Undoubtedly one of the most hotly-anticipated pieces of hardware launching this year, the Steam Machine is set to bring PC gaming into the living room. The Steam Machine mixes the versatility of a PC with the convenience of a games console, and looks to open up the PC platform to a whole new audience, much like the Steam Deck handheld console.
Unfortunately, however, fans are none the wiser about when the Steam Machine will make its debut, although a new backend update suggests that we’re very close to finding out more. It’s all thanks to the release of a Steam backend update, which has added the Steam Machine welcome tour to the platform.
As you can see from the tweet below, the Steam Machine Welcome Tour is essentially an step-by-step manual for new users.
It outlines the different features that come with the Steam Machine, before showing users how to update the firmware.
It’s worth pointing out that while this doesn’t necessarily mean the release date is imminent, similar backend updates were discovered close to the launch of the Steam Controller.
Valve previously expressed plans to release the Steam Machine in early 2026, although this was later shifted to the first half of the year.
If this remains the plan, then the Steam Machine console should launch in June. Don’t be surprised if we find out more during the Summer Games Fest event on June 5.
While an imminent release date is great news for fans, there are some factors that don’t bode well.
The Steam Machine will seemingly offer a gaming experience that’s on par with the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
It provides 4K gaming at 60 frames-per-second with FSR, something that’s said to be possible thanks to a discrete semi-custom AMD desktop class CPU and GPU.
Valve will offer two different versions, including one with 512GB of storage and another with 2TB. Fortunately, both also come with the ability to expand storage via microSD.
It also come with a stylish LED strip that can be customised with different colours.
