Steam MachinesSteam Machines are a discontinued family of small form factor gaming computers, designed to run SteamOS and the digital Steam storefront, and provide a home game console-like experience. They were developed by Valve in collaboration with several computer vendors who were engaged with Valve to develop their own computers for retail, offering additional options atop Valve's requirements such as dual-booting options with Windows and the ability to upgrade the computer.
Steam (service)Video game distribution platformSteam is a digital distribution platform for PC games by the American video game studio Valve. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 to provide video game updates automatically for Valve's games and expanded to distributing third-party titles in late 2005. Steam offers various features, such as game server matchmaking with Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) measures, social networking, and game streaming services.
SteamOSSteamOS is a gaming-focused operating system released by Valve that incorporates the company's video game storefront, Steam. Based on Arch Linux and built specifically to support Steam, it is the default Linux distribution for Valve's line of gaming hardware, including the Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame.
Steam Controller (2026)The Steam Controller is a game controller developed by Valve and released in 2026 for use with personal computers running Steam on Windows, macOS, Linux, smartphones, tablet computers or SteamOS. As a successor to the original Steam Controller from 2015, the controller was designed not only for games developed for controllers, but also for games designed to be played with keyboard and mouse. It was released on May 4, 2026.
Valve CorporationValve Corporation, also known as Valve Software, is an American video game developer, publisher, hardware, and digital distribution company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. It is the developer of game franchises including Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Portal, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead and Dota, the software service Steam, and hardware including the Steam Frame, Steam Machine, Steam Deck and Valve Index.
Game controllerA game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device or input/output device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game. Input devices that have been classified as game controllers include keyboards, mice, gamepads, and joysticks, as well as special purpose devices, such as steering wheels for driving games and light guns for shooting games.
Tablet computerA tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet or simply tab, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers, have similar capabilities, but lack some input/output (I/O) abilities that others have.
LinuxFamily of Unix-like operating systems that use the Linux kernelOperating systemLinux ( ) is a family of free and open-source softwareUnix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, which was first released on 17 September 1991 by Linus Torvalds.
Virtual reality headsetA virtual reality headset (VR headset) is a head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games, but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers.
MacOSmacOS (previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a proprietary Unix operating system, derived from OPENSTEP for Mach and FreeBSD, which has been marketed and developed by Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's line of Mac computers. As of April 2026, within the market of desktop and laptop computers, it is the second most widely used desktop OS, after Microsoft Windows and ahead of all Linux distributions, including ChromeOS and SteamOS.
SmartphoneA smartphone is a mobile device that combines the functionality of a traditional mobile phone (feature phone) with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multimedia playback and streaming.
Microsoft WindowsComputer operating systemOperating systemWindows is a proprietaryoperating system developed by Microsoft. Windows is grouped into families that cater to particular sectors of the computing industry – Windows for personal computers, Windows Server for servers, and Windows IoT for embedded systems.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.