The two remaining question marks surrounding the Steam Machine and Steam Frame might soon be answered. According to @HardwareSteam, reviewers have started receiving early units, with an official announcement expected to be made “between Jun 22 – Jun 30.”
Earlier this week, Brad Lynch discovered that Valve’s USA warehouses had received about 35 tons (31,929kg) of “Virtual Reality Devices,” spread across a total of five shipments and 210 packages. This comes after Valve received about “141 metric tons” of “Game Consoles” since the last week of April, according to The Verge. Clearly, the company is finally gearing up for the official launch, getting all of its ducks in a row before opening the proverbial floodgates for reservations.
On X (formerly Twitter), @HardwareSteam goes on to suggest that the announcement will come on “Tuesday, June 23 at 10AM PT, and reservations Tuesday, June 30 at 10AM PT.” Some of this timeline can be attributed to the source, which said that “they’re allowed to post videos after June 23,” which is likely when Valve’s embargo lifts.
Assuming that to be the case, this gives reviewers about 10 days or so with the Steam Machine or Steam Frame. While it’s not quite long enough to provide a full-scale review for some, that’s definitely enough time for reviewers to use the devices and at least share their initial impressions.
Furthermore, @HardwareSteam says that reviewers who are receiving the Steam Machine, are finding a Steam Controller included, along with “2 mounting brackets.” When asked about the price, which still hasn’t been officially shared, the account replied by saying “It may be worth it to start and save up a good amount of money towards it.”
While much of the focus will likely be first placed on the Steam Machine, Valve has been making some pretty big strides for the Steam Frame as of late. Earlier this week, the company published the first SteamOS on ARM packages (via Reddit) for the upcoming VR headset. Although its pretty exciting for VR fans, it’s also exciting for those of us who are hoping to see proper SteamOS for ARM made available in some capacity on Android handhelds.
It’s been just a bit longer than seven months since Valve officially announced the Steam Frame and Steam Machine, and thanks to RAMageddon, it’s already been a wild ride. However, between this most recent batch of rumors/leaks and both pieces of hardware being added to Valve’s “Verified” program, it sure seems like where there’s smoke, there’s a fire.
