The Steam Deck 2 is still a few years away, but Valve may have something else in store. And it looks like this “Steam Box” will go head-to-head with Nvidia's popular “Shield TV” device.

According to a Reddit post (spotted by XDA Developers), Valve is testing a new device that resembles Google ChromeOS hardware, with changes to the Steam Deck code indicating HDMI CEC testing. connected to a TV, this already suggests a streaming device. Furthermore, if it is running on SteamOS, it is likely to have lots of games on it.

The post also mentions that the device is based on a platform codenamed “AMD Lilac,” which, according to Geekbench, typically runs an AMD 8540U chipset. Compared to the custom AMD Zen 2-powered Steam Deck OLED, this new SteamOS streaming device has plenty of power.

As this post suggests, the similarity to ChromeOS may indicate that the SteamOS streaming device will also support Android TV apps and be a new device that can stream shows and play games via Steam

At this point in time, the SteamOS streaming device is not yet ready.

This is all speculation at this point, as the chip is just a prototype and may not be the chip actually used in this rumored device. Still, this could be a shot in the arm for the Nvidia Shield TV, and the new “Steam Box” could be a game changer, as it did not see much competition until its release in 2019.

Valve's SteamOS made waves on Steam Deck, so much so that many have started running it on other gaming handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally X.

Thankfully, the company is working on this operating system with more Windows 11 gaming handhelds, but we should also see more upcoming devices with the “Powered by SteamOS” badge.

No word on when this “Steam Box” will be announced or if it will appear at all, but it could be one of the devices that Valve will stick this badge on.

The Nvidia Shield TV has yet to receive a product update since its 2019 launch, but it remains one of the best streaming devices you can get for gaming. If Valve is to then bite the dust with an all-new SteamOS streaming device, that throne may not hold for very long. Furthermore, if SteamOS eventually makes it to more devices, it may become the OS of choice for portable gaming and streaming.