Phoronix article: https://www.phoronix.com/news/Steam-Machines-Frame-2026
Also listed here: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/hardware
Valve has already sent support for the new Steam Controller upstream: https://www.phoronix.com/news/New-Steam-Controller-SDL
A computer you can’t swap the GPU?
Ok but HL3 wen
Valve really listened to Saejima’s advice:
Steam Synapse when?
Fuck you Microsoft!
Finally, another worthwhile controller with symmetrical sticks. Now to find out how to get my hands on one…
That usb port being off center though…
I did notice that in this picture, but I don’t think it actually is. Pretty sure this is from the “animation” where the puck with the USB cable is put under the controller to charge, and not with the USB cable connected to the controller. From what I see though it should all be centered, even the puck and charging pins, so not sure why they made it off-center here
Since the Steam Machine is more like an entry PC and not a console (and will be priced as that), does that mean that SteamOS for desktop will be officially supported?
You’d have to assume so!
Not gonna lie the controller looks ass but maybe it feels fantastic so I‘ll wait with my final judgement. I‘m interested to see how they will try to push VR since most users are still incredibly uninterested in it.
The first controller looked the same, but was very good to use once you got used to it. The build quality, though, was…fucking terrible.
I had to fix my controllers so many times that in the end I was swapping them out almost weekly. Still, felt great in the hand.
I’ve wanted to get into VR for the longest time but they all seemed like extremely walled gardens. This sounds awesome to me.
I’ve got a Meta Quest 2 as a hand-me-down and yes, it’s extremely locked down. It’s possible to use a third-party app store, but to make it work you have to get a developer account with Meta and enable wireless debugging.
For most of my life VR has been, ‘VR is a great way to experience shitty games and you just have to pay a grand or more for this interactive tummy ache, and your unit may not be supported next year! Buy!’
I’m going to hold out until I can pick up one of these at the pawn shop for a bill.
I got an Index for cheap last year and was very excited to play a number of my favorite games with optional VR mode. Turns out:
- the Index ecosystem is more accessible than expected. 2) the games I was looking forward to all played like ass and made VR seem like a stupid gimmick. 3) In a desperate move that felt like sunk cost fallacy, I tried several VR-only games, and got TOTALLY hooked on modded Beatsaber. This itself made the buy-in worth it.
Edit! I’m a 90s kid, and I’m really disappointed that VR hasn’t taken off the way scifi suggested it would. Back then, being absorbed in pure information sounded awesome, but now it is just going the way of 24/7 misinformation advertisements and micro transactions.
I’ll hold off on VR until there is a decent open source unit that isnt $800.
I remember trying the first VR headset game 1990 that ran on a Commodore Amiga in like 7 fps and was terrible in every way.
Yegods. My first foray into VR was at a high end arcade at North Pier in Chicago. I think the game was Dactyl. The headset was super heavy and none of the goals of the game were explained to me. I basically wandered around for five minutes, shooting green polygons in the sky, then time was up.
Dad was pissed that he’d blown $20 on it.
Edit: For historical reference, in the mid 90s $5 could keep your kids occupied at a regular arcade for a couple hours. $20 could have gotten us a couple of movie tickets and some Twizzlers.
I’d of been angry too.
I think that’s the same game I queued up for like 90 mins at a computer fair to have a few minutes of very confused playtime and that was it.
‘VR is a great way to experience shitty games
Have you tried Half-life: Alyx?
I recommend you give that, or something equivalent, a go without even buying any hardware. Either ask a friend or go to an arcade. You don’t need to shell out a grand to try.
If you hate it, move on.
The problem is to really make an informed decision you have to try it first-hand. The sensory experience unlike any other device, so descriptions aren’t super helpful, video doesn’t convey what it’s actually like, so you really have to experience it to understand it.
Also given how common it seems to be anecdotally to get sick from it, no one wants to jump in just to have to jump back out.
And unless you know someone that already jumped in and can try theirs, a lot of people like me just don’t want to commit sight unseen. (I mean I’m also broke, but this would be true anyway)
I don’t have a way to try it out, so until I do it’s not on my radar to care. I’m very curious about it. Even if I don’t like it I do really want to see what it’s like at least once. But I’m not gonna pay for that chance. It’s gotta impress me without effort on my part (more than driving to it anyway).
Also given how common it seems to be anecdotally to get sick from it, no one wants to jump in just to have to jump back out.
you can build a resistance to it. It takes time, and it was the case for me
Maybe so, but you probably need to enjoy your first exposure to want to drop money on an entire setup for it.
It’s already crazy enough to drop that money just hoping you like it, but if you drop it hoping it stops making you nauseous, that’s a much bigger ask.
I’m still hoping I won’t have that problem. I do get car sick on meandering drives, but not even close to as bad as I did 10-15 years ago, but the worse the drive gets, the more I have to stay staring out the car windows.
I assume the VR effect would be similar, given it’s a similar symptom, but backwards. (In VR you don’t feel motion, but you see it, whereas in a car, you feel it, but either don’t see it from not looking, or if you have wide visibility it looks like you’re not moving as much compared to the background)
As someone who used to get sick in cars and boats, I got it, so you might as well
If the technology interests you, then sick or not, you’ll probably like it. Won’t play every day, but it’ll be a nice experience.
Start with games with not a lot of motion (beat saber for example), then move to more intensive games. You’ll get sick after 15mins, then 20mins, then 25… until you last for a couple hours, and at this point you’ve built your resistance.
Just stop playing when you feel sick and try again an hour later when you feel better or a few days later
But yea, VR isn’t straightforward or an obvious purchase. It requires time and will, and money, obviously
It’s clearly a luxury and you need to have too much money or be really motivated to purchase it
I really want to love VR, but it’s just not for me. And i don’t think i’m alone with that. To me, VR is something you try in a mall for 20min and think it’s cool and not something you want to play around with home.
There’s a reason we don’t see any big Let’s Players do more than a couple episodes of VR games.
That doesn’t mean they’re not having fun, but it’s quite physically demanding and the experience just doesn’t translate to 2D.
Looks can be deceiving. Coming from someone who uses the steamdeck, that layout looks exactly how I hoped and imagined it would be. The steamdeck is incredibly comfortable to hold and this looks like it would be the same!
2026 Year of the Linux desktop?
Surely this will bring over a lot of people to Linux
Year of the Linux living room
Hopefully, this means an official release of SteamOS Desktop. I want to switch away from Windows 11 IoT, if I can get a flavor of Linux with official backing from an 800lb gaming gorilla. While I can try out Bazzite or Cachy, I would prefer to have only one Linux for the rest of my PC’s life.
Would have stuck with Windows, if it weren’t for the fact that Microsoft has been channeling the spirit of an overly controlling parent.
Not what you asked for but as someone else who used W11 IOT as a daily driver, CachyOS is fantastic. It’s just Arch Linux with really strong gaming first additions.
Haven’t had a hitch.
official backing from an 800lb gaming gorilla
Eh… aren’t most of the largest corporations contributing to Linux already? I’m not sure what you need beside Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Samsung, etc https://www.linuxfoundation.org/about/members
Those companies aren’t exactly releasing consumer-facing distro’s, though.
True, but would one want to have a BigTech labels on their Linux distribution? Wouldn’t that kind of miss the point and bring us back to e.g. ChromeBooks?
Maybe. As it stands Valve is rather open with their implementation, but who’s to say it will remain indefinitely so.
I do get the desire, though. I’ve gone to Bazzite and Fedora and – even though it’s a lot better than just a year ago – it still requires some commandline tweaking. It isn’t entirely smooth sailing yet.
Will SteamOS be? I do have some doubts.FWIW been using SteamOS on the SteamDeck for ~3 years now and from gaming to tinkering, no major problems. Never had to tinker hard or re-install. A couple of time it didn’t suspend properly or I had to hold power button of to force a shutdown but that’s about it.
I doubt Valve would back of from the openness because that’s their one single advantage.
Those contribute to Linux, but not Desktop Linux and not at all gaming on Linux.
I’m a bit too lazy to check for the entire stack I admit but I bet a lot of those actually do. Still to do a quick check Google for examples is on https://ev.kde.org/supporting-members/
The controllers have battery compartments! 🔔 🔔 🔔
I was a pretty big enjoyer of the design of the first Steam controller, so adding a second stick and keeping the touchpads sounds great. Also mine broke, I can’t remember exactly what gave out, but it was just destroyed, and using a touchpad for a second stick felt awkward af.
I didn’t even mind the way it bent “backwards”, the fact that the stick and buttons were tiny, or its weird shape. Actually thinking about it, it was the right trigger that broke and just caved in, Spring broke, plastic tab snapped off, just basically a hole left there. I wasn’t about to attempt a repair, either. I don’t have the skill for that.
Anyway, this looks nice. A lot of people seem to call it ugly, but I don’t get it. Sturdy and functional are a good look, so this looks great. And if it functions just as well as the Steam Deck controls, (and of course it will, since it’s basically the same parts except switching out magnetic sticks instead of regular ones)
Here’s hoping the triggers are better on it. It’s definitely on my radar for next year.
So, I’ve been wanting to buy a controller to play classic games.
After doing some research I got an 8bit Do classic 2, which looked and felt great, but I guess couldn’t work with my Bluetooth.
Should I just get an Xbox controller, or hold out for this new Nintendo tech (I only game on PC and Switch, currently).
I’ve bought three controllers for my PC over the years, and none of them have been universally usable.
Playstation definitely have the most cross platform support (and accessories) out of all of these, and solid build quality. Nintendos pro controller could have been nice if they actually cared about it, but they dont so Googles Stadia is a great standin if you can get it for cheap. I wont even talk about microshits options …
Does that controller work with one of 8bitdo’s wireless dongles? They’re pretty cheap - I paid around £8 for mine a few years back - but it will need a USB-A port free. Might be a stopgap so you can decide if something else better suits your needs.
I’ll give that a try, mine didn’t come with a dongle.
I vastly prefer the PlayStation DualSense to the Xbox Series controller, so look into that. It’s a little more expensive but the build quality is much higher and it includes an internal rechargeable battery. Oh, and the wireless connection actually works reliably, Xbox pad disconnects constantly and it’s infuriating. Updated the firmware, etc, lots of other people online with the same issue. It’s honestly embarrassing for Microsoft that this is their standard controller. Feels like they’re trying to nudge people to spend more for the Elite controller.
The Steam Controller 2 looks like it’s going to be amazing; I do miss the extra Steam Deck inputs when I use my DualSense. Those back grip buttons are so useful.
If you want to play just controller games, this one is probably overkill and maybe a bit bulky. I guess the HD haptics are neat.
Then again, it likely won’t be any more expensive than the scam amount of money microsoft charges for their basic, non-HAL effect, non-gyro, basic haptics controllers.
I don’t like the look of this controller… I’m still gonna get one. Everything else I love.
Especially that SteamOS is apparently going to become available on ARM devices.
Same, but at least it feels like the focus was on usability rather than looks. Keep it humble, Steam!
Arch linux ARM (the base of such steam os) has existed for a while now. Not to diminish Valve efforts, just putting in some context.
Fex works for most games now! This is amazing.
And now there are arm systems that are powerful enough to compete with consoles easily (consoles probably already using ARM?)
I’m running it on my raspi but it seems like the repos have been frozen for a while now?
Hopefully the Frames can compete with the Meta Quest in both price/performance. It will be good to have relatively affordable VR headset not made by Facebook.
Wish I didnt have to wear glasses, otherwise I’d use my Index alot more.
Inserts?
@MoonlitSanguine@lemmy.zip @jcs@lemmy.world it would certainly be good for it to be relatively affordable but they’re really not promising it will at the moment since they only said aiming it to be cheaper than an Index.
They missed the chance to call the machine the Steam Engine
That would be impossible to search online
I thought the GabeCube was even better.
But they did name it after a daft punk song
banger
Huh, neat. Til.
Fuck, they did! 😫
