Valve provides an update on the release of its Steam Machine and additional hardware slated for 2026.
Valve is once again entering the console market with its PC-console hybrid, the Steam Machine. Announced in November 2025, the new console is slated for release in the first half of 2026. Now, Valve has provided an update on its Hardware releases, some of the challenges they’re facing, and what that means for customers.
Pricing and Launch Date Remain Uncertain for Steam Machine
In a blog post on Wednesday, February 4, Valve revealed that industry-wide memory and storage shortages and rising memory prices have forced it to revisit its shipping schedule and pricing, particularly for the Steam Machine and the Steam Frame VR headset.
They still plan to ship all three products in the first half of the year, but they are currently working to finalize pricing and a specific launch date. They promise to keep customers updated as best they can.
“Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed. But we have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce,” they say.
The Steam Machine’s SSD and Memory Will Be Upgradable
Later in the blog, there’s an FAQ. There, Valve reveals the components of the Steam Machine and notes that both the SSD (NVMe 2230 or 2280) and memory (DDR5 SODIMMs) will be upgradable. They also claim that during test runs, most Steam titles run at 4K 60FPS with FSR on the Steam Machine.
However, they note that some titles will require more upscaling than others, and it may be preferable to play at a lower frame rate. They’re also working on HDMI VRR and investigating how to improve upscaling and optimize ray tracing performance.
While it’s not fair to say these devices are being delayed, as no concrete release date was ever given, the uncertainties players hoped would be resolved by now will continue due to the volatility of the RAM market.
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