- Valve is reportedly preparing to enter the home console market as a direct competitor to Microsoft and Sony’s next-gen systems.
- The device, codenamed Fremont, has surfaced with a custom AMD Hawk Point SoC and an RX 7600 RDNA 3 GPU.
- Current specs suggest this may be a test unit, as the hardware seems underpowered compared to the upcoming Xbox and PlayStation.
Many insider reports have suggested that Valve is secretly working on a brand-new home console. According to these claims, the project is being designed to directly compete with the upcoming consoles from Microsoft and Sony, a move that, if successful, could mark a huge turning point for the gaming industry.
Up until now, Valve’s only major hardware success has been the Steam Deck. While it’s certainly popular among PC gamers, it can’t compete head-to-head with Nintendo’s dominant Switch in the handheld market.
This makes the latest development even more intriguing: Valve Fremont has reportedly been spotted running on a custom AMD Hawk Point 2 SoC paired with an RDNA 3 GPU, strongly suggesting that a powerful home console could indeed be in the works.
Why it matters: This new console could finally bring real competition to Microsoft and Sony while leveraging Steam’s massive library. If priced right, it has the potential to blur the line between PC and console gaming and reshape the industry.
The Valve Fremont, spotted in the Geekbench database, has some surprising specs. It’s powered by a custom AMD Hawk Point 2 SoC, with Zen 4 CPU cores paired with an RX 7600 RDNA 3 GPU.
According to the listing, the CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.2 GHz and boost speeds up to 4.8 GHz. Compared to the Steam Deck’s hardware, this is a massive leap forward and strongly suggests that Fremont is designed as a home console rather than a handheld.
It’s worth noting that a console powered by the RX 7600 likely wouldn’t be able to compete with the performance targets of the next-generation Xbox or PlayStation. This suggests that the current model could simply be a test unit.
Valve may be experimenting with different hardware configurations before finalising the specs, making it interesting to see how the company moves forward.
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[News Editor]
Obaid is pursuing a Law degree while working as a content writer. He has worked as a gaming writer for over three years because of his passion for the medium and reporting the latest updates in the industry. Having played hundreds of games, Obaid finds himself coming back to Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with these games being among his favorites. He has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as Wccftech, Metro UK, PS Lifestyle, GamePressure, VGC, and Gamespot.