The short answer
Valve has expanded its Verified program, first used for Steam Deck, to the Steam Machine living-room PC and the Steam Frame VR headset. For Steam Machine, the checks stay close to Steam Deck: full controller support, sensible default graphics settings, smooth performance and readable text. For Steam Frame, they cover running well on the headset display, readable text and a default controller setup that works. A game that already earns Steam Deck Verified is most of the way there.
What Verified means for players
On Steam Deck, the Verified badge tells players a game works well out of the box. Valve is applying the same idea to its new devices, so players can see at a glance whether a game will work on their hardware. Badges influence purchases, especially for players who do not want to tweak settings.
Steam Machine: what to check
- Controller support everywhere , including launchers, menus and settings.
- Correct glyphs for the controller in use, not keyboard prompts.
- Readable text at TV distance. Living-room players sit much further away than desk players.
- Sensible default graphics settings that run smoothly without tweaking.
- Compatibility with Valve's Proton layer if you ship a Windows build, including middleware and anti-cheat.
Steam Frame: what to check
- Runs well on the built-in display , with stable performance for comfort.
- Readable text in the headset, which usually means larger text and higher contrast than on a monitor.
- Default controls that work without the player building a custom layout.
- Comfort : VR players notice stutter immediately, so frame-time stability matters more than peak quality.
How it compares with Steam Deck Verified
| Area | Steam Deck | Steam Machine | Steam Frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controller support | Required | Required | Working default controls |
| Text legibility | At 800p on a 7-inch screen | At TV distance | In the headset |
| Default settings | Sensible for the Deck | Smooth on the hardware | Stable for comfort |
| Compatibility | Proton or native | Proton or native | Runs well on the device |
Exact criteria live in Valve's Steamworks documentation, and Valve can refine them, so check there before submitting. Our Steam Deck Verified guide covers the Deck criteria in detail.
Preparing a flat-screen game
- Make every screen navigable with a controller and show clear focus states.
- Use Steam Input or your engine's input system to show the right button icons.
- Add a text size option and test at couch distance on a real TV.
- Detect the hardware and apply a default preset with a stable frame rate.
- Check that launchers, video players and anti-cheat work under Proton if you ship Windows builds.
- Test suspend and resume, and long play sessions.
Preparing a VR game
- Build on OpenXR so the game runs across headsets supported by SteamVR.
- Set a performance budget that holds frame time steady in the busiest scenes.
- Scale UI and text for readability in the headset.
- Provide comfortable defaults: teleport or smooth locomotion options, snap turning and vignetting.
- Make sure default controller bindings cover every action.
If you already ship on Quest, a Steam version can reach a different audience; see Meta VR strategy and Quest 3 for how to plan across stores.
Common reasons games fall short
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Menus need a mouse | Add controller navigation and visible focus to every screen |
| Keyboard prompts on a controller | Detect the active device and show matching glyphs |
| Tiny text on a TV or in a headset | Raise base text size and add a scaling option |
| Unstable frame rate in busy scenes | Add a hardware preset with a frame-rate cap and lighter effects |
| Launcher or account screen breaks the flow | Remove it or make it fully controller-friendly |
| Anti-cheat not working under Proton | Enable Proton support in the middleware where available |
Engine notes
In Unity, the Input System handles controllers, but focus navigation and glyphs need deliberate work, and the Steamworks SDK exposes Steam Input and the on-screen keyboard. In Unreal, the Common UI plugin helps build controller-friendly menus with input-aware prompts. For VR in either engine, OpenXR with SteamVR covers most headsets on Steam.
Why it is worth doing
Most of this work also improves the game on ordinary PCs: controller support helps players with gamepads, better defaults help low-end machines, and readable UI helps everyone. Verification on new hardware is a chance to collect those improvements and earn a badge that reassures buyers.
It also helps marketing. A Verified badge is a concrete update to announce, a reason to email wishlisters, and a selling point in store descriptions and press outreach. Plan the work alongside a content update or seasonal sale so the announcement lands when players are paying attention.
Getting help
Adding controller support, TV-friendly UI and hardware presets is a well-defined job that suits co-development. We do this as part of PC game development and game porting.
Sources: Tom's Hardware: Valve expands Verified program · Steamworks: compatibility review · Steamworks: Steam Input. Checked October 27, 2026.
Related: PC game development · VR development · Get a quote
Originally published on A Plus Games Studio, a game, AR and VR development studio in Sacramento, CA.
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