To be honest, I expected RAM prices would push back the release date. But AMD would know more about than I would.
checks calendar
Are they aware we are rapidly running out of time to make an “early 2026” release date?
Im really excited for the steam frame. Never had a vr headset personally but have tried it out a few times before with friends and the steam frame is the perfect mix between running linux, being from a company that i trust(more than others) and having the ability to obtain games… lets say from “less trusted sources”. But if some steam games run on it ill actually be buying some that tickle my fancy.
My CV1 died a few weeks ago. I fancy the Steam Frame, but I’ll wait for release before deciding. I hate Meta, but do I hate them for several times the price of a Quest…
the ability to obtain games… lets say from “less trusted sources”
This has been a big reason that I like the Steam Deck that nobody talks about. Which is probably a good thing! It’s also led me to get legit games on Steam I otherwise wouldn’t have.
SteamVR/OpenXR has been a standard for a long time, so pretty much all headsets can work on the platform (and by extension, there are plenty of vr games that run both on Steam and off of steam using the standard, such as the Vivecraft Minecraft Java edition mod :D). As a happy Valve Index owner for several years I am definitely looking forward to upgrading to the Steam Frame and selling my old headset, although I’m not sure when that’ll make sense for me personally (since the index still works and plays games well).
Oh yeah some recommendations for good VR games:
- Into the Radius 1 and 2 (STALKER/Metro like experience but VR)
- Half Life Alyx (the one and only)
- Pavlov VR/Contractors (if you like Counterstrike/Battlefield style gameplay)
- VRChat (meeting so many cool people and exploring some crazy worlds)
- Way too many good mods that bring VR gameplay to desktop games (best ones are Vivecraft and SPT VR in my current experience)
I highly doubt it’s going to be an upgrade to the Index, or at least I hope it isn’t. That device is the ultimate premium gaming option, if you can afford it and have the space. I’m assuming this device is going to be targeting a more affordable price. The Index did well for the price, but it didn’t sell crazy numbers because it was $1k on top of needing a $2-3k PC. If they actually want to finally push VR, it needs to be much cheaper.
I just got into VR and I recently tried Ace Combat 7 in VR… Incredible experience once you have the right setup.
As for motion controlled VR games, I tried Asgard’s Wrath and was pretty disappointed. Synth Riders is always a good time, and Kayak VR is gorgeous, but I’m struggling to find a game that has gameplay more compelling than “shoot here” and “swing your swords wildly.”
Into the Radius and Half Life Alyx would be what you are looking for, along with games like Pavlov VR/Contractors (since you have human opponents).
Also, use PCVR. Avoid Meta’s ecosystem (almost all of their games are shallow AF)
I am on PCVR, Asgard’s Wrath just happens to be one of Meta’s few PCVR games with depth. I just found it to be a slog.
I’m definitely going to play Alyx soon, but I’m too sucked into VR sim racing at the moment. Le Mans Ultimate and Dirt Rally 2.0 keep me on the edge of my seat at all times.
I was interested in Contractors and the CoD Zombies maps that people recreated in them, but I haven’t gotten around to buying it yet.
Judging by the reviews Pavlov seem to have sorta died because of removed community mod support?
That’s a shame. Pavlov is one of the few games that supports dynamic foveated rendering (DFR) on AMD graphics through Quad Views. I was hoping to test the performance gains after getting big uplifts from DFR in Kayak VR but I don’t really want to buy an online-focused game that’s falling off.
It’s sorta dead - the TL;DR is that Sony cut a deal with the developer during the PSVR2 launch to create a crossplay port with the PC and PS5 players, and an unfortunate consequence of this was that mods had to abide by Sony’s content policies, which nuked steam workshop support from orbit.
It’s slowly been gaining more community content ever since (especially since the communities are split in terms of mod policies now and most PC servers are community hosted), but we haven’t reached the former glory yet. The core gamemodes and fundamentals are as solid as ever though.
Contractors on the other hand, never had this situation happen, but it is crossplay with Meta Quest users (so graphics aren’t the best and you have more squeakers).
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Ah thanks. I also meant how its a good standalone console in my comment. I tried out beatsaber once for example and i liked it a lot(which is not surprising as i like rythm games) and an apk of that should run on the steam frame and if they release an arm version of it on steam thats even better. Alsl thx for the recommendations ill definitely try them out.
i NEED that new controller.
💉 gimme
I’m really dubitating between a steam machine or a framework desktop, which will he a bit more money but more powerful.
If you don’t have a strong preference, at least chose the one which will have more support. Choose the Gabe Cube
I would think the framework would be somewhere around twice the price per performance but we won’t know until release.
Seems like if you’re leaning framework a self build makes more sense. I don’t see the value proposition of a framework desktop if you’re technically literate enough to be on lemmy.
I am leaning to the framework over self built because I like the power efficiency and want to support a company that I believe in. Also I refuse to give NVIDIA any money even if its indirectly by purchasing a used gpu.
It’s not a particular support worthy company IMO https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/14/framework_linux_controversy/
If you want the devices for technical reasons, sure, but from moral standpoint they aren’t better than the next tech company.
Just remember the framework doesn’t have a pcie slot long enough for a graphics upgrade down the road, it’s only 4.0x4
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AMD and Intel offer quite nice GPUs.
I recently purchased a Radeon RX 9060 XT with 16 GB RAM. It does the job.
I love framework computers, but unless you’re working with LLMs and can leverage the high VRAM, you’re better off building your own desktop if you’re comfortable. The desktop represents a very specific niche, and the repairability of a traditional ITX desktop handedly beats that of the framework desktop.
Apparently Framework have been sponsoring some projects run by alt-right grifters lately fyi
Please don’t spread misinformation with no context.
Wha for link?
Evidence?
I just want the controller with trackpads and back buttons.
Same bro!!
Same for me! I’m waiting on the new controller.
If I were wealthy, I’d be all about the Frame and Machine as well, but at a minimum, I’d love to have the controllers assuming they live up to my expectations, which as this point are basically, does it work and does the battery last more than a year or two?
Looks like they’re using standard rechargeable AAs, so very replaceable.
Oh, I hadn’t even noticed that. That’s one thing I like about the XBox controller I have, takes standard batteries. The playstation controllers, though, those have built-in batteries with about a 2 year lifespan as best I can tell, which SUCKS. Thanks for pointing that out!
I think otacon239 is remembering the controllers for the Steam Frame, which have an AA each
The Steam Controller was listed as an ~8Wh Li-ion
I have the first generation, and once I learned how to properly use it and set up the pads and gyro, it quickly became one of my favorite controllers of all time.
I hope this next one will be even better.
I’m pretty sure they’re going to wait to release the controller alongside the Steam Machine.
Unfortunately that would mean that if RAM/etc prices cause a Machine delay, we’ll probably see the controller get delayed as well.
Yes this. 100%
Depending on when they inked their contracts, they may have locked in favorable RAM prices last year
This is what I’ve been theorizing and hoping would be the case, and I feel like valve deserves a W like that coming in hot when gamers need it most.
I can’t imagine they would announce/launch something without having at least a couple years locked in.
Best case scenario is that they had already secured a RAM deal when the prices went mad, so they can now offer a good price. Even then, it might still be an issue for later batches though.
If they got the deal secured, you bet your table the ordering website is gonna get slammed.
A week after it ships ebay will be full of “steam machine bring your own ram”
Is it upgradeable? I assumed it would be soldered in.
Maybe we’ll see, “Some soldering required,” instead 😂
They explicitly said it has user upgradeable ram. The graphics card is soldered on though. Its basically gaming laptop hardware.
It is, using SODIMMs (Laptop form factor)
Cool, I tried to find the info, but obviously didn’t find that detail. It makes sense, all things considered
Given the proclivities of Valve and their hardware so far, i woud expect the gabecube to not have soldered ram.
Why would it be soldered? It’s not like it’s in a laptop with space constraints.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was soldered on because it shares the RAM with the GPU. That’s pretty common these days, and GPUs want both high performance RAM and low latency. There are solutions to significantly lower the trace lengths between expandable RAM and the CPU/GPU, but the standard never took off.
Have you seen how it looks without the casing? this thing is filled to the brim, whatever space was left has been filled with cooling, it would be complicated to place a standard d6 in there - the whole system is built around the cooling that goes through the middle. but the ram isn’t soldered and i think it’s even placed so you can upgrade it without dismantling the whole thing.
I dunno. There’s probably plenty of examples where companies soldered RAM instead of installing SODIMM slots, even when they had space. I agree that it makes sense, but sense isn’t always a factor when a company starts crunching the production cost numbers.
Considering how repairable the steam deck is, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is upgradable
I’m pretty sure they likely did what they did with the steam LCD, which was order an absolutely insane amount of units that they had stock for years. The semi-custom AMD chip they’re using likely needed a minimum order of millions of units.
I just want the SteamOS on Desktop, finally!
Isn’t that what BigScreen mode essentially is? Never actually seen the actual OS.
BigScreen mode even lets you sleep the computer from within it, and when you turn it back on, you’re already in it.
Big picture doesnt have the consistent expectation of everything working right when you update your everything else. Apples to oranges.
I don’t think the RAM prices are going to go back down again any time soon. So there wouldn’t be any point in waiting.
I can imagine RAM scavengers marauding the wastelands.
When they find my “old electronics” drawer, it’ll be a goldmine of ddr2/3 ram
But they might be able to make a similarly powered device with older style ram, it would take a significant re-work though, one that would delay release.
So this basically confirms they didn’t go that route.
Using DDR4 would probably break support for suspend / resume functionality. I remember reading the speed from DDR5 was what allowed it to function so well.
Exciting! We are in early 2026 already.
Feels like it’s been 2026 for years already. Can’t bear the thought of there being even more of it.
I figured the announcement for preorders would have been two or three weeks ago. We will see I suppose.
Im guessing end of march
I recently dreamed it’s going to be April 1st which was like tomorrow. I was a bit disappointed when I woke up and realised it was not even February yet 🤣
Hey it’s been a long year
I would really have to sit and have a long hard think about what my price ceiling is for any of the new Steam lineup. I know I have a maximum price I’m willing to pay but I only have a hazy idea of what that might be.
Pricing or frig off lahey!
I have a buddy who wants to play Nioh 3 but has problems spending money. This could be his solution but… not if it’s like $1200+
Despite what everyone says, it’s probably not going to be cheaper than building your own system, especially since building your own you can skip stuff you don’t need and prioritize parts you really want. This just has whatever it has. You don’t get to pick and choose. At best, it’s going to be about the same price as if you purchased the hardware yourself.
It will be less effort though, so there’s that.
I think price estimates are somewhere sub $600. That’s all just speculation though.
If its even close to build it yourself the opportunity cost of doing it yourself should be considered. Turn key operation is good.
As I already have a Playstation 5 for demanding games (and my kids playing Fortnite and Roblox sadly) and a Steam Deck for less demanding games, I really don’t know for sure if I’m gonna get a Steam Machine.
Its price and the way it integrates with my Steam Deck might be a deciding factor.
To be honest, I’m quite happy it isn’t out yet as it’s pushing my FOMO away.
I guess the wise decision would be to buy every game on Playstation physical, sell them and buy them again on Steam Machine 2 instead of getting a Playstation 6. Espace especially because I’m only using the Playstation for racing games (too demanding for the Deck) or exclusives…
One good thing if you purchase this and ditch the PS is you don’t have to pay for a membership, which is insane that console players still put up with that. A quick search (without actually checking if it’s correct) is that it’s $160 per year, on top of what you’re paying for your internet. The Steam Machine would pay for itself in just a few years, even with no other advantages.
I don’t have the Playstation plus anymore but I never payed above 70$ and got a lot of free games with it.
Still, it wasn’t worth it to me as I mostly play single player games except some racing sims…
I have to be pedantic, but I always hate it when people say “free” for something they paid for. It’s included in the price, not free.
Owning a steam deck and a gaming PC, the deck integration is amazing. The cross saves just work and I’ve had no problem, even when I have a save conflict.
As I already have a Playstation 5 for demanding games (and my kids playing Fortnite and Roblox sadly) and a Steam Deck for less demanding games, I really don’t know for sure if I’m gonna get a Steam Machine.
That makes sense. I sometimes forget that not everyone shares my deep burning despise for Sony…yet.
Anyway, it’ll be good to have a better option when the Playstation 6 does whatever bullshit Sony pulls out of their asses next.
What made you despise Sony? I’ve had a good experience over 5 Playstation generations so far. I would just hope they don’t end up having a monopoly over the console market (exc’uding Nintendo). That’s why I’m happy about the Steam Machine.
I guess the disappearance of a physical Bluray player is gonna make me jump to 100% Linux gaming soon anyway.
Not op, but I’d like to provide a “why i hate Sony story”: they installed a rootkit on my computer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_BMG_copy_protection_rootkit_scandal
21 years is a pretty good stretch to hold onto that grudge. Good work.
I hope it does well but at current I’m not buying anything new
Yes but when!
Early 2026! Which since we are already halfway through the first quarter of the year, that means it’s only like 4 years away in Valve Time.
