Valve could release the new Steam Controller very soon, without the Steam Machine

Announced late last year alongside the new Steam Frame headset and the Steam Machine gaming PC, Valve also unveiled the next-gen and highly anticipated Steam Controller. All three devices were set to debut in Q1 2026; however, the memory and storage crisis led Valve to delay the launch of its new hardware lineup to sometime in 2026.

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It's a shame because the Steam Machine is viewed as a potential disruptor in the gaming space, potentially kickstarting a new type of compact all-in-one SteamOS-powered gaming PC, similar to how Valve's Steam Deck changed the gaming handheld landscape. However, according to a new post from Valve insider and data miner Brad Lynch on X, Valve could be prepping to launch the Steam Controller sooner rather than later.

The post indicated that Valve received a "large quantity" of "Wireless PC Controllers" in the US last week, which one would presume to be the new Steam Controller. So now the question becomes: will Valve sit on a stockpile of Steam Controllers as it waits to launch the Steam Machine and Steam Frame sometime later this year (which is not a guarantee given current component costs), or release the Steam Controller early?

If we were to take a guess, we'd say the latter, as the Steam Controller sounds like a fantastic device for all PC gamers and current Steam Deck owners connecting their handheld to an external display. It features a symmetrical stick layout with the same dual trackpads as the Steam Deck and sports high-end magnetic thumbsticks with TMR technology, HD rumble, and a capacitive touch gyro.

It also ships with a plug-and-play wireless puck that doubles as a charging station and supports USB and Bluetooth. There's also a large Steam button to bring up the overlay and access the store, with navigation support similar to that on the Steam Deck or Big Picture Mode on PC. Again, the new Steam Controller is something that many Steam gamers would want, regardless of whether they purchase a Steam Machine or a Steam Frame.