Breaking Boxers News: Valve announces new Hardware

 

Valve came out choosing violence yesterday  with an announcement of NEW hardware, A slightly improved Steam Deck SKU, a Steam Machine console-adjacent PC, a new Steam Controller, and what I thought was the most exciting, a new VR headset that seems to defy current conventions by refining VR technology and making it excitingly better. 

The Steam Frame

Man, this thing is pretty damn cool, its small, wireless, and rather than some grand new aspect of tech, it reads more like existing VR tech extremely refined for purpose, games and wearable comfort.

From the get-go it looks focused on ease of use and set up, managing to broadcast across a 6ghz signal from a dongle for audio and video signal on PC, tracking cameras on the inside for your eyes, and monochrome cameras on the outside for movement and head tracking, while being pretty damn lightweight at only 440g. Pancake Lenses with 2160 x 2160 with 72 -144hz refresh rate LCD panels (Better choice considering how OLEDs expense and eye strain).

(Even Grandma can escape our future dystopia with comfort and ease.) 

On top of being ready for PC use, it also is its own solitary unit, running SteamOS on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, along with a new ARM protocol for Proton called FEX, so it’s pretty exciting to see what’s going to be compatible, since it’s made for both as VR and a giant screen mode for other games.

FOVEATED STREAMING is a tech feature that I’m excited to read about, Again, this reads like using ideas of refinement to push the envelope as opposed to something pushing a higher tier of resolution of graphical fidelity. It uses the eye tracking to put power on focusing where your pupils are looking instead of trying to power the whole area, which should make the wireless streaming have less latency and the headset less power hungry when using it on its own.

The controllers don’t seem like anything special (He said about a miracle of interactive technology), comparable as both a split controller for regular gaming and what seems to be standard across other VR headsets. Valve even made a point to show the battery is replaceable, which really shows what kind of dystopian consumer technology future we live in.

I have very little experience with VR, mainly for the barrier of entry that is MONEY, if this comes with an ease the pain price, It’s the first headset that’s had me looking its way.

Here’s to me breaking out into a HUGE Game writer person thing to get one “For purposes of review.”

The Gabe Cube

The Console Wars ended and then Valve announces the neatest little console. Bringing back the title of Steam Machine, it’s a full PC that runs SteamOS, that encourages you to use it like a PC and put other OS on it. Slap a second drive on that puppy and dual boot if you really want. I’ve already talked to people that want to get this and use it for an emulation box too, the possibilities with it are high.

Leaning hard on Zen architecture (as these things should) the Steam Machine boasts a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU (APU?) with 6 cores and 12 thread count up to 4.8ghz with a 30W TDP, and a semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU with 28CUs running at 2.45ghz (Max) 110W TDP with 16gb RAM and 8gb VRAM respectively. So, It’s no beast, running games at 4k (Not that many can in 2025 the way things have looked), but this little monster, on paper anyway, should be able to run almost anything at 1080-1440p with comfortable framerates on high settings. If this thing comes out around the same price as a Steam Deck, it’d be a great get for anyone looking to budget PC game.

Between SteamOS, an Arch Linux kernel, and just slapping good old Win11 (Lolgood) on it for access to the other storefronts (I’m… optimistic that Xbox game mode that was announced for things like the ROG Ally X will make it’s way to Win11 for better performance to help), there should be nearly limitless options for this brutalist cutie.

(Look at this adorable shit) 

This thing is adorable, having a simple cube shape that’s both modern, but with just enough of a video game console aesthetic that almost felt abandoned in the last decade (Looking at you Xbox one, X, Series X/S, PS4). Showing it off with different faceplates for your own style, even the announcement page pointing out that it has an LED Strip (Y’all).

New Steam Controller

The new controller has been made to ensure you can play ANYTHING.  Between its magnetic TMR Joysticks (Thank god that’s becoming more ubiquitous), HD Rumble, dual touchpads, gyro functions, and all completely customizable in Steam, there should be very little you can’t do sitting on your couch as you scream about some toxic teenager on DOTA 2 playing Techies bombing lanes in a way just to tilt you.

 
                What’s really a big thing I see here is the 35-hour battery life, which having been playing on my PS5 recently, is a far cry difference from something with other advanced features like the PS5 controller does, giving me about 10-12 hours in wireless play. 

My brain keeps telling me it looks like an Atari Jaguar controller, and that hits me like trauma for some reason. 

 The Steam Deck

Why fix what's not broken? The Steam Deck was also a part of these announcements but mostly a price update with minimal differences. Mainly a new battery and Wi-fi 6E over the older Wifi 5. 

 Overall, this was an exciting announcement. Considering factors like an actual release, it looks like another case of Valve just existing as it wants and winning.

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/hardware

That's all from me Unless I manage to get one of these things to play with, which damn do I want that Steam Frame.

 HFGL.