Valve Is Aiming For Its New Steam Machine To Succeed Where The Original Failed

Valve is preparing to launch a new Steam Machine next year, marking the company’s second attempt to bring PC gaming into the living room. Long-time fans may remember the original Steam Machines from 2015—compact gaming PCs that quietly disappeared after disappointing sales. This time, Valve believes the landscape is different, thanks to a stronger game library and tools designed to make development and porting significantly easier.

“We learned from the first Steam Machines that we needed to make things much simpler for developers. That’s where Proton comes in,” Valve engineer Yazan Aldehayyat told Rock Paper Shotgun. “Proton is essentially a compatibility layer that allows Windows games to run smoothly on Linux.”

Engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais added that the key difference now is the game catalog. “We had great ideas last time—simple setup, booting straight into games, installing titles without dealing with drivers or cleanup—but we didn’t have a truly compelling library,” he explained. Valve’s current efforts focus on ensuring developers feel confident their games will run well on the new hardware and reach a meaningful audience.

In another interview, Griffais noted that Valve wants to make PC gaming “work better” in a living room environment—an area traditionally dominated by consoles. This includes reliable performance, seamless navigation on a TV, and easy access to games without the complexities often associated with desktop PCs.

The updated Steam Machine is planned for a 2026 release, launching alongside the new Steam Controller and the Steam Frame VR headset. Pricing has not yet been revealed, though Valve says affordability is a priority. According to one industry analyst, the ideal target price could be around $400.

The Best PC Games To Play In 2025