Valve's new Steam Machine is a gaming PC that thinks it is a console

Dubai: Valve is taking on PlayStation and Xbox with a brand-new living room console and it's happening before GTA 6 even launches. Ten years ago Valve launched its original Steam Machine and now, after a decade, it's launching a new... surprise-surprise... Steam Machine.

The new Steam Machine is a compact 6-inch cube that looks like someone cut an Xbox Series X in half. It's boxy, modern, and according to the leaked trailers, the front panel is swappable and it is customisable. Think of it as a far more powerful version of the Steam Deck, but one that lives permanently under your TV.

What makes it special?

Unlike traditional consoles, the Steam Machine runs on SteamOS, Valve's Linux-based operating system, instead of Windows. Gamers say this actually makes games run better than on Windows itself. The system uses a clever compatibility layer called Proton that tricks Windows games into thinking they're running on Windows, translating everything behind the scenes.

If that sounds dodgy, consider this: the Steam Deck has dramatically outsold Windows' handhelds through word of mouth alone, because it just works better. Many lapsed gamers say the Steam Deck brought them back to gaming.

"The Steam Machine has the ability to keep all your software, your OS, your games, and your cloud saves updated in the background," says Valve hardware engineer Yazan Aldehayyat in an interview with The Verge. "So the games are always ready for you to play."

The power inside

Under the hood, there are two AMD chips working together with 16GB of RAM. The CPU is a six-core AMD Zen 4 chip, while the graphics come from a custom AMD RDNA 3 GPU. Valve claims it's six times more powerful than the Steam Deck, with performance close to a PS5 or Xbox Series X.

The cooling system is impressive too. Aldehayyat jokes they've spent more time on computational fluid dynamics than an F1 team does in a year, all to keep that 120mm fan whisper-quiet.

Connection-wise, you get twin display outputs (HDMI and DisplayPort), four USB ports, USB-C, and Gigabit Ethernet. You can even install Windows if you really want to, though most people probably won't bother.

It's all about the ecosystem

Some gamers have complained about the specs, but they're missing the point. Valve isn't trying to build the most powerful gaming PC, they're somewhat building an Apple-style ecosystem. Your Steam Frame headset, Steam Deck handheld, and Steam Machine all work together seamlessly out of the box.

You can stream games between devices, they share controller designs and game libraries, and everything is designed to just work without fiddling. For people who don't want to assemble their own gaming PC or troubleshoot compatibility issues, that's huge.

One Reddit user summed it up: "Feels like an entry-level gaming PC for people who want to get a gaming setup but can't assemble their own and can't really spend much cash."

The catch

The Steam Machine isn't upgradable beyond the storage and possibly the RAM. And it'll need regular updates as PC gaming moves fast, and this 2026 design won't stay competitive for long.

But if Valve prices it between the Xbox Series S and Series X (somewhere around Dh3,500 or less), it could be a solid option for console gamers wanting to dip into PC gaming without the hassle.

Is it a threat to Microsoft?

The Steam Machine will ship in early 2026 in every region where the Steam Deck is sold today. It represents real competition for Microsoft's next-gen Xbox plans and puts pressure on them to perfect their Windows-Xbox combination.

Valve failed at this a decade ago because developers had to port games to Linux. Now, with Proton making Windows games run seamlessly on SteamOS, the company might finally pull it off.

The writer is a trainee at Gulf News.