AMD say the Steam Machine is "on track" for an early 2026 release
To be honest, I expected RAM prices would push back the release date. But AMD would know more about than I would.
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/02/amd-say-the-steam-machine-is-on-track-for-an-early-2026-release/Open linkView original on sopuli.xyz512
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Best case scenario is that they had already secured a RAM deal when the prices went mad, so they can now offer a good price. Even then, it might still be an issue for later batches though.
If they got the deal secured, you bet your table the ordering website is gonna get slammed.
A week after it ships ebay will be full of "steam machine bring your own ram"
Is it upgradeable? I assumed it would be soldered in.
Maybe we'll see, "Some soldering required," instead 😂
They explicitly said it has user upgradeable ram. The graphics card is soldered on though. Its basically gaming laptop hardware.
Given the proclivities of Valve and their hardware so far, i woud expect the gabecube to not have soldered ram.
It is, using SODIMMs (Laptop form factor)
Cool, I tried to find the info, but obviously didn't find that detail. It makes sense, all things considered
Why would it be soldered? It's not like it's in a laptop with space constraints.
I dunno. There's probably plenty of examples where companies soldered RAM instead of installing SODIMM slots, even when they had space. I agree that it makes sense, but sense isn't always a factor when a company starts crunching the production cost numbers.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was soldered on because it shares the RAM with the GPU. That's pretty common these days, and GPUs want both high performance RAM and low latency. There are solutions to significantly lower the trace lengths between expandable RAM and the CPU/GPU, but the standard never took off.
Have you seen how it looks without the casing? this thing is filled to the brim, whatever space was left has been filled with cooling, it would be complicated to place a standard d6 in there - the whole system is built around the cooling that goes through the middle. but the ram isn't soldered and i think it's even placed so you can upgrade it without dismantling the whole thing.
Considering how repairable the steam deck is, I wouldn't be surprised if it is upgradable
I'm pretty sure they likely did what they did with the steam LCD, which was order an absolutely insane amount of units that they had stock for years. The semi-custom AMD chip they're using likely needed a minimum order of millions of units.
I just want the controller with trackpads and back buttons.
I have the first generation, and once I learned how to properly use it and set up the pads and gyro, it quickly became one of my favorite controllers of all time.
I hope this next one will be even better.
Yes this. 100%
I'm pretty sure they're going to wait to release the controller alongside the Steam Machine.
Unfortunately that would mean that if RAM/etc prices cause a Machine delay, we'll probably see the controller get delayed as well.
Same for me! I'm waiting on the new controller.
If I were wealthy, I'd be all about the Frame and Machine as well, but at a minimum, I'd love to have the controllers assuming they live up to my expectations, which as this point are basically, does it work and does the battery last more than a year or two?
Looks like they’re using standard rechargeable AAs, so very replaceable.
Oh, I hadn't even noticed that. That's one thing I like about the XBox controller I have, takes standard batteries. The playstation controllers, though, those have built-in batteries with about a 2 year lifespan as best I can tell, which SUCKS. Thanks for pointing that out!
I think otacon239 is remembering the controllers for the Steam Frame, which have an AA each
The Steam Controller was listed as an ~8Wh Li-ion
That's what I was thinking (i.e. rechargeable battery not AA), but I wasn't 100% sure. Either way, I'm in the market for a new controller and Steam seems to be working on a great option that ticks all the right boxes for me as long as the price is reasonable enough. It kind of has an Xbox form factor but the more symmetrical d-pad / analog stick placement of a PS controller, so best of both worlds in my opinion.
Same bro!!
I really want the Frame. The Index is one tech and cords suck. Oculus actually did a lot of things right but I just can't justify throwing my money at Meta...
I don't think the RAM prices are going to go back down again any time soon. So there wouldn't be any point in waiting.
I can imagine RAM scavengers marauding the wastelands.
When they find my "old electronics" drawer, it'll be a goldmine of ddr2/3 ram
But they might be able to make a similarly powered device with older style ram, it would take a significant re-work though, one that would delay release.
So this basically confirms they didn't go that route.
Using DDR4 would probably break support for suspend / resume functionality. I remember reading the speed from DDR5 was what allowed it to function so well.
i NEED that new controller.
Im really excited for the steam frame. Never had a vr headset personally but have tried it out a few times before with friends and the steam frame is the perfect mix between running linux, being from a company that i trust(more than others) and having the ability to obtain games.... lets say from "less trusted sources". But if some steam games run on it ill actually be buying some that tickle my fancy.
SteamVR/OpenXR has been a standard for a long time, so pretty much all headsets can work on the platform (and by extension, there are plenty of vr games that run both on Steam and off of steam using the standard, such as the Vivecraft Minecraft Java edition mod :D). As a happy Valve Index owner for several years I am definitely looking forward to upgrading to the Steam Frame and selling my old headset, although I'm not sure when that'll make sense for me personally (since the index still works and plays games well).
Oh yeah some recommendations for good VR games:
I just got into VR and I recently tried Ace Combat 7 in VR... Incredible experience once you have the right setup.
As for motion controlled VR games, I tried Asgard's Wrath and was pretty disappointed. Synth Riders is always a good time, and Kayak VR is gorgeous, but I'm struggling to find a game that has gameplay more compelling than "shoot here" and "swing your swords wildly."
Into the Radius and Half Life Alyx would be what you are looking for, along with games like Pavlov VR/Contractors (since you have human opponents).
Also, use PCVR. Avoid Meta's ecosystem (almost all of their games are shallow AF)
I am on PCVR, Asgard's Wrath just happens to be one of Meta's few PCVR games with depth. I just found it to be a slog.
I'm definitely going to play Alyx soon, but I'm too sucked into VR sim racing at the moment. Le Mans Ultimate and Dirt Rally 2.0 keep me on the edge of my seat at all times.
I was interested in Contractors and the CoD Zombies maps that people recreated in them, but I haven't gotten around to buying it yet.
Judging by the reviews Pavlov seem to have sorta died because of removed community mod support?
Pavlov is fine on PCVR, there are plenty of games, lots of community content, and everyone reading this should definitely come play with us right now, today, this weekend, come on down.
That's a shame. Pavlov is one of the few games that supports dynamic foveated rendering (DFR) on AMD graphics through Quad Views. I was hoping to test the performance gains after getting big uplifts from DFR in Kayak VR but I don't really want to buy an online-focused game that's falling off.
It's sorta dead - the TL;DR is that Sony cut a deal with the developer during the PSVR2 launch to create a crossplay port with the PC and PS5 players, and an unfortunate consequence of this was that mods had to abide by Sony's content policies, which nuked steam workshop support from orbit.
It's slowly been gaining more community content ever since (especially since the communities are split in terms of mod policies now and most PC servers are community hosted), but we haven't reached the former glory yet. The core gamemodes and fundamentals are as solid as ever though.
Contractors on the other hand, never had this situation happen, but it is crossplay with Meta Quest users (so graphics aren't the best and you have more squeakers).
I have AC but haven't tried it in VR yet for some reason.
But to add to the (space) flying game category, Eve: Valkyrie is pretty fun for a quick thrill
Ah thanks. I also meant how its a good standalone console in my comment. I tried out beatsaber once for example and i liked it a lot(which is not surprising as i like rythm games) and an apk of that should run on the steam frame and if they release an arm version of it on steam thats even better. Alsl thx for the recommendations ill definitely try them out.
I highly doubt it's going to be an upgrade to the Index, or at least I hope it isn't. That device is the ultimate premium gaming option, if you can afford it and have the space. I'm assuming this device is going to be targeting a more affordable price. The Index did well for the price, but it didn't sell crazy numbers because it was $1k on top of needing a $2-3k PC. If they actually want to finally push VR, it needs to be much cheaper.
This has been a big reason that I like the Steam Deck that nobody talks about. Which is probably a good thing! It's also led me to get legit games on Steam I otherwise wouldn't have.
My CV1 died a few weeks ago. I fancy the Steam Frame, but I'll wait for release before deciding. I hate Meta, but do I hate them for several times the price of a Quest...
Depending on when they inked their contracts, they may have locked in favorable RAM prices last year
This is what I've been theorizing and hoping would be the case, and I feel like valve deserves a W like that coming in hot when gamers need it most.
I can't imagine they would announce/launch something without having at least a couple years locked in.
Problem is there's been reports about memory providers cancelling contracts, as the premium AI companies will pay is far higher than breaking the current contracts.
Ugh, that is bonkers.
Exciting! We are in early 2026 already.
I figured the announcement for preorders would have been two or three weeks ago. We will see I suppose.
Im guessing end of march
I recently dreamed it's going to be April 1st which was like tomorrow. I was a bit disappointed when I woke up and realised it was not even February yet 🤣
Hey it's been a long year
Feels like it's been 2026 for years already. Can't bear the thought of there being even more of it.
Less than a day later, and Steam already announced the opposite.
I'm laughing so hard at this. It's like they're beefing.
They probably are internally, steam doesn't want to have to deal with unnecessary missed expectations just because a partner talked about stuff they obviously have no knowledge of.
checks calendar
Are they aware we are rapidly running out of time to make an "early 2026" release date?
Valve just announced they're still targeting a release in the first half of 2026, but they don't know when and it's uncertain due to component pricing.
There's a dedicated post about it in this community that went up a couple hours ago.
I could agree that first half is earlier than second half, but feel its a misuse of the spirit of the word early.
My only complaint so far is I wish they called it the Steam Engine
Steam Machine is better for SEO I imagine
Steam engine has nothing to do with hardware
Pricing or frig off lahey!
I have a buddy who wants to play Nioh 3 but has problems spending money. This could be his solution but… not if it’s like $1200+
Despite what everyone says, it's probably not going to be cheaper than building your own system, especially since building your own you can skip stuff you don't need and prioritize parts you really want. This just has whatever it has. You don't get to pick and choose. At best, it's going to be about the same price as if you purchased the hardware yourself.
It will be less effort though, so there's that.
I think price estimates are somewhere sub $600. That's all just speculation though.
If its even close to build it yourself the opportunity cost of doing it yourself should be considered. Turn key operation is good.
Yeah, it's something everyone has to consider. That can't really be compared though. It's different for everyone. I think there's also an opportunity cost to buying pre-built to. You won't have as good of an understanding of your hardware.
As I already have a Playstation 5 for demanding games (and my kids playing Fortnite and Roblox sadly) and a Steam Deck for less demanding games, I really don’t know for sure if I’m gonna get a Steam Machine.
Its price and the way it integrates with my Steam Deck might be a deciding factor.
To be honest, I’m quite happy it isn’t out yet as it’s pushing my FOMO away.
I guess the wise decision would be to buy every game on Playstation physical, sell them and buy them again on Steam Machine 2 instead of getting a Playstation 6. Espace especially because I’m only using the Playstation for racing games (too demanding for the Deck) or exclusives..
That makes sense. I sometimes forget that not everyone shares my deep burning despise for Sony...yet.
Anyway, it'll be good to have a better option when the Playstation 6 does whatever bullshit Sony pulls out of their asses next.
What made you despise Sony? I’ve had a good experience over 5 Playstation generations so far. I would just hope they don’t end up having a monopoly over the console market (exc’uding Nintendo). That’s why I’m happy about the Steam Machine.
I guess the disappearance of a physical Bluray player is gonna make me jump to 100% Linux gaming soon anyway.
Not op, but I'd like to provide a "why i hate Sony story": they installed a rootkit on my computer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_BMG_copy_protection_rootkit_scandal
21 years is a pretty good stretch to hold onto that grudge. Good work.
Hahaha! Thank you!
I agree, of course.
I thought time might cool it, but no. It's still as enraging today to remember.
Exactly the link I was going to search for!
Those fuckers at Sony made me wipe and rebuild my PC, for the "crime" of listening to one of their fucking CDs at my desk one time.
(Sony's virus caused all kinds of bugs, and then people who didn't wipe and rebuild immediately were getting infected by worse viruses within a few days, because Sony's virus fucked up the PCs defenses so badly.)
I figured I would be less pissed this long later, but I'm not.
Fuck Sony. I'm mad just thinking about it long enough to post this confirmation.
That is what did it, for me. Fuck Sony.
Did I mention "fuck Sony"? Fuck Sony. Bunch of virus writing assholes.
One good thing if you purchase this and ditch the PS is you don't have to pay for a membership, which is insane that console players still put up with that. A quick search (without actually checking if it's correct) is that it's $160 per year, on top of what you're paying for your internet. The Steam Machine would pay for itself in just a few years, even with no other advantages.
I don’t have the Playstation plus anymore but I never payed above 70$ and got a lot of free games with it.
Still, it wasn’t worth it to me as I mostly play single player games except some racing sims..
I have to be pedantic, but I always hate it when people say "free" for something they paid for. It's included in the price, not free.
I guess you’re right and you could also say that I didn’t really own these games since I can’t play them anymore because I don’t have PSPlus anymore.
Owning a steam deck and a gaming PC, the deck integration is amazing. The cross saves just work and I’ve had no problem, even when I have a save conflict.
I hope it does well but at current I'm not buying anything new
Yes but when!
Early 2026! Which since we are already halfway through the first quarter of the year, that means it's only like 4 years away in Valve Time.
I would really have to sit and have a long hard think about what my price ceiling is for any of the new Steam lineup. I know I have a maximum price I’m willing to pay but I only have a hazy idea of what that might be.
Isn't that what BigScreen mode essentially is? Never actually seen the actual OS.
BigScreen mode even lets you sleep the computer from within it, and when you turn it back on, you're already in it.
Big picture doesnt have the consistent expectation of everything working right when you update your everything else. Apples to oranges.
Why though? What's wrong with the myriad of other options that do basically the same thing?
I feel like Valve isn't really interested in releasing it as a general desktop os. As they don't want to support it outside some pre-configured devices. If so, I think you can wait a long time.
I'm really dubitating between a steam machine or a framework desktop, which will he a bit more money but more powerful.
I would think the framework would be somewhere around twice the price per performance but we won't know until release.
Seems like if you're leaning framework a self build makes more sense. I don't see the value proposition of a framework desktop if you're technically literate enough to be on lemmy.
I am leaning to the framework over self built because I like the power efficiency and want to support a company that I believe in. Also I refuse to give NVIDIA any money even if its indirectly by purchasing a used gpu.
Just remember the framework doesn't have a pcie slot long enough for a graphics upgrade down the road, it's only 4.0x4
It's not a particular support worthy company IMO https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/14/framework_linux_controversy/
If you want the devices for technical reasons, sure, but from moral standpoint they aren't better than the next tech company.
AMD and Intel offer quite nice GPUs.
I recently purchased a Radeon RX 9060 XT with 16 GB RAM. It does the job.
I love framework computers, but unless you're working with LLMs and can leverage the high VRAM, you're better off building your own desktop if you're comfortable. The desktop represents a very specific niche, and the repairability of a traditional ITX desktop handedly beats that of the framework desktop.
If you don't have a strong preference, at least chose the one which will have more support. Choose the Gabe Cube
Apparently Framework have been sponsoring some projects run by alt-right grifters lately fyi
Wha for link?
Here's the comment/thread where I learned about it: https://programming.dev/comment/21880176
Framework has done several shoutouts to Omarchy and DHH in official marketing material and is actively sponsoring HYPRLAND with money
Umh, I'm out of the loop, what's wrong with hyprland?
Evidence?
Here's the comment/thread where I learned about it: https://programming.dev/comment/21880176
Framework has done several shoutouts to Omarchy and DHH in official marketing material and is actively sponsoring HYPRLAND with money
Please don't spread misinformation with no context.
He's referring to this: https://community.frame.work/t/framework-supporting-far-right-racists/75986
tl;dr Framework is sponsoring Omarchy, created by DHH, who is a right-wing conspiracy nut. Framework says "Yup, we want to create a big tent."
https://frame.work/gb/en/blog/framework-sponsorships show me the sponsorship.
The rabid techno-elitism and boycotting of anything that is in the same air space as some bad actors is completely counter-productive and paradoxically invites more bad actors to invade and take control. To bring up the old nazi bar analogy - you don't leave the bar to the nazis, you kick them out. But instead what is happening is completely bass-ackwards - perfectly capable tools are being left to the bad actors and giving them a platform to take over.
Don't leave the tools - instead embrace them, wield them against those who would happily do that against you. Build a strong userbase and drive nuts out until the bad actors have no power and no control. You think we just left the enigma machine to the nazis and said "ew"? You think the resistance just left MP40s on the ground and didn't wield them against their oppressors? That's no path to survival.
In a time when the world is burning up and drowning in waste, Framework actually is doing something good for sustainability and repairability; but instead of focusing on dozens of actual sponsorships that contribute to actual good, some people rabidly focus on the one asshole and try to change the narrative and erase any goodwill. Omarchy isn't even listed on the sponsorship list - AFAIK FW sent him one machine and that's it. We don't have the luxury to turn our nose and go somewhere else - this is our bar, fight for it and stop encouraging good patrons from leaving. Because the silence left behind will be happily filled with nazi rhetoric.
Except they're not kicking these assholes out. Framework are giving them free advertising and even sponsorship money.
Framework claims to be making a "big tent", but if you do that you need to silently tolerate the shitty actors, not actively support them unprompted
I didn't say anything about supporting them. The hysteria is unwarranted
You're clearly intentionally arguing in bad faith if this is your response.
Ta ta, you're not worth bothering with anymore. Go lie to someone else
Here's the comment/thread where I learned about it: https://programming.dev/comment/21880176
Framework has done several shoutouts to Omarchy and DHH in official marketing material and is actively sponsoring HYPRLAND with money
Not gonna happen, Valve are already revising price and release dates.
Gabe could afford to eat the price spikes of the components and sell a reasonably priced machine.
But he won't.
Credit where credit's due, Valve did that for the Steam Deck's entry pricing. Although the danger for the Steam Machine would be potential abuse for massive orders (at Valve's expense) for things like call centers and offices rather than individuals.
People keep saying this, but Valve could easily prevent companies buying up Steam Machines simply by limiting purchases to a X amount per account. If they are worried about people creating burner accounts just to purchase Steam hardware, they could require the accounts to be a certain age or a minimum amount spent on Steam. Not saying they will or should do this, but they could.
That's a really interesting idea to give preference to existing steam users with a legitimate history.
Not even that. Since it's just a PC, regular consumers can buy them without ever using Steam.
That's actually the same case with the Steam Deck, apart from the hardware form factor.
Sure, but the hardware form factor is a big reason why it doesn't happen on a large scale with the steam deck
That'd be anticompetitive and would be used against them in lawsuits. By Epic, who use anticompetitive exclusivity agreements & subsidise giveaways, but aren't in a dominant market position so it's totally not hypocritical.
I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not (Poe's Law, and all) so just to be safe I'll remark that releasing a product at an affordable cost is the opposite of anti competitive.
I am not a lawyer, but as far as I know that's actually incorrect, selling a product below cost is considered predatory dumping, as it means literally nobody can afford to compete with you on anything resembling a level playing field. How is any competitor supposed to release a competing product when Gabe is using his own financial resources for "eating the price spikes". Unless you have your own financial resources or massive speculative investment, you cannot also "eat the price spikes" so your own products will have to be priced at realistic levels so that it is something that actually earns you some level of profit in order for your business to continue and grow, and thus those products will be far more expensive than Valve's subsidized product, and thus, you probably won't sell any unless you have some significant further advantage, which you shouldn't need to have in order to simply compete with the market leader. That's a clear barrier to entry, and is the definition of anti-competitive.
Usually, this would be done to lock the subsidized buyers into a particular ecosystem, or even just to bundle that ecosystem by default (aka illegal bundling, like Microsoft did for years) from which additional profit can later be expected. In Valve's case, this would be Steam, and it pretty clearly would profit them in the long run, and this strategy also keeping all competitors out by dumping hardware below cost, thus abusing their Steam distribution monopoly to fund a second monopoly on the Steam Machines market to maintain their first monopoly. That's literally what antitrust laws were designed for. Just because we don't really effectively enforce them anymore I feel like people have started losing sight of what they mean and what they are supposed to be for and I don't think we should just normalize that this is how businesses are supposed to operate.
And that's why Valve probably won't do that. (at least I suspect they won't, based on my view of their history, I have no insider knowledge)
Selling hardware at a loss when you make it up in subscriptions or sales in that ecosystem is incredibly common.
Sony is a prime example of doing this in the same market, they've sold generations of Playstations at an initial loss knowing games sale and subscriptions would make it up, and then eventually they start making a profit on the hardware as well.
It is definitely incredibly common, yes. Like I said, the laws are generally not effectively enforced, and they're also intentionally limited. For some reason, we have decided it is totally acceptable to do that when you don't have a recognized monopoly position, which Sony doesn't in that market. It's very particular, it's very specific, and it's very subjective, which is probably a huge part of why they aren't effectively enforced. Also, companies know all the ways to get around the ways the laws are written if they really want to.
We still don't really follow them even when the laws probably do apply though, it's just vestigial at this point. We're supposed to believe the antitrust laws were only meant for those old, bad monopolies like Standard Oil and Ma Bell. We don't really have monopolies like that anymore, all our monopolies are the good kind of monopolies that don't harm society, or they're not monopolies at all, they're coordinating oligopolies that constantly partner with and all own chunks of each other, which means they're also perfectly fine and not any kind of bad monopoly at all.
I didn't write the laws, there are lots of things about them that I think could be vastly improved. But I do agree with their intent, and we shouldn't forget what their intent is, just because our current financial and political environment is not interested in them.
I'm not a lawyer either, but I think you're missing some aspect of intent that would be required to make it against the law.
Rivian for example was (is?) selling their cars at a negative gross margin because they couldn't sell them for a profit for years. If you can't sell something at a loss, so many businesses would be breaking the law when they start out, maybe legitimately almost every single business. (edit: your stance would make Rivian be forced to sell cars for prices no one would pay)
If the intent was to destroy another company by doing it, then that could fall under anti-competitive laws. In this case, the intent isn't to destroy other hardware, it would be to help stabalize the ridiculous increase in prices knowing they could make it up in game sales.
Also, like, I'm not sure it holds up when thinking about FOSS. Is Nextcloud anti competitive against Microsoft because you can self host the software for free?
That makes a lot of sense, thanks for explaining it.
Selling products below cost is legally anticompetitive behavior. Anticompetitive behavior is only illegal for monopolists, which Valve aren't. But they have been accused and sued, part of why those suits haven't lead to them being declared a monopoly is because they don't engage in enough anticompetitive practices. So adding anticompetitive practices would be extremely risky for Valve.
Usually when you think of something being anti-competitive, it's because it's bad for consumers. But you can also be anti-competitive by doing things that are appealing to consumers in the short term (like selling a product at a loss) but help ensure market domination for the longer term.
Valve's position here is tricky, the steam machine would have a small marketshare compared to consoles, but as a PC it could be considered furthering Valve's PC game "monopoly".
Look, Gabe needs another yacht, OK?