Valve announced it will release the Steam Machine and Steam Frame VR headset sometime in summer 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The Steam Machine is a PC running SteamOS designed to let users play PC games on a television with controller navigation [1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8]. It features hardware estimated to be roughly six times more powerful than the Steam Deck handheld console [2, 3, 5, 7].
The Steam Frame is a standalone VR headset that can stream games from a PC or run them locally via SteamOS [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8]. Valve expanded its Verified program, originally used for Steam Deck, to cover both Steam Machine and Steam Frame. The program helps customers understand how well games will run out of the box, focusing on controller support, graphics settings, and UI experience [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Valve said, “Today we are expanding the Verified program to include Steam Machine and Steam Frame, both of which are shipping this summer,” adding they are excited for players to try titles on the new hardware [1].
Valve also said developers should test compatibility on Steam Deck to ensure Steam Machine support, as Steam Machine dev kits are not currently available. "If your game runs well on Deck, it will also run well on Machine with no extra work required from you," Valve said [6].
The Steam Machine is expected to be priced above $1,000, reflecting its higher-performance components and ongoing memory and part shortages affecting gaming hardware prices worldwide in 2026. Valve already raised Steam Deck OLED prices by over £200 in the UK and up to $300 in the US earlier this year [1, 2, 6, 8]. No official pricing has been announced yet for Steam Machine or Steam Frame [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Valve previously released a Steam Machine in 2015 that sold fewer than 500,000 units in seven months. The new Steam Machine is a different and much more powerful system [2]. Valve released the Steam Controller separately in early May 2026 at $99 [3, 8].
Valve confirmed the summer 2026 launch in May and emphasized the difficulties posed by component availability. Valve designer Lawrence Yang said, “We’re obviously not thrilled about where things are at with the availability of these components. I think it is frustrating that, instead of being excited about getting ready to ship... we're having to deal with how we can actually build them” [7].
The next major date is the expected shipping window this summer, when both Steam Machine and Steam Frame are planned to enter the market [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
