Valve's game console and VR headset will not launch in early 2026 as originally announced. They are also likely to be more expensive than planned due to soaring RAM and SSD prices.
The company behind the Steam game store, Valve, is preparing to compete more directly with Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox. The game console, which connects to a TV via HDMI, is called Steam Machine and was unveiled in November.
At the same time, Valve unveiled a new VR headset called Steam Frame, which is set to compete with headsets such as Meta Quest.
Both products were slated to launch in "early 2026", according to Valve back in November.
Delayed and more expensive
Now the company is extending the launch window to "the first half of the year" for both the console and the headset.
Valve also expects them to get more expensive than initially hoped, as prices for RAM and SSDs have tripled, or even quadrupled, in recent months due to strong demand for AI chips.
- "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. 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 writes in a post.
Also read: Steam admits that you don't own "purchased" games
Steam Machine and Steam Frame. Photo: ValveThe hardware is ready
The Steam Machine console is finished from a product standpoint, AMD CEO Lisa Su said during the company's recent earnings call, meaning the delay is solely about component pricing.
In the meantime, Valve has published the FAQ below, answering some of the most frequently asked questions about the two new products.
Valves FAQ on Steam Machine & Steam Frame
| Steam Frame and VR
Will Steam Frame support other streaming services?
SteamOS has a built-in browser, and we expect streaming services to work in a theatrical browser mode.
Will Steam Frame work with lighthouse base stations?
It's not something we're working on, but we built Steam Frame to be modular and extensible so that the community and 3rd parties can build out the features and accessories that are important to them.
Can Steam Frame be used while wearing glasses?
A bunch of people on the team wear glasses and use Steam Frame without issue, but it really depends on the width of the glasses frames. And while we don't have details to share yet, we are looking into making prescription lens inserts available ahead of launch.
I heard that Steam Frame has foveated streaming - is that the same thing as foveated rendering? What games support it?
With Steam Frame, we are introducing a new feature called foveated streaming. While both use eye tracking data, the technology is different:
• Foveated rendering uses eye tracking data so the game only renders high resolution data in the portion of the viewport that the player is looking at.
• Foveated streaming, on the other hand, uses eye tracking data so that the PC only streams high resolution data in the portion of the viewport the player is looking at.
Since foveated streaming is a system-level feature, it applies to all games, and requires no game developer work. If a game implements foveated rendering, the benefits of that feature will stack with foveated streaming.
Will Valve Index have ongoing product support?
While we're no longer making Valve Index, we do intend to support Index owners the same way we have in the past on an ongoing basis.
Steam Machine
How well can Steam Machine play newer, more demanding games on Steam?
In our testing the majority of Steam titles play great at 4K 60FPS with FSR on Steam Machine. That said, there are some titles that currently require more upscaling than others, and it may be preferable to play at a lower framerate with VRR to maintain a 1080p internal resolution.
In the meantime, we are working on HDMI VRR, investigating improved upscaling, and optimizing ray tracing performance in the driver, so we are approaching this from multiple angles.
Will third parties be able to make faceplates for Steam Machine? Will you be making the CAD for those faceplates available?
Yes, we plan to share faceplate CAD, specs, and details in the coming months, for customers and manufacturers to make their own.
What components of Steam Machine are upgradeable?
Steam Machine's SSD (NVMe 2230 or 2280) and memory (DDR5 SODIMMs) are both accessible and upgradeable. |
FlatpanelsHD
