It looks like Valve's Steam Machine could finally be on its way after a huge import effort and, despite our fears, it could ultimately support 4K 120Hz and VRR, making it a complete PS5 and Xbox replacement.

Valve has been importing tons (literally) of “Game Consoles”
Weights and details suggest these are not Steam Decks
HDMI 2.1 VRR and 4K 120Hz could be delivered via firmware update

With the new Steam Controller now available, attention is turning to Valve’s long-awaited Steam Machine and, fingers crossed, it appears to be getting closer to launch as well. Valve has reportedly brought around 50 tons of “game consoles” to the US, at least according to import records seen by The Verge.

While it is possible that these imports are Steam Decks, which used the same label for their shipments, this time the shipping records detail different weights and patterns. And that has led to speculation, or perhaps wishing, that the launch of the Steam Machine in the United States is imminent.

But if so, you can expect them to sell out quickly unless Valve has many more containers on the way or already here: as Notebookcheck.net calculates, 50 tons of shipments are equivalent to about 20,000 Steam Machines.

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The new Steam Controller is here: will its corresponding hub do the same? (Image credit: future)

That’s not the only Steam Machine news circulating this week. It also looks like Valve’s new console could come with HDMI 2.1, including full quality 4K at 120Hz and variable refresh rate support, which was feared to be impossible.

If so, that makes it an even more serious rival to the Xbox Series

Will the Steam Machine have HDMI 2.1?

The Steam Machine is currently listed with a specification of HDMI 2.0 and 4K at 120Hz with a narrow color spectrum. This is because a true 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 was not possible with AMD graphics and a Linux operating system: as Valve explained late last year, the HDMI Forum had blocked open source Linux drivers for HDMI 2.1.

Valve said the hardware was certainly compatible with HDMI 2.1, but the software was not, and was helping AMD try to “unlock things there.” And according to reports from Phoronix, AMD has done just that.

AMD has released a series of Linux kernel patches that add support for HDMI Fixed Rate Link, also known as FRL, a feature exclusive to HDMI 2.1. Currently works on AMD GPUs on Linux systems. The next step is to develop a full implementation of HDMI 2.1 to potentially deliver 4K at 120Hz (or higher) with HDR, variable refresh rate, and automatic low latency mode.

There’s no timeline for that full rollout, so it’s unlikely we’ll see HDMI 2.1 at launch, whenever that happens. But HDMI 2.1 is clearly possible on the Steam Machine, and that suggests it’s not a question of whether Valve will support the standard, but rather when that support will be delivered, so it can truly match what the consoles can do.

We’re still waiting for a release date for the Steam Machine, but hopefully it will be announced very soon – the release was delayed due to memory and storage shortages, so the early 2026 release has been pushed back. However, Valve was still hoping to launch in the first half of 2026, so we may see what’s in those shipping containers very soon.