The Steam Machine wasn't the only new hardware that Valve has announced. It also unveiled a new Steam Controller, and a new VR gaming headset called Steam Frame.
The new Steam Controller may look odd at first glance, due to the presence of the 2 trackpads on the front, which make it seem like the thumb sticks are placed higher. But Valve says it makes for a comfortable form-factor. You have the usual ABXY buttons, the D-pad, L & R analog triggers, L & R bumpers, View & Menu buttons, Steam & QAM buttons. There are 4 grip buttons on the back.
The Steam Controller is compatible with any device that supports Steam or Steam Link, so you can use it with your PC, Mac, Linux, Steam Machine, Steam Deck or other handhelds. It can play games that weren't designed to be played with gamepads, and these 34.5mm trackpads let you play mouse and keyboard games, and offers precision in FPS games. The controller's thumb sticks are magnetic (TMR technology) and have capacitive touch sensors for motion controls.
These sensors are also available on the back of the controller, which are used for the gyro (6-axis IMU
The Steam Button that acts as the shortcut to your library, store, game controls, settings, and also as the gamepad's power button. The Quick Access Menu button lets you access notifications, friends list, Steam Chat, and more. You can press and hold it for more shortcuts. The game pad supports Steam Input, Steam Chord Shortcuts (combo of buttons), and Custom Bindings. The Steam Controller supports gameplay via Bluetooth (4.2 or above) and a wired connection via a USB-C port.
Valve says that the 8.39 Wh Li-ion battery
The Steam Controller measures 111mm x 159mm x 57mm and weighs 292g. The Puck weighs 16g and is 50mm x 28mm x 9mm in size. You can learn more about the gamepad here, or watch the official announcement.
The Steam Frame is a VR device, a headset/mini-PC that runs on SteamOS. It comes with a wireless adapter that uses Wi-Fi 6 to stream all your games from your Steam Library, whether they are designed for virtual reality or not. The Steam Frame also has a microSD card slot to store your games. The device has pancake lenses with 2160 x 2160 LCD panels, one per eye. The Optics support refresh rates from 72-144Hz. The headset uses camera-based tracking thanks to four high-resolution, monochrome cameras, and infrared LEDs on the outside for dark environments.
The Steam Frame is powered by a 4 nm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 ARM64 processor (yes SteamOS supports ARM). It has 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and comes in 2 storage options 256GB/1TB. The headset has a 21.6 Wh Li-ion battery, which supports 4%W fast charging via a USB-C 2.0 port. The Steam Frame supports Wi-Fi 7 2x2, has dual radios for concurrent 5Ghz Wi-Fi and 6Ghz VR streaming, Bluetooth 5.3, has dual speaker drivers per ear and a dual microphone array. The device weighs 440g and measures 175mm x 95mm x 110mm.
The Steam Frame controllers have a D-pad, ABXY, thumbsticks, triggers, and bumpers, and are powered by a single AA battery (1 for each). The headset comes with a Steam Frame controller, you can also use the new Steam Controller with it.
Here's the announcement video on YouTube, and the store listing for Steam Frame.
Valve has not revealed the price of the new Steam Controller, Steam Machine or the Steam Frame. All three devices are expected to be launched in early 2026.
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