Steam Machines

Steam Machines are a discontinued family of small form factor gaming computers, designed to run SteamOS and the digital Steam storefront, and provide a home game console-like experience. They were developed by Valve in collaboration with several computer vendors who were engaged with Valve to develop their own computers for retail, offering additional options atop Valve's requirements such as dual-booting options with Windows and the ability to upgrade the computer. To support Steam Machines and SteamOS, Valve released the Steam Controller, a customizable game controller with touchpad-based haptic feedback, and the Steam Link, a device that allowed consumers with Steam software to stream content to a monitor. Following a two-year testing period, Steam Machines and its related hardware were released on November 10, 2015. The Steam Machine idea was not considered successful, with the line being discontinued by 2018. Valve identified the lack of their own hardware, and the restriction of Linux-native games as fatal flaws. Since then, Valve has developed the Proton emulation layer to run most Windows games on Linux without modification, and released the handheld Steam Deck Linux gaming computer in 2022, which featured this capability. Valve in November 2025 announced a new, singular iteration of the Steam Machine alongside a new slate of other gaming hardware, with the first units released in June 2026.