Valve Open-Sources the Steam Machine's E-Ink 'Inkterface' Under MIT License

Valve has released the full design for the Steam Machine's front-panel e-ink display on GitLab under the MIT license, calling it 'Inkterface' and inviting anyone to build their own.

Valve has open-sourced the e-ink display design from its Steam Machine console, releasing the full hardware specifications, bill of materials, and assembly instructions on GitLab under the permissive MIT license.

The design, which Valve is calling the "Inkterface," lives at the company's official gitlab.steamos.cloud repository under SteamHardware/SteamMachine/inkterface. The repo includes everything needed to build the display from scratch — including a step-by-step assembly video — and the MIT license means tinkerers, accessory makers, and competitors are all free to produce and sell their own versions.

Valve originally showed off the e-ink panel to the first wave of reviewers who got their hands on the Steam Machine. The small display sits on the front of the console and can show system status, now-playing info, and other glanceable data without firing up a full screen. At the time, Valve suggested it might manufacture the panel itself, but the company has since decided to hand the design over to the community instead.

Accessory maker JSAUX had teased an "Ink & Pixel" version of the display back in November 2025, and confirmed this week that those plans are still moving forward. If the Steam Machine finds a foothold, expect a wave of third-party Inkterface variants to follow.

The open-sourcing of hardware designs is rare for a company of Valve's scale, and the MIT license — which imposes virtually no restrictions on reuse — makes this one of the most permissive hardware releases from a major gaming company to date.

Sources: GamingOnLinux, GitLab