It sounds like Valve is going through with at least one hardware release in 2026.
Brad Lynch shared the news on Twitter:
Looks like Valve received their first large quantity imports of “Wireless PC Controller” last week
(At least in the USA)
We will assume Brad is looking at publicly available data that most gamers just wouldn’t know where to look.
Last November 2024, the rumor broke of a new Steam Controller that has the Steam Deck’s inputs. And then in November 2025, Valve officially announced this new controller, alongside the new Steam Machine PC and Steam Frame VR headset.
Fans started having jitters about the Steam Machine getting delayed because of a Valve statement they had to clarify. We won’t interrogate their ability to deliver on it or the Steam Frame here, but there’s no lack of analysis out there if you want it.
Valve already added Steam to add compatibility with the new controller. We could see the company going ahead to release this earlier than everything else.