Valve just imported 50 tons of game consoles in two days

We nonetheless do not know when Valve will launch the Steam Machinehowever we might not have to attend too lengthy. Valve just imported roughly 50 tons of “Game Consoles” into the United States in the two-day interval between May 1st and April thirtieth, in accordance with import information seen by The Verge.

That’s on prime of the “ton” of shipments that Valve watcher Brad Lynch talked about late final week — and there is cause to consider these containers have the brand new Steam Machine or Steam Frame inside, not just an additional batch of the Steam Deck handheld. (The Steam Deck was additionally designated a “Game Console” for import functions.)

While Valve’s logistics companions had a dearth of shipments after Christmas 2025, they look like ramping again up, with almost 100 tons of product transferring into the US over the previous two months. During that point, cargo ships with names like Ever Logic and Ever Shine have introduced ten 40-foot containers from China to Los Angeles, CA and Tacoma, WA, weighing 127,228 kilograms (140 US tons) in whole.

Each of these 40-foot containers can weigh over 3,700kg when empty, so there’s considerably lower than 140 tons of precise product making it into the US. But even accounting for the containers, Valve’s new shipments weigh a great bit totally different than the earlier ones — suggesting they might have a brand new product inside.

For just a few years now, every of Valve’s 40-foot containers to cross the ocean have held as much as 42 packages for a complete gross weight of round 14,500kg (32,000lbs), import information present. That was true as just lately as April 18th, round which period the Ever Sigma deposited a 14,322kg, 42-package cargo in Tacoma, Washington with Valve’s associate Ingram Micro. Perhaps it nonetheless had Steam Decks inside somewhat than Steam Machines?

But just a few days later, the Ever Shine introduced a notably lighter 12,608kg (27,800lbs) container to Tacoma, once more with 42 packages. Import information present Valve’s companions did not change to a lighter kind of container; It’s nonetheless the usual 40-foot mannequin that weighs roughly 3,700kg when empty.

Valve has had not less than seven shipments like that since April twenty third, with a median weight of 12,600kg. Subtract the burden of the containers, and also you wind up with round 53,124kg of product, packaging, pallets, and padding for the journey, or roughly 50 tons of “Game Consoles.”

Just do not forget that 50 tons is not truly rather a lot! Valve says the Steam Machine weighs 2.6kg (roughly 5.73lbs) per console, so the current emergence in shipments might add as much as fewer than 20,000 Steam Machines, significantly if any of them are pre-bundled with a controller or different objects which enhance every package deal’s weight. (Valve told us bundles can be out there.)

The Steam Controller seems to have already sold out on launch day. Unless Valve plans to create an enormous stockpile, the Steam Machine might go even quicker. I’m much less certain concerning the Steam Frame, though I’m personally excited for competitors in the gaming headset market.

It’s nonetheless doable there of these containers have Steam Deck handhelds inside, and one thing else accounts for the change in weight. Either means, Valve’s lastly getting {hardware} transferring once more. Valve designer Pierre-Loup Griffais recently told us the corporate was “working hard on trying to address” provides of its handheld so you can buy that one againtoo.