Nearly two weeks have passed since Valve announced its brand-new range of Steam-branded hardware. Three new products are scheduled for early 2026: the Steam Machine mini PC, the second-generation Steam Controller, and Valve’s latest VR headset, the Steam Frame. We sensed that the Steam Machine is the most talked about online, and our recent reader poll backs that up.

You may define the Steam Machine as a home console, given its small form factor (the cube has already spawned a custom Companion Cube model) and console-like experience on Valve’s custom operating system, SteamOS. However, it’s still a PC after all, running on a Linux-based OS with the freedom to install anything you like on it, including Windows.

Nearly 40% of respondents are most interested in the Steam Machine

Based on our poll, at the time of writing, against almost 750 votes, 39% of readers are most interested in the Steam Machine, while the Steam Frame comes in second, with a quarter (25%) of the vote. Additionally, 18% of respondents intend to “buy all three,” while just 2% are “not interested in any of them”. We’ll keep the poll up and running, so you can contribute if you like.

The biggest question looming over the Steam Machine is its price. Valve has yet to reveal the cost of any of its new hardware, and there has been considerable debate online as to how much it should cost. If the price was already official, then we imagine the results of this poll would look much different – for better or for worse. Most recently, Valve said it will be priced like a PC, not a console, confirming that it will not be subsidized (sold at a loss). This has led some to fear a higher-than-expected price tag.

Anything Valve announces or releases tends to get the internet talking. The company’s Steam Deck handheld, also running SteamOS, has been a massive success, pushing the PC handheld market and drawing competition from the likes of ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, and more. The Deck also helped accelerate the development of SteamOS, and it seems that Valve thinks it’s the right time to release more hardware that ships with SteamOS pre-installed. Steam Frame also works standalone with the custom OS.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.