Cover image via Valve (YouTube)
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Valve has just announced the Steam Machine, a new mini PC designed to be on par with modern consoles
Alongside this new hardware, Valve also revealed several other products, including a new VR headset, the Steam Frame, and a redesigned Steam Controller.
According to Valve, the Steam Machine is six times more powerful than the Steam Deck, meaning customers can expect significantly improved graphics performance and frame rates.
The Steam Machine is designed as a compact, cube-shaped PC that can be placed on a desk or connected to a television, allowing users to play their Steam library on the big screen
According to IGN, the Steam Machine's performance is comparable to an Nvidia RTX 4060 or AMD RX 7600.
This effectively positions its performance between an Xbox Series S and a PlayStation 5, though it leans closer to the PS5.
The console runs on SteamOS, but users can play Windows games without major issues.
Valve claims the machine is capable of 4K gaming at 60 frames per second by utilising AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) upscaling. Internally, the Steam Machine features 16GB of DDR5 RAM, storage options of 512GB or 2TB, and a fast microSD slot.
The Steam Controller, a dedicated gamepad designed to bridge the gap between PC gaming and a console-style experience, also makes a return
Compared to the original Steam Controller released years ago, this new version looks very different.
It now features two haptic trackpads at the bottom, similar to those on the Steam Deck, but retains a more traditional layout with dual thumbsticks.
This new design is wireless and comes with an innovative Steam Controller Puck, a small device that functions as both a low-latency 2.4GHz wireless transmitter and a magnetic charging dock.
Valve is also stepping up its VR gaming hardware with the new Steam Frame
Valve is positioning it as a 'streaming-first' device, meaning it has its own built-in Snapdragon-based chipset for processing, but is primarily designed to stream games wirelessly from your PC via an included dongle.
The headset's key specifications are impressive: 2160 × 2160 resolution per eye, high refresh rate of up to 120Hz (with an experimental 144Hz mode), modern pancake lenses, and advanced eye-tracking.
It also utilises inside-out tracking, which eliminates the need for any external base stations.
Valve has not announced the price yet, but the console is slated to launch early next year
They will officially ship to the same regions currently served by the Steam Deck, which include the US, Canada, the UK, the European Union, and Australia, as well as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Unfortunately, this means the Malaysian market is not expected to receive the new Steam products officially, since the Steam Deck itself is not officially sold here. Still, local third-party retailers will likely import the hardware and make it available for sale.
