Valve's hardware journey began with a series of 2015 products—the Steam Machines (small form PCs), Steam Link set-top box, and Steam Controller—but these were largely considered commercial failures due to limited game support and lack of Valve's own control. In contrast, Valve found success in virtual reality, co-developing the HTC Vive headset (released April 5, 2016) and later launching its own Valve Index (June 28, 2019). The turning point came with the Steam Deck handheld PC (released February 25, 2022), which was widely praised for its portability and sparked a boom in handheld gaming PCs. Building on this momentum, Valve announced a new generation of hardware for 2025-2026, including a fully Valve-developed Steam Machine (June 29, 2026) and a revised Steam Controller (May 4, 2026), with IGN noting Valve is creating its own "gaming tech ecosystem." The key to this strategy is SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system that now uses Proton to run Windows games, significantly expanding the game library and solving the earlier compatibility issues. Notably, the original Steam Controller also became the subject of a patent lawsuit over its rear buttons, and Valve began phasing out the original LCD Steam Deck by the end of 2025 in favor of an enhanced OLED model.