Valve may be preparing its next big leap into gaming hardware, and this time it could be under the name Steam Frame. For years, the company seemed content to dominate the PC gaming software space, especially after its earlier hardware ventures like the Steam Machine fizzled. 
But everything changed with the massive success of the Steam Deck. Valve proved that gamers were hungry for powerful, portable devices that could offer a PC-like experience in handheld form, and the Deck quickly became a benchmark for handheld gaming PCs.
Now, newly filed trademarks suggest Valve is eyeing an even broader category: the living-room console. The trademark filings, discovered on Reddit and dated September 2, 2025, cover both computer hardware and a dedicated game console. The chosen name – Steam Frame – indicates Valve might be moving toward a fresh identity that distances itself from the generic ‘console’ label. It’s certainly a more imaginative name than the straightforward ‘Steam Console’ and feels like a deliberate attempt to create brand resonance.
Of course, Valve has yet to officially confirm the existence of this product, so speculation should be tempered with caution. Still, the timing makes sense. Handheld competitors from ASUS and Lenovo are gaining traction, and rumors point to a new device built on AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture. If true, such a platform could offer massive graphical improvements while maintaining energy efficiency, making it suitable for both portable and stationary use. In short, the Steam Frame might be designed to bridge the gap between the PC flexibility gamers love and the plug-and-play convenience of consoles.
What could set a Steam Frame apart? Analysts suggest Valve might aim for upgradability – an area consoles usually ignore. If players could easily swap RAM, upgrade storage, or even add modular graphics options, it would redefine expectations for home consoles. Combine that with a competitive price point, and Valve might once again reshape how gamers think about hardware. The Steam Deck already showed that Valve can succeed where it once failed; the question now is whether the Steam Frame will be the company’s boldest experiment yet.