Valve Details Steam Machine and Steam Frame Verification Rules

A strong r/pcgaming post is highlighting Tom's Hardware's readout of Valve's GDC 2026 hardware deck, and the underlying slide deck gives the clearest public view yet of how Steam Machine and Steam Frame compatibility badges are supposed to work. Rather than invent a fresh system from scratch, Valve is extending the verification logic it already built for Steam Deck. In the slides, Valve says all Deck Verified games are automatically Machine Verified.

The Steam Machine thresholds are deliberately familiar. Valve's GDC deck says Machine Verified keeps the same input expectations as Steam Deck and targets 30 FPS at 1080p. Valve also says the box is designed around roughly six times Steam Deck performance and that it does not test display resolution or UI legibility the same way. That makes the program more about practical playability on fixed hardware than about mirroring every handheld requirement.

The other Steam Machine categories show how much Valve wants to reuse existing review work. Games that were only Deck Playable because of performance constraints can still move into Machine Verified, because the stronger hardware is expected to close that gap. Titles that were limited by controls or other non-performance issues fall into Machine Playable instead, while some Deck Unsupported titles can still be retested as Machine Test.

Steam Frame is more segmented. Valve's slides say there is no Verified program for streaming use at all: if a game runs well on the host PC, it should run well on Steam Frame, and developers do not need extra optimization for that path. The dedicated Steam Frame Verified program only applies to standalone use on the device, which is an important distinction because Valve is clearly separating streaming expectations from on-device certification.

For standalone Steam Frame software, Valve says both VR and non-VR titles can be tested. The performance targets are explicit in the slides: standalone VR titles need 90 FPS, while standalone 2D titles need to hold 30 FPS at 1280 x 720. Games also need full Steam Frame controller support and a legible UI. Reddit reacted because compatibility badges are what early buyers trust when new hardware arrives, and Valve has now put concrete numbers behind those labels instead of leaving them as marketing language.