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Consoles and handhelds

Valve Steam Machine

6owners with an opinion
100%of verdicts positive
4/0positive/negative since 2024
0happy after 3+ years

Praised for performance and value; criticized for software and support.

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Likes itOwned 3 years
My PC runs proxmox (multiple gpus) and a remote in homeassistant triggers a shutdown and start command for the streaming VM (bazzite booting into gamescope). Instead of picking jellyfin on the firetv stick I select moonlight. Wake on Lan is also a thing. -> I have a steam machine since 2023.
Likes it
there is the steam machine but from my experience it is a matter of hardware drivers and support. Steam Machine is GREAT. But it still has warts around controller support etc... Also, a lot of AAA games do not work on steam machine because of aggressive anticheat and DRM, and those vendors don't provide Linux builds. No spyware, no game. The software for the UI just isn't there for Windows machines. There have been attempts but it is always janky and you end up pulling out a keyboard anyway. Devs are afraid of piracy so they like the walled garden. They don't want emulators running because then they have to compete with the 90s-2015 era which is the golden age of gaming, and their newer games don't stack up ( except in graphics ). Nintendo doesn't want to compete with Mario Kart Double Dash on the Switch 2. Also: Modern PCs absolutely MOG the Switch 2 and Xbox. The games are all in the same engines and cross-platform anyway, so piracy ends up useful.
Neutral
Steam Machine owner here! As of like three weeks ago. The Steam Machine's biggest problem in general: it's launching into a headwind, because of hardware shortages. It should have been like $650-$700 for the base model, instead it's $1100ish. The Steam Machine's biggest strength, overall: the Steam library. Absolutely massive. The Steam Machine's nerd-gamer appeal: you can also run emulators, use it as a desktop, and play games from other stores (Epic, GOG, et c.). Nb this all comes with a big asterisk, as you're very much into non-console-like operation with any of this—I had to intervene with Heroic's installation of The Outer Worlds (from Epic) once to get it running with functioning cutscenes, which took me probably 30 minutes including a lot of trawling Reddit and forums to figure out the most-recent version of Proton that would work [I doubt I found the most-recent one, but I did find one more-recent than the first suggestion I saw], and then again on about my fourth play session when an update caused it to misplace its own saves (my only indication was all the saves had disappeared—they hadn't moved, it just wasn't finding them there anymore) for some reason, which I doubt would have happened on for-real Windows, and also any time it has an update available it silently fails to launch until it's updated, but I'm not notified of this until I re-start Heroic itself. This is some real computer-gaming and Linuxy bullshit (which is to say, it sucks and wastes your time)…
Likes it
I bought one while waiting to see if my Steam Machine reservation would be fulfilled. I paid ~$186 shipped for the board on eBay 5 weeks ago. I use an ATX power supply and NVMe that I had laying around and I printed a big case for it[0]. I seem to have gotten a good one as it has no problems after unlocking the extra CPU/GPU cores. I run vanilla Arch on mine configured to boot into Steam. The jank factor is pretty high but it does trade blows with the Steam Machine for a fraction of the price.[1] I did end up going through with the purchase of a 512GB Steam Machine for $1160 w/tax and swapped in a 2TB NVMe. It is definitely a more polished/living room-ready product and I'm happy with the hardware but it's definitely a questionable value. It's worth reading over the docs[2] first before committing. There are lots of options for cooling, storage, and power supplies. Just depends on what you want to get out of it and how much time you want to invest in it. There are pre-made images so you don't necessarily need to be a Linux expert but it would help if you want to stay on top of the latest developments. There is still on-going work to get even more performance[3] - [0] https://www.printables.com/model/1789618-bc-250-atx-case-dua... - [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sw1SdU9buQ - [2] https://elektricm.github.io/amd-bc250-docs/ - [3] https://github.com/lonewolf0622/BC250-Native-Mesh-Shaders-
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
As a kid who grew up absolutely loving their GameCube, this is a perfect computer to me. Yes, I already built my own LAN cube ~2 years ago that fits in my carry-on and is significantly more powerful for a comparable price point... but the Steam Machine is WAY smaller! I can fit it in my backpack and still have room for a monitor, work laptop, peripherals, Steam Deck, and clothing. It's just not possible to build a DIY machine of this size + quality without resorting to extremes as a consumer.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
Consumers are WAY more price conscious than this author recognizes. Also it's strange to complain about the PS5's price increasing to $599.99 when the Steam Machine is $1,128. Almost double. There is no world the Steam Machine outsells the PS5 or PS6.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
No need for the tone I was just asking. They didn't include the link so I figured you looked it up yourself. I found the YT video: https://youtu.be/66QzlDewigE?si=q2p-sURxi1vKExZG&t=800 It's not a great look. Cheaper and significantly more powerful. Unless that form factor and SteamOS are particularly important, I just don't see it. It can't compete with consoles because traditionally consoles are an easy way to save money on the initial hardware purchase, and it can only lightly compete with comparably priced PC's unless the smaller form factor is considered, which even then is not that impossible to build if you're patient. And every year it'll be cheaper to beat it, and you can upgrade your machine if you need. The steam machine is not really built for hardware upgrades, which is a big con from to the console experience. I think if they could've squeezed this to $900-$950 I'd be less skeptical but crossing $1k without even giving you the controller...that's a big mental barrier for folks, you can see it everywhere. As I've said in other comments, I REALLY want it to succeed and I hope I am wrong. But this one is hard to feel optimistic about. I saw a Costco pre-built today that smoked it at $1399 (32gb DDR5 ram, 2TB nvme, better GPU/processor). It's just a really hard price to get people excited for. Still, I'm rooting for them.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
I am flabbergasted by the negativity. It is more expensive of what we hoped for. Is it overpriced? I tried to calculate what a PC would cost NOW and it's exactly the same cost. I have a big Steam Library, a Steam Deck (actually 2), a desktop PC, a very old desktop pc. We are also a family of 4 and both my kids enjoy gaming (they are my kids after all), recently they started showing a lot of interest for games I play rather than Nintendo games, so I am getting one, here is what I see as positive that others don't: - I'm buying a console for which I have to buy zero games for. That's probably saving me more than 3k right out of the gate. - if I buy a game for such console I can play it on a flight, on the go, at my tv, at my desk - if I want to mod it, I can - I can finally give a computer to my kid that's not severely outdated, and it has linux, so they learn freedom and power before anything - I can finally play Nightreign with my wife without using Nucleus Coop (2 instances on the same pc), which makes my PC a furnace - Buying it puts me in the camp of "I have more linux gaming devices than windows gaming devices" Yeah there are some of us in the market for it!
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
>The original price should have been in $700-800 range, pre-RAM and storage pricing escalation Also on a 2025 launch, but that 2023 mid-level hardware feels already pretty weak in 2026, especially for a console you're supposed to run 6-7 years into the future. Sure, it's as powerful as a base PS5 but that console is already 6 years old by now. So the valve box is a pain to justify jumping in unless you're a big valve fan and don't want to DIY a PC.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
Honestly, it seems overpriced (as expected). But it's much smaller than PS5 and according the first reviews it runs much cooler. Still not my cup of tea.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
It is already outdated I think? 8GB of VRAM, and CPU and mobile GPU from 3+ years ago. Nobody would build a gaming PC right now with a GPU that anemic and 8GB of VRAM.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
The pricing is all out of sorts. Close to $500 more expensive than a PS5 for worse performance. I understand this is a PC and you can do other things with it, but if you're buying a gaming device to play games this is a horrible value.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
A slow gaming PC that is small and can turn on my TV is still... a slow gaming PC. And one of the main PC benefits, upgradeability is non-existent for the parts that matter (e.g. GPU, VRAM, etc).
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
if i was 10 years younger, sure I’d build my own. my roommates and i build our own gaming PCS, router, nas, home theater pc, we ran our own ethernet through the house. we ran openbsd on the router and freebsd on the nas, for fun. i’ve changed. i really do not want to spend any extra time on yak shaving outside the job. i am happy to pay $1500 for someone i trust with a fantastic track record to do it for me. plus its so cute!!! it will look great in my new apartment with the red faceplate. most gaming things are not cute.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
I really can't see the Steam Machine being a success at this point, if it ever even releases. It seems like they were really banking on hardware steadily getting cheaper like it pretty much always has in the past. A $1000+ Steam Machine makes the PS5 look like a good deal even after the price increases.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
PS5 pro - just works, decent 4K gaming, plays PS5 games and timed exclusives, remote play support, compatible with my PSN library / flash drive full of PS4 games. Reasonably quiet (though not as whisper quiet as original PS5.) Steam Machine - pre-configured and easier than regular PC, decent 1440p gaming, plays nearly any PC game, remote play support, compatible with my Steam and GoG libraries. Both sound good actually.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
I am very interested in the Steam Machine, because it will be an out-of-the-box Linux experience with (hopefully) no tweaking required. Hardware designed for Linux gaming from the beginning. I'm willing to put up with worse performance per dollar to not have to spend time tweaking the thing myself, similar to a game console. I think Steam Machine + macOS laptop + NAS running debian headless is my personal compute plan for the next few years.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
The funny thing of course is that the Steam Machine has DisplayPort, and you can easily get a DisplayPort to HDMI 2.1 dongle for $20 retail. But they are targeting this being a console, and those are hooked to TVs over HDMI so it seems lame to not have a built-in HDMI port. This is mostly an academic exercise though. HDMI 2.0 does 4K @ 60hz, and Valve have 4K @ 120hz (with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling) working over it too. Given the CPU/GPU in this machine, it won't be able to push higher than those limits anyway.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
I'm also one of those people who does everything on my mac laptop, but hits a kvm switch to jump onto a PC to play games at night (when I have time, which I don't). At this point I've stopped pretending that I want a PC that I can upgrade and swap out parts. I just want a little box that doesn't make any noise and works as is. Framework desktop and now this steam machine look like good options. I'm a bit disappointed at the 8gb gpu though.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
Perhaps the most astonishing thing to me is seeing a company as big as Valve try making some hardware (steam machine, controllers, the weird steam box streaming thing), watch them fail spectacularly, and then listen to feedback while they bravely work on a new conception of the hardware. Valve heard everyone hating on the og controller and seem to have fixed it. Same for the steam machine. I'm less certain about the headset, but if anyone has the hutzpah to make VR happen, my money is on Valve. Valve added a second joystick to the controller. That's utter insanity in today's market. The expected play is to find a way to force consumers to buy the single stick, and a subscription, somehow. Or gaslight everyone into thinking single stick is somehow better, actually. It's just crazy to me to see a big company acting with rationality, sense, and forethought
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
So, I watched an IGN video on youTube and the answer is no. You can only upgrade the SSD the rest of the components are soldered. The steam machine is intended to be kept simple and for the living room, so while you can tinker with software, DIY hardware tinkering is very limited. https://youtu.be/xb3a3EKwhGQ?si=qeqBJ5Giwo7IqzxV
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
You can replace the internal ssd with an off-the-shelf ssd and it also has SD card support, so there should be less need for external SSDs. Gigabit Ethernet is definitely a bummer when I'm close to having fiber all the way to my PC.
Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it
16 GB of RAM, 4K@60 FPS, with USB3. I’m afraid that this steam machine is so underpowered that it is no better if not much significantly slower than a MacBook Pro with a M4 Max. The specs appear to be from late 2019. Might as well get a PS5 instead. No thanks and No deal.