Katarzyna Petru
Valve is returning to the world of computers… and it's doing so in really good style. After the success of the Steam Deck, the company decided to take a step further by presenting the Steam Machine – a compact PC set built for one purpose: playing the Steam library without compromises. This isn’t a classic PC, but it’s not just another console either. It’s a clever hybrid that takes advantage of the benefits of Linux-based SteamOS, while also having the power that we haven't seen in this class for a long time.
6× more powerful than Steam Deck. AMD under the hood is doing the work
Valve isn’t beating around the bush – Steam Machine is set to be six times more powerful than the Steam Deck, which means the hardware is aimed at gamers wanting to play in 1080p or 1440p with high settings, rather than compromises of handhelds.
Inside, we’ll find a 6-core AMD Zen 4 processor (6C/12T) with a clock speed of up to 4.8 GHz and an extremely efficient TDP of 30 W. The graphics are handled by a Radeon RDNA 3 chip with a “miniaturised” version of 28 CU blocks (1792 SP) – which is a design similar to the mobile RX 7600M, but overclocked to 110 W. This is a big leap compared to the Steam Deck and offers a massive power reserve, even for newer titles. The graphics are paired with 8 GB GDDR6, clocked at 2450 MHz, so we’re talking about a fully-fledged mobile GPU, not an integrated unit from handhelds.
Steam Machine – full specification
Category | Parameters |
|---|---|
Processor | AMD Zen 4 (6C/12T) Clock speed up to 4.8 GHz TDP 30 W |
Graphics Card | AMD Radeon RDNA 3 28 CU (1792 SP) 8 GB GDDR6 Clock speed up to 2450 MHz TDP 110 W |
RAM | 16 GB DDR5 |
Data Storage | SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe: 512 GB or 2 TB |
Wired Connectivity | Ethernet RJ-45 1 Gbit |
Wireless Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.3 |
Ports | 1× USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 2× USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 2× USB-A 2.0 1× HDMI (4K 120 Hz, likely 2.1) 1× DisplayPort 1.4 microSD card reader |
Dimensions | 162.4 × 156 × 152 mm |
Weight | 2.6 kg |
Other | Dedicated new Steam Controller SteamOS 3 (Linux) |
Small box, big power. And fully compatible with SteamOS
Valve plans to treat the Steam Machine just like the Deck – with game compatibility certification, so players will immediately know whether a particular title runs smoothly and without any workaround. This is great news, as SteamOS version 3 handles most of the library, and the additional power of the Steam Machine should make gaming even easier without emulated "fixes" and workarounds.
The hardware is also really compact – smaller than most mini-PCs. It's something you can fit under the TV, throw in a backpack, or place on a desk without a tangle of cables.
HDMI 4K 120 Hz – yes, this clearly has HDMI 2.1
Valve mentions HDMI 2.0 in their materials, but at the same time declares support for 4K 120 Hz, which is simply not possible on 2.0. Everything suggests that we have an HDMI 2.1 port here – great news for those who want to play on a large TV.
Debut in 2026. Price yet to be confirmed
The equipment will hit the market in 2026. Valve is expected to confirm prices closer to the launch, but you can expect something in between:
console price,
and a small gaming mini-PC.
So probably not cheap, but also not excessively so – especially considering the performance.
