Valve will deliver ‘a message regarding Steam’ at E3 2021

Valve has a Steam related announcement planned for E3 2021.

That’s according to PC Gamer, which published the partial line-up for this year’s PC Gaming Show on Monday.

It said “a message from Valve regarding Steam” will be delivered during the 90-minute event, which kicks off on June 13 at 2.30pm PST / 5.30pm EST / 10.30pm BST.

It was claimed in May that Valve is creating a portable gaming PC likened to Nintendo Switch, codenamed SteamPal.

According to Ars Technica, the hardware will play a large selection of games on Steam via Linux and could launch this year, depending on the supply chain situation.

Multiple sources told the site that SteamPal—or whatever the device ends up being called should it come to market—is an all-in-one PC with gamepad controls and a touchscreen.

The hardware, which is said to be in the prototype stage, will reportedly include the option to “dock” to larger monitors via a USB Type-C port, but doesn’t include detachable controllers like Switch.

One prototype is said to have standard gamepad buttons and triggers, a pair of joysticks and a thumb-sized touchpad.

Further reading

Steam’s latest update could hint at Valve plans for a console-like device

Update files seemingly reference 'SteamPal' device

Valve CEO Gabe Newell may have been referring to the device last month when he hinted at plans to bring Steam games to console.

Newell, who has been living and working in New Zealand since early 2020, teased the possibility during a visit to Sancta Maria College, where he was a guest speaker for digital studies students.

Asked if Steam would be appearing on consoles in the future, Newell replied: “You will get a better idea of that by the end of this year… and it won’t be the answer you expect.”