WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.839 Valve dropped three absolute bombs today. The Steam Frame standalone VR 00:00:04.560 --> 00:00:10.800 headset. That's going to have to be a separate video. But this one focusing on 00:00:07.680 --> 00:00:14.160 the new Steam Machine and yes, the wait 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:15.839 is finally over, the 2026 edition Steam 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:19.840 Controller. Let's start with a little history. Over 10 years ago, Valve 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:23.840 announced their first version of Steam OS, a Linux- based operating system that 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:30.160 would free gamers from the shackles of Microsoft Windows. No, it was a total 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:32.320 commercial flop. But instead of giving 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:36.320 up on Steam machines, Valve doubled down, working with game developers on 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:40.320 Linux native ports of their games and with open- source developers on the 00:00:38.160 --> 00:00:44.000 Proton compatibility layer that makes their Steam Deck handheld out of the box 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:47.680 compatible with thousands of Steam games, even ones that only ever shipped 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:51.200 on Windows. The Steam Deck is believed to have sold millions of units at this 00:00:49.440 --> 00:00:55.680 point. And no wonder given its great balance of solid gaming and outstanding 00:00:53.440 --> 00:01:00.879 affordability. But its mobile form factor has given it certain limitations 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:07.119 and left gamers hungry for something more substantial. And well, here it is. 00:01:04.479 --> 00:01:12.000 I'm calling it the lunchbox. One, because it's substantial, like lunch. 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:17.600 Two, because it's cube- shaped like a box. And three, because I think this 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:18.960 thing is going to eat Xbox's lunch. 00:01:17.600 --> 00:01:23.119 Okay, that last one was a bit of a reach, but not as far as I'm reaching 00:01:20.880 --> 00:01:27.115 for this segue to our sponsor. 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:29.790 >> Hold up. [music] 00:01:27.770 --> 00:01:35.520 [singing] They're easy to move and they're easy to 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:37.596 use and super comfy. But I got a little 00:01:35.520 --> 00:01:41.479 friend know now. A guy has got [singing and music] to cate somehow. 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:56.159 In what has become typical Valve fashion, they've been atypically open 00:01:54.320 --> 00:02:00.640 about the new Steam Machine, giving us direct access to the engineering folks 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:03.920 who worked on these devices. The only thing I didn't have today was time, so 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:11.120 we're going to get through this as fast as we can. At the heart of the Steam Machine is a six core AMD Zen 4-based 00:02:08.239 --> 00:02:17.840 CPU that turbos up to 4.8 8 GHz with 16 gigs of RAM and an 8 gig GPU that they 00:02:13.920 --> 00:02:19.599 compared to a 7600 XTish, but they were 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:24.000 also quick to point out that it might not be apples to apples thanks to their 00:02:21.760 --> 00:02:28.879 custom software stack and power tuning. Basically, the goal was that pretty much 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:30.239 anything on Steam should run at 4K 60fps 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:34.319 if you're willing to turn down the details and use a little bit of FSR 00:02:32.160 --> 00:02:38.400 upscaling. And we saw that on display with Cyberpunk running in the demo room 00:02:36.160 --> 00:02:41.680 at these settings. Valve says to expect about six times the performance of the 00:02:40.239 --> 00:02:46.560 Steam Deck. Now, I was a little surprised to not see an SoC with shared 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:52.080 memory, but apparently the decision to go for discrete CPU and GPU came down to 00:02:49.519 --> 00:02:57.120 balancing cost, power, size, and performance. And also, they just didn't 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:59.680 feel like they needed to. And I guess 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:03.760 Valve was right because they nailed this thing. Compared to a more traditional 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:10.080 ITX small form factor machine like the OG Steam machine reference design, you 00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:12.239 can see that it's a lot smaller, more on 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:15.920 par with a highly integrated design like something like the Framework Desktop. 00:03:13.920 --> 00:03:19.360 Investment disclosure. Like the Framework Desktop, Valve allows 00:03:17.440 --> 00:03:22.879 customization of the front panel using these magnetic plates. And they're going 00:03:21.200 --> 00:03:25.920 to provide the CAD files so you can put whatever your heart desires on here. 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:29.760 They even had a machine in the demo room with an e- in display that was showing 00:03:27.519 --> 00:03:33.200 system vitals. Pretty darn cool. But unlike the framework, it has a 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:37.200 programmable RGB strip in the front that could be used to personalize your style 00:03:35.040 --> 00:03:40.879 or maybe show a progress bar while you switch your TV input and wait for your 00:03:39.200 --> 00:03:45.200 game to be downloaded. The sky's is kind of the limit. The front of the device 00:03:42.480 --> 00:03:49.920 has a power button, micro SD slot, two USB 3 5 Gbit per second ports. Then the 00:03:48.239 --> 00:03:56.080 rest of the IO is in the back where you'll find two USB 2 type A ports, a 00:03:52.799 --> 00:03:57.920 USBC 10 Gbit per second port, no display 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:02.560 port on there. That is worth noting. gigabit Ethernet, power in for the 00:03:59.920 --> 00:04:08.319 integrated power supply. Good gravy, this thing is compact. As well as an 00:04:04.720 --> 00:04:10.640 HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 port. It 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:14.879 is worth noting that HDMI 2.0 port, they have tested it at HDMI 2.1 speeds, but 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:21.759 there are a couple of features that are not implemented, so they can't call it HDMI 2.1. Also at the back, we have a 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:24.160 large 120 mm cooling fan that draws air 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:28.720 from both the intake on the bottom that comes up through the power supply as 00:04:25.919 --> 00:04:32.800 well as the large heat sink on the front. We're going to crack this thing 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:37.520 fully open in a sec, but first I want to talk about the steam controller. No, no, 00:04:35.280 --> 00:04:42.479 not that steam controller. The new one with the exact same name. Before you 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:47.520 ask, yes, I made my case to Valve that this is unnecessarily confusing. No, 00:04:45.280 --> 00:04:51.600 they're not going to change it. The good news is Valve learned a lot from the 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:56.800 first Steam Controller, and this appears to be their most complete offering ever. 00:04:54.960 --> 00:05:00.720 To be fair, the original was really cool. I mean, it made non-controller 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:04.800 games finally playable from the couch thanks to their innovative haptic 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:10.080 touchpad. They also unlocked novel input schemes with gesture control or like 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:14.403 swiping with momentum. But they also turned off a lot of folks due to their 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:20.160 uh [clears throat and snorts] deficiency of traditional joysticks. 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:24.560 Well, that's solved. Now, the Steam controller is everything that is great 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:29.199 about the controller on the Steam Deck, but usable when your Steam Deck is in 00:05:26.880 --> 00:05:34.240 docked mode or with your Steam machine or with any other PC. Investment 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:38.800 disclosure. On the surface, it offers up a conventional ABXY button layout with a 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:42.880 PlayStation style symmetric joystick design that will work seamlessly out of 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:46.880 the box with basically any game. The trackpads have been repositioned to 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:51.280 better accommodate the arm's natural position while holding a smaller device 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:54.880 compared to the wider Steam Deck. And all of the usual Valve buttons are 00:05:52.880 --> 00:05:58.960 included. A Steam button for opening the menu, their quick access button for 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:02.479 bringing up the Steam OS overlay, four rear programmable buttons. The face 00:06:00.880 --> 00:06:05.759 buttons are satisfying with a nice amount of resistance, and the D-pad has 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:10.000 been tuned from the Steam Deck for better feel. It feels okay to me, but I 00:06:08.479 --> 00:06:14.720 only got a couple minutes with it before Valve blew my [music] mind. The 00:06:11.919 --> 00:06:18.960 joysticks are next generation TMR or tunneling magnetoresistant joysticks 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:23.919 boasting superior accuracy and durability even compared to Hall effect 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:28.479 joysticks. And the controller has been designed from the ground up for a 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:33.680 superior gyroscopic aiming or mousing experience with capacitive thumb sticks 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:37.759 and even capacitive grips. So you can configure your gyro to enable or disable 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:43.680 depending on whether you put your thumb on the stick or even by simply loosening 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:48.160 your grip, say to recenter and then reactivate gyroscopic aiming. They had a 00:06:45.840 --> 00:06:54.000 great demo with Bellatro showing how you can use the game's built-in controller 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:56.080 compatibility like a pleb. Or hear me 00:06:54.000 --> 00:07:00.080 out, trackpads with the right for movement and the left one split down the 00:06:57.919 --> 00:07:04.560 middle for left and right click. or hear me out again, gyro mouse using the face 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:09.280 buttons for clicks. And if you don't care about gyro aiming, these capacitive 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:12.479 inputs are all remappable as well, opening up a whole world of 00:07:10.880 --> 00:07:18.000 possibilities. Let's go even deeper. In addition to the 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:21.120 haptic texture-like feedback that you know and love from Valve's previous 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:25.039 touchpads, the Steam Controller has been upgraded with large rumble motors for 00:07:23.199 --> 00:07:28.960 better immersion and a large battery that they claim should be good for 35 00:07:27.039 --> 00:07:32.720 hours in the most demanding applications and even better if you don't need quite 00:07:30.880 --> 00:07:36.400 as much rumble. But I haven't even talked about the best part. If you've 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:43.120 ever gamed over Bluetooth, you know that it can be inconsistent at best. Valve 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:47.039 solution, the puck. Every Steam controller comes with a wireless dongle 00:07:45.039 --> 00:07:50.880 that clips magnetically to the Steam Controller using a couple of nice strong 00:07:48.960 --> 00:07:55.520 alignment magnets. And it uses a proprietary 2.4 GHz wireless interface 00:07:53.440 --> 00:08:00.479 that Valve claims is good for about 8 milliseconds endto-end latency and 00:07:58.400 --> 00:08:05.280 offers up superior resiliency when you're using multiple controllers. It 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:10.160 allows four controllers per puck. Though that's not as good as the Xbox dongle, 00:08:07.280 --> 00:08:15.120 which can do eight, but Valve has tested up to four pucks on a single system for 00:08:12.400 --> 00:08:17.919 a maximum of 16 players, meaning that you're probably going to run out of 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:24.400 seats on your couch before you run out of controller compatibility. The last 00:08:21.280 --> 00:08:26.639 chef kiss on top is an IR emitter that's 00:08:24.400 --> 00:08:30.479 cozied up beside the power LED to help you find your controller when you're in 00:08:27.919 --> 00:08:36.159 VR. I love it. Now, let's get back to the steam machine who uh got naked while 00:08:32.959 --> 00:08:38.000 we were busy. [laughter] Oh, you. While 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:42.560 Valve's goal was to build something that is zero hassle, grabbing game for the 00:08:40.479 --> 00:08:46.800 non-tinkerers, they really were laser focused on a console-like experience 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:50.640 with quick suspend and resume and modern standby so that your games are already 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:55.200 updated when you sit down to play. They also fully acknowledge that there are 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:58.240 folks out there, guilty, who are tinkerers, and they've come up with an 00:08:56.800 --> 00:09:02.640 ingenious design for this thing that allows it to cater to both audiences. in 00:09:00.640 --> 00:09:07.680 advance. No, you're not going to be swapping out the BGA soldered 00:09:04.560 --> 00:09:10.000 processors, but what you can do is 00:09:07.680 --> 00:09:17.360 upgrade the storage with next to no hassle to a 2230 or larger 2280 sized 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:22.959 M.2 drive. And while we couldn't go that deep today, Valve also confirmed that 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:24.959 the memory uses standard sodium slots. 00:09:22.959 --> 00:09:28.959 Finally, while Valve hasn't actually told iFixit that this product is coming 00:09:26.959 --> 00:09:32.160 yet, they did say that they're hoping to continue their partnership that they've 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:36.480 had on the Steam Deck making replacement parts available for end users. Awesome. 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:42.480 Since we're in here, by the way, there are some really cool details that I'd love to highlight. The power supply, for 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:46.240 one thing, is fully integrated to the point where it's actually part of the 00:09:43.839 --> 00:09:50.080 chassis and the cooling solution pulls air directly through it, which avoids 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:53.839 any need for it to have its own fan. The aforementioned Delta cooling fan is 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:58.959 actually slightly thicker than the standard 25mm for extrastatic pressure 00:09:56.560 --> 00:10:04.959 and it includes antenna mounts that are integrated into it along with IO mounts. 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:08.160 Cool, right? Oh, this is actually a great look at the four antennas. So, 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:12.160 this is the back of the device where you have your two antennas for Wi-Fi 6E. 00:10:10.800 --> 00:10:18.240 Then, if we flip it around to the front, we've got one antenna for Bluetooth peripherals and another one that is 00:10:15.839 --> 00:10:21.519 dedicated to your Steam controller or controllers. So that puck that's 00:10:20.079 --> 00:10:25.440 included with your controller is actually extra and you could chuck it on 00:10:23.279 --> 00:10:29.600 another PC or next to your couch for charging. A major question mark though 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:33.519 is of course price. Valve wasn't able to give any specific numbers due to 00:10:32.082 --> 00:10:37.200 [clears throat] rapidly evolving market conditions. But they will obviously have 00:10:35.680 --> 00:10:42.399 it nailed down when the Steam Machine launches in Q1 2026 alongside the new 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:46.160 Steam Controller. They did give me one hint though. They said that while they 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:51.360 expect it to be very competitively priced with a PC, that it will be priced 00:10:48.959 --> 00:10:55.839 like a PC rather than like a console with games subsidizing the upfront 00:10:53.760 --> 00:10:59.920 hardware purchase. They wouldn't say why, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's 00:10:57.920 --> 00:11:04.079 partially to avoid stepping on the margin opportunities of their potential 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:08.000 partners for Steam games and Steam software, but also because they 00:11:05.760 --> 00:11:13.680 recognize that the Steam machine is a full-fledged PC capable of being used as 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:18.640 a full-fledged PC. There's no guarantee then that uh say a corporate purchase of 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:22.800 10,000 of these things would result in a single game sale. So they really do need 00:11:20.800 --> 00:11:27.920 to protect the sustainability of their hardware business. Another major 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:31.839 question mark is where the heck is standalone Steam OS for custom PC 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:36.000 builders? Well, we aren't going to get a formal 00:11:33.760 --> 00:11:40.800 Steam OS release for BYO hardware configurations anytime soon, but Valve 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:44.800 has expanded the list of supported thirdparty devices, and they have 00:11:43.040 --> 00:11:50.079 supported installing the Steam Deck recovery image on AMD CPU and GPU 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:56.480 systems for some time and recently updated it to support their latest Zen 5 00:11:52.560 --> 00:11:58.160 and RDNA4 architecture processors. So, 00:11:56.480 --> 00:12:01.680 nothing prevents you from building your own Steam Machine and installing the 00:11:59.839 --> 00:12:07.440 software for free. though you will miss out on some things. HDMI CEC control for 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:11.519 instance um required Valve to build a custom motherboard in order to have your 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:17.200 you know computer turn on alongside your AV receiver and to get that on a BYO PC 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:21.200 would require some serious cooperation between hardware makers that uh I 00:12:20.158 --> 00:12:25.200 [snorts] don't know if we should hold our breath for but the bulk of the 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:28.959 experience should work pretty much out of the box. We may even get a release 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:32.480 that supports a broader range of hardware in the future. But the vibe I'm 00:12:31.040 --> 00:12:37.519 picking up on around here is that it really depends on better support for 00:12:34.079 --> 00:12:39.279 Intel and especially NVIDIA GPUs. I'm 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:41.760 also picking up this vibe to our sponsor. 00:12:41.040 --> 00:12:45.920 >> What up? >> Hey man, I got a new couch and I think I 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:48.399 need some help. >> Bro, you know I got some stuff to do 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:55.920 today. >> Come on. It won't take long. >> Okay. He doesn't know it's 00:12:52.253 --> 00:12:57.600 [singing and music] an M1 sofa from Ro. 00:12:55.920 --> 00:13:04.000 Moved it and set it up by [singing] myself. Now [music] I'm watching gra. 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:08.639 I really don't [singing] want to lift a couch right now, but he's 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:13.200 been there [music] for me. And I'm going to find a way to help him somehow. 00:13:11.680 --> 00:13:19.920 Man, you made it, but it's already slow. Man, 00:13:18.160 --> 00:13:25.760 you're the greatest. [music] How did you lift it by yourself? It's made of strong 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:29.680 yet comfortable foam. [music] And it's easy to move anywhere in your 00:13:27.920 --> 00:13:36.399 home. And [singing] so why did you need my help? >> I want you to help [music] me celebrate 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:42.920 because there's a Black Friday sale and everything [music] 60% off. 00:13:39.920 --> 00:13:42.920 Brother, 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:50.639 I tried to get through everything, but I only had about 4 hours to get briefed on 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:54.399 everything right and film. So, my apologies. Now, assuming that that one's 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:58.639 up yet, go check out the video on the Steam Frame VR headset because it's a 00:13:56.399 --> 00:14:04.720 game changer. It's a big deal. Please make it clear 00:14:00.959 --> 00:14:04.720 that this is not a real product.