Valve has officially revealed that it is releasing the Steam Machine and Steam Frame this summer following delays caused by pricing concerns and component shortages in the market.
Valve Confirms Steam Machine, Frame Release Period
Valve shared a new blog post which unveiled the release window of the Steam Machine and Steam Frame. The post likewise reveals that they are also included in the Verified program that famously launched with the Steam Deck.
The Verified program awards badges that signify a title's compatibility with the Steam Machine and Steam Frame. As per Valve, the requirements for Steam Machine Verified badges are nearly identical to what was established for the Steam Deck.
However, for the Steam Frame, the program evaluates the device's out-of-the-box standalone experience. This includes default graphics performance, text and UI legibility on the built-in display, and the effectiveness of the default controller configuration when used with Steam Frame Controllers.
"The same test criteria apply to both VR titles and non-VR titles," said Valve.
New Hardware Coming This Summer, But When?
The summer window confirmation is good news for fans, but the announcement came without any specific launch date attached.
Valve has not announced exactly when in the summer either product will go on sale, and no further details about availability timelines were shared alongside the Verified program update.
Valve released the Steam Controller last month, and it was the first device from the hardware trio announced by the company last year.
The device costs $99 apiece and was released earlier by Valve as it did not include components like RAM and GPU, unlike the console-like gaming platform and head-worn VR goggles.
How Much Will the Steam Machine Cost?
There is still no word on how much either piece of hardware will cost, as per Engadget. However, there have been plenty of speculations about the cost of Valve's hardware since it announced the lineup back in November.
For the longest time now, the pricing from Valve for its new Steam Machine and Steam Frame is one of the main topics among fans in online communities, especially as it came amidst the worsening memory and GPU shortage.
The shortage has led to massive price hikes in PCs and gaming consoles like the Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 series, and soon, the Nintendo Switch 2.
Valve will soon apply a price hike to the Steam Deck, whose price could skyrocket to as much as $300 more than its previous cost.
Early speculations claimed that the Steam Machine may cost around $1,000 to $1,500, but Valve has not shared anything official on the price tag of both the gaming platform and VR headset.
Originally published on Player One
