Steam Machine might soon follow the Steam Controller as Valve reportedly receives “Game Consoles” shipments
We’re just a few days away from the Steam Controller release date on May 4, which is arriving ahead of Valve’s other 2026 hardware, the Steam Machine and Steam Frame. However, we just got another clue as to how long it will take for the former to arrive. A well-known leaker says that Valve has been receiving ‘a ton’ of hardware that could be the Steam Machine.
While many people may have expected them to launch as a trio, memory shortages continue to affect the Machine and Frame, causing setbacks. The Steam Controller has no RAM inside it, so it’s relieved of that particular issue. Valve recently revealed that it wasn’t “really ever the plan” to release them all at the same time – though it would have been nice to do so.
More clues for the pending Steam Machine launch
According to Brad Lynch, a valuable source of insider Valve knowledge, the company has had a considerable amount of “Game Consoles” shipments sent to its U.S. distribution warehouse recently. While the terminology is a little vague, everything seems to suggest that the Steam Machine launch isn’t too far away.
It’s worth noting that Lynch also broke the news of the “first large quantity” of Steam Controller shipments in mid-April, before Valve went up to officially confirm its release date. If the shipping process is similar for the Steam Machine, we may hear something official from Valve in just a few weeks’ time.
Another clue comes from the new SteamOS 3.8.3 Beta, released a little more than 12 hours ago. In the patch notes, Valve says it has added “even more” support for the Steam Machine. Initial support for the system was added in version 3.8.0 in March.
New in 3.8.3
- Fixed a regression causing the Steam on-screen keyboard in desktop mode to produce the wrong keys in certain IME modes
- Substantially improved speed of future OS updates on high-speed connections
- Added missing graphics features needed for titles such as “Crimson Desert”
- Fixed a regression causing crashes in certain titles (such as “Sushi Ben”)
- Fixed multiple regressions causing crashes in desktop mode
- Fixed a regression causing the Steam overlay to malfunction while streaming
- Fixed spurious wake-ups when using a Logitech Bolt receiver
- Improved support for upcoming Steam Controller hardware
- Even more support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware
- Even more security and stability updates
Source: Steam
We suppose you could describe the Steam Frame as a console too, considering the VR headset is expected to have enough onboard power to run Half-Life: Alyx standalone. However, since the SteamOS update specifically mentions Steam Machine support rather than the Frame, which also runs on SteamOS, we imagine that the “Game Consoles” shipments are directly related to the new cubed mini PC, rather than the headset.
