Valve's New Gadgets Delayed: Steam Machine, Controller 2, and VR Headset Face Uncertain 2026 Release
Valve, probably not happy that it Big Announcement from Valve: The Company Introduced Three New Devices — the Stationary Console Steam Machine, Steam Controller 2, and VR Headset Steam Frame, as almost immediately after this event, problems with components began.
The American giant stated that it plans to release new devices in the first quarter of 2026 and will “soon” share important news, but later the company admitted that due to the unstable market situation, it is experiencing a shortage of chips and drives, and also cannot decide on the price.
What is known
Valve published a message in the Steam blog, which, among the vast amount of information about the results of 2025, contained a hint of a delay in the release of Steam Machine and other devices.
Now the manufacturer indicates an even more vague “in 2026” as release dates, and Valve representatives expressed hope to journalists for a release in the first half of the year.
Note that in this case, little depends on Valve, and the company can only hope for stabilization of the components market.
For those not in the know
Steam Machine is created with a focus on maximum personalization: users will be able to install Windows or Linux on it, replace some components, and the front magnetic panel will be sold in a large number of colors.
Main technical characteristics of Steam Machine:
- processor: six-core AMD Zen 4 up to 4.8 GHz;
- graphics: AMD RDNA3 with 28 compute units;
- RAM: 16 GB DDR5 + 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM;
- additionally: state LED indicator, replaceable panels, compact body.
Steam Controller 2 received an ergonomic body and expanded customization options while retaining the flexibility and customization philosophy familiar from Steam Deck.
The design almost completely repeats the portable console Steam Deck, except that it has no screen. The gamepad received improved sticks, adaptive triggers, Steam Input support, and unlike the first model, has a touch panel.
The controller is compatible with PC, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame.
Steam Frame is a lightweight wireless VR headset, which is a logical development of Valve Index, but features a thinner body and comfortable ergonomics.
The device is suitable for both traditional VR gaming and media viewing in a virtual space.
Steam Frame works both when connected to a PC and autonomously, thanks to a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset.
The headset is equipped with LCD screens with a resolution of 2160 x 2160 per eye, custom pancake lenses (field of view up to 110°), and a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz.
The main technical achievement of Valve in the Steam Frame is the “foveated streaming” technology, which tracks the direction of the user's gaze with two internal cameras and transmits an image of maximum quality to this point, allowing for high clarity with low latency.
To connect to a PC, a special wireless 6 GHz adapter (Wi-Fi 6E), which is included, is used.
Source: Steam
