With the next-gen Xbox and PS6 unlikely to make an appearance in 2026, Valve’s previously announced Steam Machine has the opportunity to make a huge impact as the only major hardware release this year. Unfortunately, however, fans are none the wiser about when exactly the PC/console hybrid will launch. It was previously suggested that the Steam Machine would debut in early 2026, only for the launch window to be pushed back due to RAM shortages caused by the investment in AI data centres.

After months without any update on the Steam Machine and its release date, Valve’s latest Steam Deck update suggests that an announcement could be imminent.

Available in the Steam Deck Preview Channel, the latest handheld update includes “initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware”.

While this update isn’t widely available and is subject to change, the fact that Valve has started prepping for Steam Machine support suggests that the hardware is likely to launch sooner rather than later.

You can read the General Steam Deck patch notes below.

Speaking of Steam, customers only have a few days left to take advantage of the latest major sale, which includes discounts on everything from triple-A blockbusters to indie hits.

Arguably the best deal I’ve seen is for Resident Evil 3 Remake, which is reduced to the remarkably low price of £3.49.

Fans can also grab discounts on the likes of Hogwarts Legacy, Elden Ring, EA FC 26 and Star Wars Jedi Survivor.

Steam Deck update 3.8.0 patch notes

General

• Initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware

• Updated Arch system base

• Updated graphics driver with performance and stability fixes

• Fix a case where per-app performance settings would intermittently fail to apply when launching a game

• Improved support for the screencasts in Game Mode (e.g. OBS/Discord)

• Fixed dropdown menus not appearing in some games

• Improved VRR frame pacing

• Fixed FSR badge remaining off in the performance overlay, even if it was actually active

• Improved support for games that attempt to open PDF files in external viewers

• Fixed an issue affecting certain titles (such as “SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide”) where the game window could have an incorrect position

• Fixed closing certain titles (such as “STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™”) and Starfield resulting in a session crash

• Improved support for certain USB racing wheels and USB devices that boot in a non-standard mode

• Frequently these are devices that appear as USB storage devices with a driver installer, and must be switched to their normal mode by the OS

• Steam Deck controller firmware updates now display update progress on the splash screen

• Fixes issue on specific Steam Deck revisions where firmware updates could render the left controller inoperative for that session

• Numerous stability and security updates