Speculation has been rife ever since Valve filed two trademark applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on September 2, 2025, in the name of Steam Frame. These filings cover computer hardware, streaming devices, video game consoles and computer game consoles. Of course, the older generation (including us) couldn’t help imagining that Valve had a successor to the discontinued Steam Machines in the pipeline
At a time when there is much speculation and enthusiasm about Microsoft’s current moves towards consoles, with a strategy of moving closer to the PC world, what could Valve’s plan be? This rumor of a new console attempt needs to nuanced, however. Serious recent leaks suggest instead that Valve is working on a stand-alone VR headset, codenamed Deckard, successor to the Valve Index.
Steam Frame: a home console?
However, it’s clear from the description of these trademark registrations that the Steam Frame is not a peripheral, but a stand-alone piece of hardware designed for gaming. However, a trademark application doesn’t necessarily mean that Valve is going to release something. Trademarks often give themselves “the right to” by envisaging a future possibility. And yet, with the Steam Deck, Valve has demonstrated the relevance of this model. A home console, freed from thermal and autonomy constraints, could boast more powerful hardware, enabling the Steam catalog to be enjoyed on the big screen.
With this Steam Frame, Valve is intrigued by its potential to merge the expertise and lightness of SteamOS with more muscular hardware, while remaining price-competitive. But this would also be a very perilous direction to take, given Microsoft’s aforementioned shift in direction. At this point, it’s hard to say whether Valve will go any further. Objectively speaking, if Microsoft succeeds in deploying its strategy of “merging” the PC and console worlds, Valve has plenty to worry about. Is this Steam Frame a reaction to catch the giant off guard?
