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Valve Sticks With Steam Deck-Style Rollout for New Hardware, Yet Promises Smoother Experience
November 13, 2025Valve isn’t changing the playbook for its next wave of hardware. The company’s distribution model for the just-unveiled Steam Frame VR headset, Steam Machine console, and Steam Controller will mirror the Steam Deck’s self-distribution approach, with a critical difference: Valve says buyers can expect smoother, faster, and wider access this time around.
Company spokesperson Kaci Aitchison Boyle confirmed to Eurogamer that Valve will continue selling its new devices directly, in partnership with the same regional partners and channels already used for the Steam Deck. But she was quick to address some of the sticking points that frustrated international fans during Valve’s last launch. “Right now, we are distributing the exact same way as Steam Deck,” Aitchison Boyle revealed, explaining that the plan is to keep region availability and channel partners consistent, while making significant improvements behind the scenes.
Fixing the Frustrations of Steam Deck’s Global Rollout
The Steam Deck proved hugely popular, but its release was hampered by slow shipping, limited region access, and persistent complaints in certain countries about missed deliveries and months-long waitlists. Aitchison Boyle acknowledged these issues openly: “For us, it’s important to just keep making Steam distribution better and better; distribute times, add regions and things like that.”
She says Valve has been working quietly to upgrade everything from shipping speeds to the list of covered markets. “Even just from the Steam Deck launch, I think now the experience of buying one of our hardware products on the West Coast is quite a bit better than it was a few years ago. We’ve also been adding regions like Australia last year.” In other words, Valve is gradually filling out its global reach, and it expects this will pay off when the new hardware drops.
Customers will still access Valve’s ordering system as before, relying on the same partners and checkout tools. But the hope is that problems like rolling region launches and missing delivery windows will no longer define the experience.
What We Actually Know: Products, Timing, and What Comes Next
Valve officially revealed three major pieces of hardware:
- Steam Frame VR headset (standalone, not dependent on PC)
- Steam Machine console
- Steam Controller
There’s no confirmed release date, the only hint is that they are “expected next year.” That leaves eager gamers and PC hardware enthusiasts watching for further updates on exact timing and whether this new approach to self-distribution ends up delivering on Valve’s promises.
It’s not clear yet how widely available the new devices will be at launch, or if Valve will further expand distribution into underserved markets. But for now, buyers can look to the improvements made since the Steam Deck rollout as a sign that delays and missed deliveries may finally be on the way out.
As Valve works to keep everything in-house, one thing is certain: the next generation of Steam hardware isn’t being left to third-party retailers, and Valve’s betting on its upgraded logistics to win back skeptics.
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