Valve has trademarked the term Steam Frame, lending fuel to rumors that the company is planning to release a console counterpart to its popular handheld Steam Deck. No matter what form the Steam Frame takes, it looks like Valve is planning to expand its gaming hardware offerings in the near future.
Valve filed two separate trademarks for the Steam Frame on September 2, as spotted by a Reddit user, with each covering a different use. The first is listed for “computer game consoles for recreational game playing,” including related accessories and controllers, while the second is broadly under “computer hardware,” with an extended description that’s an exact match for Valve’s trademark filing for the Steam Index VR headset. The Steam Deck, for reference, was listed under “handheld computers” and “computer hardware,” among other related categories.
While the trademark filing doesn’t have enough information to confirm anything, the industry rumor mill suggests Valve is working on multiple hardware projects including a Steam console codenamed Fremont, a new SteamVR headset codenamed Deckard, and new Steam controllers. The Valve Fremont recently appeared in a listing on benchmarking platform Geekbench, further fueling speculation around the project.
While the Steam Machine, Valve’s first foray into compact gaming hardware running the Linux-based SteamOS, was a flop, the company has had better luck with recent releases including the popular handheld Steam Deck. Many have speculated that Valve would return to console-like hardware for SteamOS after the Steam Deck’s success, and recent news is making a console announcement look more likely.
As for what exactly the Steam Frame will be, the multiple trademarks suggest the branding could be intended to cover multiple upcoming hardware devices, as well as their related peripherals.
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