I KNEW IT. Valve Just Announced a New Steam Machine, Controller, and VR Headset.
Yesterday, I was a tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorist. Today, I'm a goddamn prophet.
I TOLD YOU SO. That "boring" SteamVR update was a dead giveaway. That Komodo rebrand was the smoke. Well, now we have the fire.
Valve just ripped the curtain off, announcing three new pieces of hardware set for release in early 2026. They're building the full ecosystem, and my wallet is already having a panic attack.
The Steam Machine Is Back From the Dead
The first one was a noble failure. This new one? This one is a monster.
What It Is
Valve is calling it a "compact desktop-PC-console" for "powerful and versatile PC gaming on the big screen". It's a 15.2cm tall, 2.6kg box that's meant to live under your TV and make consoles irrelevant.
The Guts
This isn't a wimpy little box. It's running a custom AMD Zen 4 processor (6 cores, 12 threads) and a beefy RDNA3 GPU with 28 Compute Units.
But here's the console-killer spec: it has 16 GByte of DDR5 RAM plus 8 GByte of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM. That's a wild, console-like memory setup. It's got all the ports you need (including 8K 60Hz DisplayPort 1.4), WiFi 6E, and... oh, a built-in 2.4-GHz adapter for...
The New Steam Controller
That's right, the cult classic is back, and it looks like they've listened.
What It Is
It's a full evolution. It has two magnetic analog sticks (with capacitive sensors), two pressure-sensitive trackpads with haptic feedback, and four remappable grip buttons.
The Tech
It's also packing four LRA-motors for "precise vibrations," a gyro, and capacitive grip sensors. The battery is rated for 35 hours. It connects via Bluetooth or a new "Steam Controller Puck" that can handle four controllers at once.
'Steam Frame': The VR Headset
This is it. This is what the SteamVR and Steam Link updates were really for.
What It Is
A wireless VR headset. It runs SteamOS, just like the Steam Deck and Steam Machine. It's a full-blown standalone device and a low-latency PC streaming device.
the Tech
It's running on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 16 GByte of RAM. The displays are gorgeous: 2,160 x 2,160 pixels per eye, running at 120 Hz (with a 144 Hz experimental mode). It uses pancake lenses for a 110-degree FOV.
The Real Magic
Here's the kicker. It has four front cameras for inside-out tracking, and two internal cameras for eye-tracking. That means foveated rendering and streaming.
And how does it stream? It has WiFi 7 and a separate, dedicated WLAN-6E-Adapter built-in specifically for "low-latency PC-Streaming". That "new frame pacing" update for Steam Link makes a lot of sense now, doesn't it?
The Orange Elephant in the Room
So, let's recap. Valve is launching a new PC-console, a new controller, and a new high-end VR headset, all in "early 2026".
What single, mythical piece of software could possibly be the "system seller" for all three?
Valve didn't say a word about Half-Life 3. They didn't have to. We all know what's coming.
Get your credit cards ready. 2026 is going to be expensive.