In what could wind up being the best news for Linux in a long time, Valve has announced the pending release of Steam Machine.

This new gaming device will make it even easier for users to play Steam games using Linux. Gamers won't need Linux skills to enjoy the new gaming console, which means Linux adoption could be set to skyrocket. One of the reasons for this is that Steam Machine will not only serve as a gaming console, but also as a regular PC. By leveraging the KDE Plasma desktop environment, users will find Steam Machine very easy to use as a desktop PC, which could also have the effect of easing even more users away from Windows and toward Linux.

Along with Steam Machine, Valve is also planning the release of Steam Controller and Steam Frame (for VR and non-VR gaming).

Steam Machine will enjoy over six times the power of Steam Deck and will be capable of playing your favorite AAA games. You'll be able to sign into your Steam account and play any game you've purchased, as well as purchase new games.

As far as hardware is concerned, Steam Machine features custom AMD Zen 4 CPU (6 core/12 thread up to 4.8GHz), a custom AMD RDNA 3 GPU with 28 compute units, and 16GB of DDR5 RAM. You'll find support for 4K 60fps gaming with FSR, and Steam Machine has 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. Storage options include 512GB or 2TB M.2 SSDs.

SteamOS is based on Arch Linux, so you can trust that it'll be stable and reliable.

There has been no official word on pricing for Steam Machine, but rumors are flying about setting it somewhere between $500 and $1,000 (with most bets placing it on par with the latest consoles).