Key Highlights:
- Valve announced a new set of Steam machines, set for a 2026 release.
- The hardware on offer is quite impressive, and represents a mid range PC.
- However, its success depends largely on its pricing.
November 12, 2025 brought with it a series of surprise announcements from Valve, which included a total of 3 hardware related announcements. This extended into the Steam Frame (a VR headset), a new Steam Controller and a Steam Machine, which is poised as a home console fuelled with the simplicity and reliability of SteamOS.
Most importantly though, this is Valve’s second crack at a home console like device, after the first batch of Steam machines failed spectacularly. While the machine does look to be quite incredible, there are a few concerns regarding its pricing.
Valve Announces a New Set of Steam Machines
Announcing: New @Steam Hardware, coming in 2026:
— Valve (@valvesoftware) November 12, 2025
Steam Controller
Steam Machine
Steam Frame
Watch our jazzy announcement video and wishlist now: https://t.co/TUKoZdzn9B pic.twitter.com/A355CpwcFr
Valve’s Steam machine is poised to shake up the console and HTPC market, offering a small compact form factor (6 inches) with a reasonable amount of compute power to go along with it.
The machine was unveiled yesterday, November 12, 2025 and is set to ship across participating retailers and supported regions sometime in 2026. As far as pricing goes, there’s not a whole lot we know just yet, but it is expected to be somewhat affordable, given Valve’s previous rodeo with the Steam Deck.
Valve Steam Machine Specifications: Everything We Know So Far
Here’s what we know about the Steam machine’s configurations:
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Zen 4; 6-cores up to 30 W TDP |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR5 SODIMM (user replaceable!) |
| GPU | AMD RDNA 3 28 CU; 8 GB GDDR6; 110 W TDP |
| Storage | 512 GB or 2 TB SSD (user replaceable!) + microSD card slot |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6; built-in Steam Controller radios |
| Ports | USB-A (x5); USB-C (x2); Ethernet; HDMI 2.0; DisplayPort 1.4 |
| Power Draw | 300 W rated maximum |
It’s quite an impressive package all things considered, and the fact that it draws only 300 watts in such an impressively small form factor makes it all the more appealing. The next gen Steam box could very well replace almost all HTPCs in the market, assuming it’s priced correctly.
The addition of user upgradeable RAM and storage is a huge plus, more so when we take into account the fact that the stock configuration comes with a measly 16 GB of RAM, which is quite low by modern standards.
Interestingly enough, the GPU seems to be custom built, and is part of the CPU – effectively making it a super APU of sorts, much like the Ryzen AI MAX 390/395+ series. While performance is yet to be ascertained, it should at the very least be able to keep up with a RX 7600, or in other words, the same as that of a PlayStation 5 (with the usual upscaling and more enabled).
If This Is Priced Right, It Could Be a Game Changer
While the package seems to be well worth it, all of this depends on Valve’s asking price. Assuming that this piece of hardware is priced correctly, it could be a potential game changer, and flip the gaming hardware industry for good.
I’d hope for a price of $400-$600 for the Steam machine, with an emphasis on the lower end bracket. Valve needs to keep the price of the Steam box competitive, so that it can actually compete with modern consoles.
Any higher, and it will be relegated to being a niche product which won’t really sell well.
