports and the microSD slot. Video, network and power connectivity is concentrated behind it, next to the fan grill. According to they count from GamersNexus, that faceplate is magnetic plastic and removes easily to improve airflow; Valve’s idea is even that users can print their own personalized plates.

What ports and connectivity does it offer?

The list of ports is as follows:

• video outputs: DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 4K at 240 Hz or 8K at 60 Hz) and HDMI 2.0 (up to 4K at 120 Hz, with CEC).
• USB: two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 on the front, two USB-A 2.0 on the back and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) on the back.
• Grid: Gigabit Ethernet.
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E 2×2 and Bluetooth 5.3 with dedicated antenna, plus an integrated 2.4 GHz adapter to pair the Steam Controller without an external dongle.

The big controversy is in HDMI 2.0. And Valve does not include HDMI 2.1 despite the fact that the hardware is capable, which may disappoint anyone who wants to connect the console to a high-end television. Although the company boasts of supporting 4K at 120 Hz, that mode only works without HDR (in 8-bit SDR with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling); If you activate HDR, you stay in 4K at 60 Hz. Also, Valve explained that at the moment some HDMI 2.1 functions such as DSC and ALLM are missing, but that it is working to incorporate them in the future.

What is the new Steam Controller like?

The Steam Controller, which as we have already mentioned It is on sale for 99 eurosis a deep revision of the original controller. Among its new features are the Hall/TMR effect joysticks (with magnets to resist drift), two trackpad-type touch panels to emulate a mouse, gyroscopic controls, haptic feedback and an autonomy of up to 35 hours.

For the connection, Valve relies on the Steam Controller Puck, its own wireless receiver that the company claims is more stable than Bluetooth and that allows up to four controllers to be paired at the same time. In the case of the Steam Machine, that puck is integrated into the cube itself. The controller also works via Bluetooth or cable USB-Cand is compatible with PC, Mac and Steam Deck.

What operating system do you use and how is the catalog going?

The Steam Machine works with SteamOS 3Valve’s Linux-based system, much lighter than Windows and optimized for gaming. It includes features such as quick sleep and resume, cloud saving, and compatibility with other digital stores.

Regarding game compatibility, Valve has extended its Verified program (the same seal used on the Steam Deck) to the Steam Machine to indicate at a glance how each title works without touching settings. The good news, according to the company itself, is that a game that already performs well on the Steam Deck will perform well on the Steam Machine no extra work for developers. What’s more, titles that were somewhat short on the Deck due to CPU or GPU could run smoothly on the console thanks to its greater power, and Valve claims that it is already testing these cases on its own.

There is an interesting nuance regarding the Deck. And since the Steam Machine will connect to large screens, Valve will not require developers to have text readability requirements or specific resolutions for the Verified seal. That means that a game marked as “Playable” on the Deck due to fine print could appear as “Verified” on the Steam Machine.

For our part, we will update this article with all the news that comes about the Steam Machine, its final price and its exact launch date.

Cover image | Valve

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