The Steam Machine is coming later, the AI boom is to blame

Philipp Rüegg

5.2.2026

Translation: machine translated

Instead of the first quarter, Valve's living room PC is now expected to arrive in the first half of the year. The price is also likely to shift upwards.

Valve's assault on the living room has been postponed. In Wednesday's announcement the company explains that the launch of the new Steam hardware has been postponed. At the unveiling in November, it was stated that the Steam Machine, Steam Frame and Steam Controller would be released in the first quarter of 2026. Prices were also to be announced. The time window now extends over the first full half of the year.

This is directly related to the global AI boom. Colleague Kevin Hofer has recently shed light on the phenomenon. Valve cannot escape this either: «Like many other manufacturers in the industry, Valve is also affected by the current global shortages in the availability of memory components. As if the prices are rising, we need to revise our pricing and launch plans, especially with regard to the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.» This does not bode well. Console manufacturers such as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have already increased the prices of their systems last year. Since then, RAM and SSDs have become even more expensive.

Valve has already announced that the Steam Machine will not be subsidised. One should expect costs for a comparable self-built PC. When the Steam Machine was launched, the price for the 515 gigabyte version was estimated at 500 to 600 US dollars. Since then, hardware prices have more than doubled in some cases.

This also applies to the Steam Frame - Valve's new standalone VR headset. As it can be used like a Quest 3 without a PC, it also relies on components that are becoming increasingly expensive.

New details on performance

In addition to unpleasant price and launch details, Valve also reveals new information about the hardware. The console alternative Steam Machine should be able to play most Steam games at a Display resolution of 4K and a refresh rate of 60 frames per second with activated FSR «excellent». Valve is also working on HDMI VRR. The technology to display a smooth image with a fluctuating frame rate is currently only possible in a roundabout way under Linux with an AMD graphics card. The Steam Machine runs SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system.

Valve confirms: The SSD (NVMe 2230 or 2280) and RAM (DDR5 SODIMMs) are accessible and upgradeable. The removable front panel can also be replaced. Valve plans to publish technical data and CAD files for this in the coming months. This will then allow customers and third-party providers to produce their own panels for the new Steam Machine.

Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles. more

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