A New Entrant in the Console Wars
Check out all the big announcements from Valve
Valve entered the console war in a big way and on multiple fronts. We will break down what they announced last week. Also, all the latest gaming news and headlines. Let’s go!
Valve announces the Steam Machine
Valve made some big hardware announcements last week. First up was the Steam Machine, a PC running Steam OS designed for your television. The device is small, a six-inch cube with replaceable faceplates and a programmable LED light bar. Valve says that the Steam Machine is six times more powerful than their Steam Deck handheld, and is built to stream games to other devices including a phone, Steam Deck and Steam Frame (more on that soon). Digital Foundry got their hands on the device early and broke down the specs:
- CPU - AMD Zen 4 CPU clocked at "up to" 4.8GHz, 6 cores, 12 threads
- Graphics Core - AMD RDNA 3 with 28 compute units up to 2.45GHz, 8 GB DDR6 VRAM Power Draw 30W TDP (CPU), 110W TDP (GPU)
- Memory - 16GB DDR5 RAM
- Storage - 512GB or 2TB M.2 2230 storage (additional storage through a MicroSD card slot) that can be hot-swapped)
- Output - DisplayPort 1.4, up to 4K/240Hz or 8K/120 Hz; HDMI "2.0," up to 4K/120 Hz
- OS - SteamOS
Along with the Steam Machine, Valve announced a new Steam Controller. The controller is similar to the controls on the Steam Deck, with touch pads and Joysticks, unlike their original controller. The controller offers huge enhancements as well, including a “next-gen Hall Effect sensor,” gyroscopic motion control and a battery designed for over 35 hours of gameplay. The controller comes with the Steam Controller Puck, which works as a wireless charger and transmitter for the device. It is designed to connect faster than Bluetooth for those who are serious about gaming.
The new hardware is scheduled to be out in early 2026, and is thought to be a direct competitor to the next Xbox console. Microsoft alluded in recent interviews their next generation of console would more resemble a PC than it would the current system. Still, Xbox head Phil Spencer says he welcomes the Steam Machine, as his company is “one of the largest publishers on Steam.” No pricing was announced yet for the device, but estimates vary from $500-$1000.
Want to know more about the Steam Machine and Steam Controller? Check out the Digital Foundry article or these from Ars Technica, The Verge and PC Gamer.
Steam gets Frame(d)
The Steam Deck and controller were not the only big announcements from Valve, as they also announced the Steam Frame, their latest virtual reality headset.
Unlike their current headset the Index (which Valve has stopped manufacturing), the Frame is untethered, simular to the Meta Quest VR. The new headset uses camera-based tracking rather than outside-in (sensors positioned around the person). It has new game pads similar to the Quest and is lighter than previous models.
The Steam Frame comes with a wireless adapter that allows players to stream games from their PC (or Steam Machine) to their headset over a dedicated connection. Valve says the Frame will let users play their entire collection on the headset, not just VR games.
Digital Foundry has a deep dive into the Frame. No price has been announced, and like the Steam Machine and Steam Controller, Valve gives an estimated release date of early 2026.
Are you excited for Valve’s new hardware? Let us know in the comments.
Side Quests (more stories worth reading)
👎🏽 Metacritic revealed their worst games of 2025 list, which includes Mindseye, Switch 2 Welcome Tour and Captain Blood (which we reviewed).
🤖 Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 received criticism for its alleged use of generative AI artwork.
🎮 Fans made a mods to bring back PlayStation’s short-lived live live-service game Concord, but the group suspended invites “due to worrying legal action” by Sony.
⚔️ Bethesda head Todd Howard says The Elder Scrolls 6 is “still a long way off,” but hints it could be shadow-dropped when it is completed.
🕺🏻 A Hungarian player broke a world record by playing Dance Dance Revolution for 144 straight hours.
🧱 A new Legend of Zelda Lego set was teased by Nintendo.
✊🏿 Over 200 employees at Rockstar Games signed a letter demanding "immediate reinstatement” of coworkers fired for attempting to unionize.
📈 Dispatch hit 1 million copies sold this week, but Bloomberg looks at the turbulent process the game went through to even get published.
🏆 The nominees for The Indie Game Awards were announced.
📊 Sony has sold 84 million PlayStation 5s since launch. The company also says Destiny 2 has underperformed since it acquired Bungie in 2022.
🌐 The campaign for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 requires a constant internet connection, doesn’t allow players to pause the game and kicks them out of their game if they’re idle too long.
👎🏼 Switch 2 owners say a recent update caused their third-party docs to stop working.
🌏 Sony held a State of Play press conference dedicated to games developed in Japan and the rest of Asia. Check out everything announced.
🦖 A new MMORPG set in the Horizon universe was announced and is coming to PC and mobile.
📈 Pokemon Legends Z-A is the best-selling physical game of the year so far in the U.S.
📺 Members of the cast of Fallout including Walton Goggins made a surprise appearance at the New Vegas fan convention in Goodsprings, Nevada.
📱 Ratchet & Clank: Ranger Rumble was announced and is a free-to-play multiplayer shooter for mobile.
🎮 The original Red Dead Redemption is coming to modern consoles in December, including the PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S and mobile.
❗ An official Death Stranding 2 exoskeleton is being released in collaboration with Kojima Productions.
⚔️ New DLC for Elden Ring Nightreign is coming next month.
❗ The Atlantic has a deep dive into why some players including Elon Musk are annoyed with Dungeons & Dragons removing racist and sexist stereotypes.
🎥 Nintendo published their first trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and revealed its new cast members.
📈 Round Numbers: Ghost of Yotei sold 3.3 million copies in its first month, while ARC Raiders sold over 4 million in less than two weeks.
New Releases this week:
Check out our article on 11 New Games to Play in November.
11/18: SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
11/18: Marvel's Deadpool VR (Meta Quest)
11/19: Demonschool (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
11/19: Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault (PC)
11/20: Kirby Air Riders (Switch)
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