Valve has registered the trademark “Steam Frame,” which intensifies rumors about the company developing a console similar to its popular handheld Steam Deck. Regardless of its final form, “Steam Frame” indicates Valve`s imminent expansion of its gaming hardware offerings.
A Reddit user discovered that on September 2, Valve filed two separate applications for the “Steam Frame” trademark, each intended for different purposes. The first application covers “computer game consoles for recreational game playing,” along with related accessories and controllers. The second, more general one, pertains to “computer hardware” with an extended description identical to that used for the Steam Index VR headset trademark registration. For comparison, the Steam Deck was registered, among other things, as a “handheld computer” and “computer hardware.”
While the trademark registration does not provide sufficient information for definitive conclusions, rumors are actively circulating in the gaming industry that Valve is working on several hardware projects. These include a Steam console codenamed Fremont, a new SteamVR headset called Deckard, and updated Steam controllers. The recent mention of Valve Fremont on the Geekbench benchmarking platform has further fueled these speculations.
Valve`s initial attempt to create a compact gaming device based on Linux SteamOS, known as the Steam Machine, was unsuccessful. However, subsequent products, such as the popular handheld Steam Deck, proved to be far more successful. Following the Steam Deck`s success, many speculated that Valve would once again venture into creating console-like hardware for SteamOS, and recent news significantly strengthens the likelihood of a new console announcement.
Regarding the precise purpose of “Steam Frame,” the multiple trademark applications suggest that this name might be intended to cover a range of future hardware devices, including associated peripherals.