Valve Updates Progress on Steam Frame Steam Machine and New Controller
The company Valve has established a hardware blog which share technical specifications and product launch information for their upcoming products Steam Frame and Steam Machine and new Steam Controller. The company planned to announce complete product details but worldwide component supply disruptions have caused delays to their initial timing.
Valve intends to launch all three products during the initial half of this year. The industrywide memory and storage shortages have forced the company to adjust its pricing and delivery schedule. The company will complete these details when component supply reaches stable levels.
The Steam Frame functions as a modular system which enables multiple configurations. Valve has clarified multiple technical aspects of its product performance
- Foveated Streaming streaming technology uses eyetracking to limit data transmission. Highly detailed content streams directly to the location which the user actively observes. This functionality operates as a systemwide feature which enables all games to use it without requiring developers to integrate it.
- Modularity The device is built to be extensible. Users can create compatible accessories because the system does not have builtin lighthouse base station support.
- Usability The frame can hold glasses which have different widths and Valve is developing a solution to include prescription lens inserts. The content of SteamOS allows users to stream theatrical mode content from other platforms through its builtin browser feature.
Valve has announced that Valve Index production stopped but Index users will receive ongoing software and technical support.
The new Steam Machine operates as a powerful living room computer system. Valve’s internal testing shows that most titles achieve 4K at 60FPS using FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution). The system provides performance through multiple capabilities
Users can open the device to change both memory (DDR5 SODIMMs) and storage (NVMe 2230 or 2280 SSDs) components. The company Valve is developing two technologies which include HDMI VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and driver level ray tracing optimizations. The public will receive access to Steam Machine faceplate CAD files which enable users and manufacturers to design their own faceplates.
The updated Steam Controller maintains broad compatibility. The controller enables users to play all Steam Overlay supported games including non Steam titles. Valve plans to release equipment analysis videos and technical documents when the hardware reaches its release time frame.
Steam Frame developers interested in the new ecosystem can now obtain development kits through Steamworks partner portal, although kit availability remains restricted.
