Valve has filed for a trademark for the Steam Frame. The classes listed include «game consoles for entertainment games,» «video game consoles,» and «accessories, including controllers.» The company has fueled rumors of a new console and the long-awaited Half-Life 3.
Valve has filed for a trademark for the Steam Frame. The classes listed include «game consoles for entertainment games,» «video game consoles,» and «accessories, including controllers.» The company has fueled rumors of a new console and the long-awaited Half-Life 3.
This is reported by GameDev DOU. The find was noticed by Reddit user rowletoo, who published excerpts from the database of the US Patent Office. It was the wording of the applications that prompted the community to the version about a stationary console from Valve.
The network immediately recalled the recent Geekbench tests, which featured a «Valve home device» with an AMD Hawk Point APU, a discrete Radeon RX 7600 graphics card, and SteamOS. This combination hints at a vertical close to consoles: a fixed configuration, its own OS, the Steam library, an emphasis on stable FPS and fast game launch. If these characteristics are confirmed, the new product will potentially be close to PlayStation and Xbox in terms of performance, but will be distinguished by the Valve ecosystem.
Another piece of the puzzle: rumors about a new Half-Life part codenamed HLX. The possible project was previously talked about by blogger Tyler McVicker, known for leaks about Valve. Against this background, it is not surprising that fans are already drawing a scenario of «hardware + flagship exclusive at launch.» Although Valve has historically avoided hard exclusives for its own hardware, the Half-Life: Alyx case showed that the company is ready to tie the release to a specific method of interaction (VR) if it pushes the technology forward.
There is another possible interpretation: the name Steam Frame could refer not only to the console, but also to a peripheral or VR component. It is known that Valve is working on a next-generation headset with the internal name Decard. The term «Frame» fits organically both in the context of headsets (frame, mount) and in the rhetoric of «frames per second», which is appropriate for both consoles and VR.
Despite the information wave, it is worth remembering: registering a trademark is not the same as announcing a product. Companies often reserve names in advance, and some of such IP never reaches the shelves. At the same time, Valve has a successful experience of «hardware»: the portable Steam Deck has actually formed a new subcategory of the market, and the Valve Index continues to remain among the benchmarks of PC-VR.
For consumers and developers, the potential arrival of a Valve home console would mean another entry point into the Steam ecosystem with a large catalog and familiar porting tools. For the market, it would increase competition among the «big three», especially if the device comes with ready-made «killer» content and a competitive price.
Valve has tried to enter the living room before: in 2015, the company promoted the concept of Steam Machines, but the ecosystem didn’t take off then. With the advent of Steam Deck and a mature SteamOS, the chances of a «second chance» look higher. Meanwhile, the industry is preparing for a generational reformatting: Microsoft, according to insiders, is developing its own «Xbox PC» with a focus on open stores, so a new player from Valve could well become another catalyst for change.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Valve added a new rule to the Steam platform usage policy, which prohibits «content that may violate the rules and standards established by Steam’s payment systems.» Some adult games have already begun to disappear from the platform.
