Valve revealed in November its lineup of upcoming hardware, including a home PC-gaming console called the Steam Machine and the Steam Frame, a VR headset. At the time of the reveal, the company expected to release its hardware in “early 2026,” but the current state of prices for memory and storage appears to have changed those plans.
Valve says while its goal to release the Steam Frame and Steam Machine in the first half of 2026 has not changed, it is still deliberating on the final shipping dates and pricing, according to a post from the company on Wednesday. While the company didn’t provide any specifics, it did say it was being mindful of the current state of the hardware and storage market.
“When we announced these products in November, we planned on being able to share specific pricing and launch dates by now. But the memory and storage shortages you’ve likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then,” Valve said. “The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing (especially around Steam Machine and Steam Frame).”
Valve says it’s going to be providing more updates in the future about its hardware lineup.
What are the Steam Frame and Steam Machine?
The Steam Frame is a standalone VR headset that is all about gaming. At the hardware reveal in November, CNET’s Scott Stein described it as a Steam Deck for your face. It runs on SteamOS on an Arm-based chip, so games can be loaded onto the headset and played directly from it, allowing gamers to play games on the go. There’s also the option to wirelessly stream games from a PC.
The Steam Machine is Valve’s home console. It’s a cube-shaped microcomputer intended to be connected to a TV.
When will the Steam Frame and Steam Machine come out?
Valve didn’t provide the specific launch date for either. The initial expectation after the November reveal was that the Steam Frame and Steam Machine would arrive in March. Valve’s statement of releasing its hardware in the first half of 2026 gives the impression that both will come out in June, at the latest.
How much will the Steam Frame and Steam Machine cost?
After the reveal of both the Steam Frame and Steam Machine, there was much speculation on their possible prices. For the Steam Frame, the initial price expectation was for it to start at $600. The Steam Machine was expected to launch at a price closer to $700. Those prices can easily increase by $100 or more due to the current state of pricing for memory and storage.