A new update for SteamOS hints that the Steam Machine release date is right around the corner.12:39, 01 Jun 2026With only a month left in the first half of 2026, Valve has a mere four weeks left to hit its launch target for the Steam Machine. Although the PC-console hybrid device was meant to launch much earlier in the year, its release date was pushed back due to the ongoing RAM crisis, forcing the PC giant to release its controller without a dedicated machine to use it on.‌Valve recommitted to launching the Steam Machine in the ‘first half’ of 2026, but as the clock continues to tick down, the company is still yet to announce an official release date. However, the latest update to SteamOS – the operating system the Steam Machine shares with the Steam Deck – includes the startup welcome screen for the new hardware, indicating a full release might not be far off.‌READ MORE: 15 best indie games released in May 2026 - inventive gems you should definitely give a go‌READ MORE: Fatal Fury/Garou Densetsu The Ultimate History is an essential read for fans of SNK’s iconic fighterAs discovered by Brad Lynch on X, he highlights that the welcome tour was added to the SteamOS backend over the weekend. It includes screens that say ‘Welcome to Steam Machine’, as well as graphics showing how to update the Steam Controller’s firmware from the device.This is the second update to SteamOS that has directly referenced the Steam Machine in recent weeks. In May, Valve pushed an update that included new settings to control the LED light bar only found on the unreleased hardware.‌Although Valve remains silent on the whole matter, which is very on brand for the company at this point, Lynch does point out that when a similar thing happened for the Steam Controller, it was a mere few weeks until we heard about pricing and availability.Content cannot be displayed without consent“When Steam Controller received this treatment, it was only a few weeks before Pricing/Availability announcements were published,” Lynch explains in a follow up post.‌The Steam Controller launched at a price of £85 here in the UK, a little more than the DualSense and Xbox Controller that it’s competing with in the PC space. When the Steam Machine was first announced, Valve claimed that its pricing would be on par with PC’s of a similar spec, and on par with current generation consolesHowever, those plans have seemingly been thrown up in the air due to continued strain on the PC component pipeline. The PS5 Pro now goes for £789.99 here in the UK, while Nintendo is also raising the price of the Switch 2 worldwide in September.Earlier in the year, we estimated that a PC of a similar spec would cost around £930 to build yourself. Other estimates have placed the price north of £1,000.Article continues belowThese estimates seem to appear more accurate when you consider that Valve just raised the price of the Steam Deck OLED models with the 512GB model now starting at £649 and the 1TB model selling for £779. It’s thought that the Steam Machine will cost a bit more than the Steam Deck at the very least, placing it closer to that £1,000 mark than we’d like.This latest evidence is the closest thing we’ve got to a confirmation that a release date is on the horizon. We’ll report back as soon as we hear anything official from Valve.