Valve updated their article about when the Steam Machine/Controller/Frame will ship.
Previous message:
We hope to ship in 2026, but as we shared recently, memory and storage shortages have created challenges for us. We’ll share updates publicly when we finalize our plans!
New message:
We shared recently that there have been challenges with memory and storage shortages, but we will be shipping all three products this year. More updates will be shared as we finalize our plans.
They’re probably going to have an option to buy it bundled with the Steam Machine for a discount, if the release it early then people who buy it as a stand-alone would feel like they missed out on that deal.
I think the bigger issue would still be supply. If they sell out of controllers from people buying them for their Deck/PC, they may not have enough for the Machines, delaying them further.
The Steam Machine will not require a Steam Controller.
True, but I bet there will be a very small amount of people who have the Machine & not the controller, considering that it’s more console than PC.
You can use any controller with it, though. I bet there will be a lot of people who love their Xbox, PS5 or Gamesir controller and just want to stick with that to save $50 or whatever the price difference will be.
Valve isn’t a corner store with no inventory tracking.
Which is not an issue I think and definitely not a reason not to release the controller potentially months ahead.