The ongoing memory shortage has led prices skyrocketing across different hardware throughout the industry which in turn has made it exceptionally difficult for companies to launch new gaming hardware but it seems Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine is doing it’s best to make it in this year as the company has confirmed that their gaming console is still set for a 2026 release. Valve revealed in february that the Steam Machine’s launch window was pushed out of early february but the company had expressed confidence on a 2026 release still.
And now, Valve has provided another update which states that they still intend to ship the console sometimes in this year although they haven’t zeroed in on a firm launch window as of yet:
“We hope to ship in 2026, but as we shared recently, memory and storage shortages have created challenges for us. We’ll share updates publicly when we finalize our plans!”
According to Valve, the upcoming Steam Machine “has more than six times the horsepower of Steam Deck, packed into sleek, quiet form factor” which means it’s most likely going to be similar to raw performance as a mid-range gaming PC that you can get. And just like the Steam Deck, you’ll be able to install custom software on the Steam Machine as you can on a PC which means it’s going to be far more versatile than most gaming consoles out there while being similar in performance to the PS5 and the Xbox Series X as a mid-range gaming PC in 2026 would actually be quite a bit superior to both consoles.
Although, Valve is yet to disclose any pricing details regarding their Steam Machine but based on the average prices of gaming hardware in this year, it could likely be pretty high.
Xbox has also announced it’s next-gen gaming console codenamed Project Helix which will be designed as a PC-Console hybrid with partnership with AMD and may not see a release window till 2027 at the earliest.
