Valve may be poised to enter the console race with its very own Steam console, according to a rumor. Steam is best known as a marketplace and platform to buy and play PC games, offering over 100,000 games for players to peruse and play. Valve is not new to working with handheld consoles, VR headsets, and other peripherals, but a Steam console would be the company's first foray into the home console industry.
The rumor comes from eXtas1s on XCancel, as reported by Insider Gaming, who claims that a Steam console is allegedly in the works. The rumored console will the console wars, being powerful enough to compete with the PS5 and Xbox. The rumor also indicates that Valve is working closely with AMD's RDNA 4 technologies, promising a potentially powerful new console.
Evidence Suggests Steam Is Working On A Home Console
Steam Is Reportedly Working With AMD's Graphics Card
In a YouTube video on his channel, eXtas1s shares a bit more information about the rumor that Steam is working on a console, explaining that this move would shift the console industry entirely. Previous discussions of Steam in the context of consoles have centered around the PC gaming giant potentially being integrated into the Xbox, but a proprietary home Steam console would reshape the console industry landscape. Along with HandleDeck on XCancel, eXtas1s cites recent moves by Steam that may indicate it's getting ready to enter the console wars.
Alan Wake 2 "Will Not" Be Released On Steam, According To Rumors
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The most convincing evidence for the move is Steam's involvement with the computer chip manufacturer AMD. Specifically, Steam is reportedly working with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 technologies which will be the first to have the RDNA 4 capabilities. At the time of its release, this technology will be used almost exclusively by home consoles, according to eXtas1s, with the potential to appear in computers and other devices a few years down the line. Steam's involvement with the graphics card is strong evidence that the PC platform is planning to make the move into a home console.
A Steam Console May Throw A Wrench In Xbox Collaboration Plans
The Rumor May Change The Steam And Xbox Relationship
In a previous post, eXtas1s noted the possibility of Microsoft's PC Game coming to Steam. However, the new rumor of a potential Steam home console might indicate that the previous rumor was incorrect, as a console would make Steam a direct competitor to Microsoft's Xbox.
Continuing to work with Valve on a Steam-Xbox integration may not be the best move for Microsoft if Steam does, in fact, launch a competitor to the PS4 and Xbox. On the other hand, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has been very vocal lately about praising other consoles and bringing Xbox games onto multiple consoles, so at this point, it seems that anything is possible. There is currently no official news from Valve about a Steam console.
Source: eXtas1s/XCancel, Insider Gaming, eXtas1s/X, eXtas1s/YouTube, HandleDeck/XCancel
