Katarzyna Petru
Valve returns to the world of computers… and it does so in really good style. After the success of the Steam Deck, the company decided to take it a step further, presenting the Steam Machine – a compact PC built for one purpose: gaming in the Steam library without compromises. This is not a classic PC, but it's also not another console. It's a clever hybrid that takes advantage of the benefits of Linux-based SteamOS, while also having power that we haven't seen in this class for a long time.
6× more powerful than the Steam Deck. AMD under the hood does the job
Valve doesn't beat around the bush – The Steam Machine is supposed to be six times more powerful than the Steam Deck, which means the hardware is aimed at gamers wanting to play at 1080p or 1440p with high settings, rather than the compromises of handhelds.
Inside, we have a 6-core AMD Zen 4 processor (6C/12T) with clock speeds of up to 4.8 GHz and an incredibly efficient TDP of 30 W. The graphics are handled by a Radeon RDNA 3 chip from a “miniaturized” version of 28 CU blocks (1792 SP) – that is, a design similar to the mobile RX 7600M, but overclocked to 110 W. This is a significant leap from the Steam Deck and provides an enormous power reserve, even for newer titles. The graphics are paired with 8 GB GDDR6, clocked up to 2450 MHz, so we are talking about a fully-fledged mobile GPU, not an integrated unit from handhelds.
Steam Machine – full specifications
Category | Parameters |
|---|---|
Processor | AMD Zen 4 (6C/12T) Tuning up to 4.8 GHz TDP 30 W |
Graphics Card | AMD Radeon RDNA 3 28 CU (1792 SP) 8 GB GDDR6 Tuning up to 2450 MHz TDP 110 W |
RAM | 16 GB DDR5 |
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, most 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 full compatibility with SteamOS
Valve plans to treat the Steam Machine like the Deck – with game compatibility certification, allowing players to know right away whether a particular game runs smoothly and without any workarounds. 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 "patches" and workarounds.
The hardware is really compact – smaller than most mini-PCs. It’s something you can squeeze under your TV, throw into a backpack, or place on a desk without a tangle of cables.
HDMI 4K 120 Hz – yes, this is clearly HDMI 2.1
Valve mentions HDMI 2.0 in the materials, but at the same time states 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 to be confirmed
The equipment will hit the market in 2026. Valve is expected to confirm prices closer to the release, but one can expect something between:
console price,
and a small gaming mini-PC.
So probably not cheap, but also not too excessive – especially considering the performance.
