Valve Steam Controller 2, new Steam Machine PC console, and Steam Frame VR coming in early 2026

[Dreadcthulhu]

Price wise Valve can't really go above $600 at the very most with the Gabebox. Gaming laptops with similar specs regularly go on sale for under $700, and those of course get you a screen & portability.

 

[SirMonstras]

I would love to have a Steam Machine as a console connected to the TV, while my gaming PC is upstairs.

I would buy my kids or nephews one to replace their PS4/Xbox, but the biggest hurdle for the Steam Machine, in my opinion, is the lack of the most played titles. No Call of Duty, Battlefield 6, Valorant, League of Legends, Fortnite, or Apex Legends, because of SteamOS.

To become a mainstream console like a PlayStation or Xbox and get parents to buy these for their kids and become a success, they need that support. They need those games with cross-play functionality so that they can game together. No one wants a console-like system where they can't play with their friends..

 

[EvilRebar]

"According to Gamers Nexus, users may even be able to sideload Android APKs onto the Steam Frame."

Well, this bit is particularly interesting. If it true, that means you can likely sideload apps like Netflix, Plex, Crunchyroll, etc, finally creating a spiritual successor to the nVidia Shield (assuming it works, exists, and has good/broad codec support, particularly the proprietary ones - like Dolby)

But the shield was much cheaper - if this is closer to $750, it's a bonus and not a core use case.

 

[EvilRebar]

I'm a bit shocked at how unambitious the desktop hardware is. Yes technically a RDNA3 mobile chip will probably get you to 60FPS in some titles at 4K with heavy heavy FSR3 and frame generation, but you're setting the bar low for your user experience. It will also be amusing to hear the "burn Nvidia for 8GB" crowd suddenly be really positive about 4K gaming with 8GB VRAM, as the "Valve" and "Linux" keywords flip their cheering and booing scripts.

Consoles sort of work, because software is massaged to fit specific SKUs. But this is console-level hardware being used to run a giant pile of unoptimized PC games.

 

[Burty117]

Valve has already indicated that it will be priced like a PC, not a console (which are subsidized by the expectation of buying games for it). Since it isn't locked down, Valve can't guarantee that everyone will buy Steam games for it, so they're taking that into account.

Which, all that means to me is that it'll be a bit more expensive than something like a PS5, but I am hoping it doesn't go too close (or above) $1000.
And considering how much more open and how much cheaper you can get games on it, it will be worth that few hundred more over the years.

Yeah my bad, I hadn't seen much coverage, been busy. But yeah, they're gunna have to price it a bit higher than a console I suppose.

Then again, the SteamDeck is less than a Nintendo Switch 2 and not much more than the original Switch is still selling for.

 

[Joeg1484]

Great work Valve. Real innovation is rare in this AI decade.

RIGHT! It was refreshing to see this and see the reception on social media. Kind of reminded me of how Apple used to release stuff when they were innovative too

 

[CapNemo72]

VR headset is real highlight to me (as Quest 3 user and dev).
Hopefully, developing for this platform will be less cumbersome.

Game-pad looks OK. Something that is a good buy.

Now console (GabeCube ) , that is kind a meh.

CPU: 6 cores, is that enough now? How about in 3 years?
RAM: 16Gb ...is that enough...
VRAM: 8Gb...ohhh. like I still,believe it is enough NOW, but in year or two...especially since they are talking about 4K 60fps gaming
Storage: I understand microSD slot, you can reuse your microSD card from Steam Deck and just continue playing like nothing changed. That is great. But I really prefer SSD. They tend to be faster and more future proof. So second full M2.2280 slot would be great.

All in all, its OK for now, and next 6 months, maybe, but not something you use to play latest games, in like year or two., and its OK only if the price is right. Hopefully it will be below 500USD ( and whatever the amount is in your local currency based on this).

Wish they went with 8 cores CPU, 32Gb RAM (or have 2 slots for them), 9060 based GPU with 12 or better 16Gb gpu, have two full M2.2280 slots for ssd.

EDIT: Corrected some typos

 

[Joeg1484]

Unfortunately it doesn't look to be an upgrade over my quest 3. It has a few decent extra things (like eye tracking), but the SOC is just 1 gen newer, the cameras are black and white and the screen is not really higher res. I'll skip this new headset.

I have a Quest 3 also and really like it, but I think I will still get the new Steam Frame because I trust Steam and not Meta with my data and personal information.

On top of that, I am one of the 3% of Linux gamers out there and struggle with my Quest 3 on Linux. Valve is 100% Linux, and have said that they will 100% support Linux, so Im voting with my wallet here.

 

[m4a4]

Then again, the SteamDeck is less than a Nintendo Switch 2 and not much more than the original Switch is still selling for.

Good point, not sure. My best guess is that they took more of a chance and subsidized it more than they're willing to do for this.
Or maybe they learned from the SteamDeck that they need to price it a bit higher for margins lol

 

[Puiu]

I have a Quest 3 also and really like it, but I think I will still get the new Steam Frame because I trust Steam and not Meta with my data and personal information.

On top of that, I am one of the 3% of Linux gamers out there and struggle with my Quest 3 on Linux. Valve is 100% Linux, and have said that they will 100% support Linux, so Im voting with my wallet here.

I didn't try it on Linux, but isn't it just SteamVR anyway? You are just streaming to the headset. From what I've seen there is an app called ALVR for Linux VR streaming.

ALVR

ALVR# ALVR GitHub repository Stream VR games from your PC to your headset via Wi-Fi. Feature rich and open source, ALVR currently depends on the SteamVR runtime, if you are looking to utilize wireless streaming of OpenXR without SteamVR, consider using WiVRn. If you do want to use ALVR, then try...

lvra.gitlab.io

Home

Welcome to the LVRA Wiki# This is a collection of links, useful resources and guides for the amazing world of VR on Linux. Feel free to contribute to this wiki yourself if you find anything useful that you might want to share with others. Quickstart# Your VR setup all depends on what hardware...

lvra.gitlab.io

 

[Joeg1484]

I didn't try it on Linux, but isn't it just SteamVR anyway? You are just streaming to the headset. From what I've seen there is an app called ALVR for Linux VR streaming.

ALVR

ALVR# ALVR GitHub repository Stream VR games from your PC to your headset via Wi-Fi. Feature rich and open source, ALVR currently depends on the SteamVR runtime, if you are looking to utilize wireless streaming of OpenXR without SteamVR, consider using WiVRn. If you do want to use ALVR, then try...

lvra.gitlab.io

Home

Welcome to the LVRA Wiki# This is a collection of links, useful resources and guides for the amazing world of VR on Linux. Feel free to contribute to this wiki yourself if you find anything useful that you might want to share with others. Quickstart# Your VR setup all depends on what hardware...

lvra.gitlab.io

I havent tried ALVR in along time... Maybe Ill give it a go again. Thanks for the reminder!
Steam Link works sometimes though. Seems it works every other SteamVR Beta release LOL.

 

[OortCloud]

Knowing Valve, it may be possible to upgrade things like RAM and internal storage.

The storage is absolutely upgradeable - it's a bod-standard NVMe drive, the RAM also may well be, they are not the weak point in the specs though. It's GPU and it's 8GB VRAM which I would be very surprised if you could upgrade, it will almost certainly be soldered on the mainboard and cooled with the same cooler that is used for the CPU (much like a console).

 

[OortCloud]

You can install SteamOS on desktops right now. I’ve been running a SteamOS pc in my living room for 6 months and it’s completely replaced the ps5, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Yes, I know about this and Bazzite etc but it would be really nice to have a fully curated (by valve) console-like experience where games 'just work'. The appropriate settings are automatically applied, controllers are configured appropriately etc etc. A further evolution of what they are doing with the Deck. It's only with something like this that they will gain that truly mass-market appeal and with that appeal would come full support for FSR4, anti-cheat etc etc. While the Deck has been successful selling 'multiple millions' it still lags far behind the XBOX and is in a different time zone to the PS5.

 

[EvilRebar]

The storage is absolutely upgradeable - it's a bod-standard NVMe drive, the RAM also may well be, they are not the weak point in the specs though. It's GPU and it's 8GB VRAM which I would be very surprised if you could upgrade, it will almost certainly be soldered on the mainboard and cooled with the same cooler that is used for the CPU (much like a console).

If you're opening it up and paying to upgrade parts, then it's really not price competitive at that GPU envelope.

 

[Y2JB47]

Yes, I know about this and Bazzite etc but it would be really nice to have a fully curated (by valve) console-like experience where games 'just work'. The appropriate settings are automatically applied, controllers are configured appropriately etc etc. A further evolution of what they are doing with the Deck. It's only with something like this that they will gain that truly mass-market appeal and with that appeal would come full support for FSR4, anti-cheat etc etc. While the Deck has been successful selling 'multiple millions' it still lags far behind the XBOX and is in a different time zone to the PS5.

I think Valve are pushing in this direction and all newer titles will work this way, however I think older titles will always come with barriers and faffing around, preventing mass market adoption.

 

[OortCloud]

I think Valve are pushing in this direction and all newer titles will work this way, however I think older titles will always come with barriers and faffing around, preventing mass market adoption.

Fingers crossed!

 

[OortCloud]

If you're opening it up and paying to upgrade parts, then it's really not price competitive at that GPU envelope.

I agree.

 

[Marco Mint]

Think I'll be grabbing the controller with those battery life hours and maybe even the vr headset, but I want real world reviews before commiting to that.
The Gabe-cube is cute looking and I could see some people wanting one, but really it wouldn't be for me.

 

[pcnthuziast]

Personally I think the hardware is underpowered and outdated at nearly any price, but there is definitely a market for it. Partially due to consumer ignorance and partially because Steam as a brand has garnered fully mainstream visibility. If it were 499, I suppose it wouldn't be bad, but only if the expectations are extremely conservative.