Valve announces Steam gaming machines

Valve has revealed plans to release Steam Machines, hardware that will work with the recently announced SteamOS.

There will be multiple Steam Machines developed by different manufacturers, and they're expected to be available in 2014.

Valve will also be sending 300 Steam Machines out to beta testers later this year.

"The specific machine we're testing is designed for users who want the most control possible over their hardware.

"Other boxes will optimise for size, price, quietness or other factors."

Valve also said that Steam Machines would work with gamepads, although it's unclear whether that means a new controller or an existing console one.