- My theory for a bit now has been that Valve is playing the long game in trying to make SteamOS a mainstay gaming platform as an alternative to Windows, and that the hardware products are essentially a way of breaking into that market. Even a few years ago, the idea of a custom Linux distro based on Arch Linux with both a built-in full desktop mode and a lower-powered gaming mode that you could switch between on a handheld device would have sounded kind of crazy, but now we're at the point where it's fully supported on more than one vendor's hardware. This seems like it could be a similar play in the traditional desktop space; if they can prove that the concept is viable, maybe other vendors will come out with similar products that come with SteamOS by default. All of this insulates them from having to worry about the long-term sustainability of making money from game sales on Windows, and if it works out, they wouldn't even necessarily have to continue making hardware indefinitely.
I don't pretend to have any insight into whether this theory is correct beyond that it seems to track with what they've been doing lately, or any expertise to make claims about whether it will work or not. In a lot of ways, this might just be a projection of my desires as a gamer who enjoys not having had to boot into Windows to play something for quite a few years at this point. I do hope that maybe they're just crazy enough to not only try this, but pull it off though!
by Ey7NFZ3P0nzAe
14 subcomments
- > Install your own apps, or even another operating system. Who are we to tell you how to use your computer?
I'm so happy to read this
- https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamframe [1]
> Steam Frame is a PC, and runs SteamOS powered by a Snapdragon® 8 Series Processor. With 16GB of RAM, Steam Frame supports stand-alone play on a growing number of both VR and non-VR games without needing to stream from your PC.
So Steam + Proton works on aarch64? Is this something already available/supported, or is this an announcement?
[1] Steam Frame, which is the VR Headset releasing alongside the Steam Machine. Dedicated discussion here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45903325
- Pretty much the only reason I boot to Windows anymore is to play games with my kids and family. The direction of this thing is dangerously close to being all I'd care about from a desktop computer.
If Valve pivoted into making a well-supported laptop with good hardware that ran Linux and played games...
by DiskoHexyl
6 subcomments
- SteamOS has way more appeal to gamers in 2025 than it could have had in, say, 2004.
On the surface the lack of popular multiplayer titles that require a kernel-level anti-cheat is a heavy downside, but gaming is extremely fragmented these days.
In 2004 everyone, save for the casual players, at least tried DOOM3 and Half-Life 2.
In 2025 Fortnight has an all-time peak of 12M players, but at the same time there are many millions of Minecraft players who never even launched Fortnight. And DOTA2/LOL players who've never launched either of those 2. And then you see a bunch of indie titles selling tens of millions of copies, and their player base is completely unrelated to those above.
The days of the gaming mono-culture are long gone, and inability to play a limited number of Game As A Service titles is not as severe of a handicap anymore, especially since people who play those kinds of games aren't typically as interested in any other titles.
For better or worse, peer pressure doesn't work as heavy these days, as it used to
by 12_throw_away
14 subcomments
- In this big hardware refresh, honestly most excited about finally getting a new steam controller [1], which feels like it might finally give us a better, more extensible standard than the extremely outdated XInput protocol (which still doesn't even support motion controls)
[1] https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamcontroller
- "Steam Machine’s pricing is comparable to a PC with similar specs" [0]
It has to be no more than 800€ then if it also wants to compete against the console market.
Even 800€ is too much imo because looking at the specs it's already not a "future proof" build, more like a previous gen gaming laptop
0, https://www.theverge.com/tech/818111/valve-steam-machine-han...
by TheCoreh
18 subcomments
- Very weird USB-C port placement choices...
- 2 USB3-A on the front
- 2 USB2-A on the back
- 1 USB-C on the back
If you want to plug an external USB hard drive or SSD at full speed, you'll need to plug it at the front? Or use up the only USB-C port...
I suspect most joysticks sold today come with a USB-C to USB-C cable, so if you want to charge your controller you either need to plug on the back, use an adapter, or get a USB-A to USB-C cable?
Also the single USB-C port isn't Thunderbolt/USB4, and they're only including gigabit ethernet, which is disappointing but perhaps understandable if they're trying to keep it at a low price.
- A bit too sparse on details.
- No price
- No indication for whether the CPU/GPU/RAM/SSD are upgradable or all soldered together on the board.
- "4K gaming at 60 FPS with FSR" but doesn't mention what kind of games it can run at that quality.
- No performance benchmarks, or mention of what the equivalent retail CPU/GPU to their custom one is.
At face value this seems like a $500-600 PC, and that's also the price it would be able to compete with consoles at.
by hebejebelus
10 subcomments
- Very interesting! The one killer issue that jumps to mind is anti-cheat. I switched away from gaming on Linux via Proton to gaming on Windows because Battlefield 6's anti-cheat won't work under Proton. Many games are like this, particularly some of the most popular (Rainbow 6 Siege for instance). And BF6 made this decision only recently despite the growing number of Steam Deck players (and other players on linux - in fairness I don't think there would have been that many BF6 players on a handheld).
Edit: I specifically use a gaming-only PC. The hardware is used for nothing else. Hence, discussions of rootkits don't really bother me personally much and on balance I'd really rather see fewer cheaters in my games. I think it would be the same with any of these machines - anything Steam-branded is likely to be a 99% gaming machine and their users will only care that their games work, not about the mechanisms of the anti-cheat software.
- >RAM 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
Hmm. Not that it is big deal, but I would be somewhat worried about true longevity with the VRAM. Not sure if SteamOS helps there, but on PC some new titles are going over the 8GB VRAM.
by CobrastanJorji
7 subcomments
- > Install your own apps, or even another operating system. Who are we to tell you how to use your computer?
From your mouth to Tim Cook's ear, friend.
by keoneflick
2 subcomments
- I wonder if Steam will finally implement multi-user sign on for local multiplayer games (like all true consoles).
It's something that doesn't get headlines, but a real barrier for enjoyment for a console-like PC. Hate being stuck with 'guest 1' and 'guest 2' or whatever. Many games want each player to progress and without true multi sign on, it just doesn't work. Hence games dropping local multiplayer on PC.
- Steam is the only reason I have a Windows desktop, I'll probably just get one of these next time I want a hardware refresh (which admittedly will probably be many years).
Interesting that it uses KDE Plasma for the desktop
- Arch-based? KDE Plasma? There might happen a real "year of desktop Linux", in a way. That is, a Linux desktop that sneaks in as a side dish, but maybe gains some non-zero traction, and bringing FOSS to more people who are not engineers.
- Huh, I had just been trying to look into whether there existed a "mini PC but with a GPU in it that's at least as good as the ones in game consoles."
(Or, to put that another way: fundamentally, I want a game console — a piece of well-integrated consumer electronics that lives unobtrusively in my entertainment center, hooked up to my TV, requiring no maintenance, controlled entirely with a Bluetooth gamepad. But I want it to enable me to run both 1. current-gen games at at-least-equivalent fidelity to the console ports of those games; and also 2. "all the games a Windows PC can run." So, anything on Steam, yes; but also, all the weird little indie games on itch.io that never make it to Steam; and old DOS/Win31/Win95 games (either as polished ports from GOG, or through various forms of virtualization/emulation I'd set up myself); and even the little freeware games floating about on the "old internet", that someone made in Game Maker or RPG Maker 2000 or even as a standalone Flash projector executable, way back when.)
The closest thing I had found to that description so far, that even might work for the use-case, was the ROG NUC.
I wonder how this compares to that?
by okayjustonemore
2 subcomments
- This seems to have been targeted especially at someone like me: I don’t like to play on PC, have no interest in building a gaming PC and I only reluctantly buy consoles because of their (kind of) plug-n-play experience.
If this thing can get me a console-like experience and allow me to play my extensive library of games (most of them classic/vintage games you can’t get on modern consoles) hassle-free, then I’m (probably) sold!
And on top of that it runs Linux. Awesome, just absolutely fantastic!
by mostly_harmless
5 subcomments
- > you can wake your Steam Machine without leaving your couch. [using the built in steam controller wireless adapter].
This one simple thing is the only thing that makes my SteamDeck+Dock feel like a second class console. So far they only claim it's for the Steam Controller, but I'd be great if it worked with the handful of 8bitdo or Switch controllers I've been using.
by GaryBluto
2 subcomments
- There goes the XBOX. Microsoft have been letting their consumer products rot for a while now and they're finally going to start feeling the consequences.
- Valve, please partner with Framework. I think this could be a great partnership in the future and the whole ecosystem as a whole.
by thot_experiment
6 subcomments
- > Who are we to tell you how to use your computer?
i'm having a hard time describing the feelings this makes me feel. like i've been stressed, bedraggled and worn down, and suddenly there's a moment where i can just rest
it's nice to be excited about something for once instead of the baseline expectation of a horrible adversarial experience, which is the case for most tech in 2025
it is somewhat depressing that it's this novel to expect a piece of hardware to actually exist to make my life nicer vs the default of being an abomination that tries constantly to extract money and information from me like a fucking vampire
(and i guess, not having used this yet, this also speaks to valve being one of the last companies that i have any trust in to be capable of making a business decision that makes them less money in the short run in order to deliver a better product)
- Cool but I wish it had a single big APU chip like the consoles and Strix Halo - and unified memory. PCs are long overdue for adopting this change, and the only reason it makes sense to keep the separate is to make graphics cards swappable.
Considering how big GPU silicon is, when you have both integrated and custom, it'd have made sense to integrate them.
by SunshineTheCat
2 subcomments
- Being able to play PC-ish games without Windows (all on its own) makes this pretty interesting. Looking forward to seeing its real world performance. The fact that it doesn't take up the space of a household appliance is a plus too.
- Excited for Steam/PC games on ARM to get better as a side effect of the Frame running using a Snapdragon CPU.
Running x86 PC games on higher end Android devices already works better than you might expect via gamehub/gamehub lite/winlator, but it requires much random trying of different driver and runtime versions for every game and even then a lot don't work or have issues.
- A mainstream desktop PC that supports most games without windows is actually a massive deal in the long term as I know plenty of people who don't like windows but didn't have an alternative
- Wow the whole line-up being "just linux computers" that is compatible with everything else really makes me wish they come out with a Steam smartphone instead of the walled garden crap we are being force fed from Apple and Google.
by perihelions
1 subcomments
- > "SteamOS 3 (Arch-based)"
Holy shit, it's the Year of The Linux Desktop, for real this time. It's happening. It's actually happening.
A standard Arch Linux/KDE[0] PC for every home, in a polished, vendor-supported package. Like Apple, it's a single standard hardware/OS pair, so, FOSS' fatal hardware-support hell might well be made obsolete. The vendor is a household name corporation. There's an incredibly fortuitous (for Linux) market dynamic at this point in time, of "commoditize your complement"—the dynamic that Valve has incentives to invest massively in giving away a nice thing for free, because that does bad things to its competitors. And Steam is... the killer super-app to end all killer apps.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SteamOS
This is real life!
by mystifyingpoi
1 subcomments
- Linus Torvalds was right. Valve will save the Linux desktop.
- I wonder what video codecs will have hardware decoding support. Because having this able to support HTPC options with AV1 and h265 decoding would pair amazing to sticking this on the main TV for family gaming as well. I'd be shocked if it didn't have h265 support but AV1 is not quite guaranteed at this point.
by noisy_boy
1 subcomments
- Seems to me that there is a fourth platform emerging: Windows, Mac, Linux and now, Steam.
PS: I know its custom Arch Linux under the hood, I'm talking about mass market nomenclature.
by Mr_Eri_Atlov
0 subcomment
- This project is a gaming console dream.
Compact and looks nice, no qualms about displaying it in the living room, with customizable front panels.
Optimized to just barely hit 4K 60 fps as cheaply as possible.
Controllers designed to avoid stick drift, easy to charge, and featuring low-latency wireless connections.
Stream from a Steam Machine to a Steam Deck or a Steam Frame if you have one; the Steam Machine enhances your other purchases further.
Instantly supports everyone's libraries of dozens, if not hundreds, of games acquired over the years.
And you can just use it as a desktop computer if you like?
Give me the Gabecube!
- Hell ya! A new gaming OS, linux based, getting console and portable hardware that is well built, it's what I've been waiting for, something that gives you a good console UX but lets you play PC games.
by JBiserkov
6 subcomments
- A bit of topic, but I was wondering how much bigger is the steam machine compared to the mac mini m4, since that's what I have and is my frame of reference. Obviously comparing apples to oranges and only talking about physical volume, not features, compatibility, price, personal preferences, etc.
Mac Mini m4: 127 x 127 x 50 mm = 0.8 L
Steam Machine: 156 x 162 x 152 = 3.8 L
That's 4.76 times more volume.
- > Who are we to tell you how to use your computer?
What a refreshing thing to hear in 2025... :D
by masfoobar
1 subcomments
- I hope someone out there creates a "GabeCube" boot up screen, based on the Game Cube animation.
by nalekberov
0 subcomment
- Video games were the only reason for me to use Windows, now that Steam solved this problem no reason to look back anymore. I am also not big fan of multi-player games, so not being able to play games with anti-cheat system buried deep into their binaries isn't an issue.
- Perhaps as a non-gamer I can tie my wagon to the hope that Valve will make a phone that doesn't call installing "side-loading"? Gabe seems to remember why computers exist.
by microsoftedging
0 subcomment
- It's glorious. The year has finally come. It's nice to feel excited about tech sometimes, especially when the company isn't completely horrible, and more competition! Great! Microsoft's move really, Sony and Nintendo are doing pretty okay!
W shadow drop.
- It is truly amazing how far Proton/Steam OS has come along. I recently installed it on some old AMD hardware I had lying around, hooked it up to my TV and everything just works - zero problems. I look forward to checking out this Steam Machine!
- Does anyone know the price?
- I've installed Debian Linux recently, and it was EASY installing Steam and Heroic Games Launcher. Testing Rocket League and Thief:TDM and worked really well.
I also purchased a Steam Link and Controller a few years ago. Still works like a charm.
I was planning to build my own PC in 2026 to be the new Family gaming system. I don't plan to purchase game consoles, now. However, after seeing the new steam machine, I will wait to see the costs before I make a decision.
Seems like the Steam Machine.. if powerful enough and decent price.. can still be used as a PC. Otherwise, I will just build my own and stick Debian on it.
Be interesting to see how the Steam Machine does against XBox and PS. Seems like Microsoft may lose this battle unless they do something different with their next-gen. By different I mean that gets people excited.
Honestly, I think this is a good thing for Games Consoles. Lets me honest.. Games Consoles have not been proper "Games Consoles" since the GameCube, PS2 and first XBox. Since then, they are been more PCs than anything.
by haritha-j
2 subcomments
- I know everyone says such good things about the steam deck, but my personal experience hasn't been great. Steam games are the best case scenario, but even those often require hunting down the best version of proton and doesnt work out of the box. why cant steam auto default to the version that works with the game? Getting discord running properly often involves switching to desktop mode, and then its hard to play handheld. if i connect a display in handheld mode i cant increase the resolution to match my monitor.
and then we get to 3rd party stores, requiring all kinds of hoops, and once you get it working and you come back to a game after a couple of months, its broken again. Installing ISOs requires even more painful work (tbf thats not an intended use case i guess).
Disclaimer: my use of the steam deck has been as a fairly non technical user. For me the whole point of getting it was a slightly console like experience, so I wasn't willing to hack into it too much.
by babblingfish
3 subcomments
- In 2026 we should be getting Windows on a Xbox console with the Xbox skinned version of windows. This would be a direct competitor to that since most PC gamers have the majority of their game library on steam.
- USB2-A ... what? Why? It's <checks watch> almost 2026. Apple hasn't shipped USB-A since 2017. But ok, apparently there's a bunch of PC folks still rocking USB-A. Cool, love that for them. But why not make them all USB3-A?
by chezelenkoooo
0 subcomment
- I knew I was building a library if unplayed games for a reason.
- Dave2D has additional info. User upgradable RAM and SSD, but not CPU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=356rZ8IBCps
- Welp, I probably just found the final reason for not bothering to maintain a Windows PC at home any more in addition to my personal laptop.
- GabeN send me a devkit! I make Rogue Stargun VR (roguestargun.com) which should be able to run on standalone
- 8GB vram in 2026?!
by robotnikman
2 subcomments
- The one with the front panel replaced by an Eink screen really looks cool
https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/202...
>Valve won’t necessarily sell any of those extra panels, but says it’ll release the CAD files so you can design and 3D print your own.
- I really hope for Steam that the timing is right. Given the rising GPU, RAM and now storage prices, I hope they secured their supply chain with a fixed price for components, and at least first batches are going to be affordable enough for the public.
by IlikeKitties
2 subcomments
- >Yes, Steam Machine is optimized for gaming, but it's still your PC. Install your own apps, or even another operating system. Who are we to tell you how to use your computer?
In a world of locked bootloaders and ever more locked down device, valve is pushing the envolope with a linux based gaming console.
by energy123
5 subcomments
- A reason to get this instead of Playstation/Xbox is that games on Steam are significantly cheaper through keys sites like g2a.com or just waiting for discounts.
Playstation/Xbox know you're locked in because you've already sunk money into the console, and they use this pricing power against you.
- I've been using my Steam Deck + Steam Dock to play Hades II on my TV using my Xbox controller. It's been a fantastic experience. I can't imagine how much better a device like Steam Machine and Steam's own controller would make it.
- Looks like the og Nintendo Gamecube but modernized.
- Apparently js on both this and Frame page causes the webpage to die (entire page grey area) when scrolling on iphone with link opened from steam app.
- > HDMI 2.0
The HDMI Forum yet again rearing it's ugly head by continuing to block GPU manufacturers from implementing HDMI 2.1 in the Open Source drivers
- Storage seems small to how crazy big some games have bee
EDIT:
Maybe it needs a combo ssd for system + hdd for storage
- What's the cost? Doesn't seem we can buy yet.
- They haven't mentioned it anywhere, but non-upgradable CPU/GPU/RAM/SSD would be a massive deal breaker.
Also why announce it without a price?
- I find it weird that a new device in 2025 still comes with only one USB-C port and otherwise only USB-A. Is USB-C that much more expensive? Is it about power delivery?
- This kind of inspires me. I have an i5-1340p NUC I’m not using for anything at the moment, I wonder if I could press it into service as a sort of “dry run” for this type of experience
by ElijahLynn
1 subcomments
- "One USB-C and four USB-A ports."
I'm confused...
- Many comments here and on similar posts bring up only keeping Windows for games, and only then for games that require heavy anti-cheat.
Is there a reason there couldn't be non-regulation copies of games that don't do anti-cheat but are otherwise fine. Like metal baseball bats, oversized golfballs, etc. Official, but not allowed in competitions?
- I am hyped for the improved gyro controller. Gyro aiming is so good that after some time it became way better than my mouse aiming.
by dangoodmanUT
3 subcomments
- Sorry… expandable via microsd? They’re terribly slow and unreliable, just cattle-chute us to using ssds over usb like consoles
by embedding-shape
6 subcomments
- The only thing I'd like to know, if the CPU/GPU will be replaceable? The specs say "Semi-custom AMD Zen 4" and "Semi-Custom AMD RDNA3", but I don't see "soldered" anywhere, so I guess maybe they'll be switchable? If not with off-the-shelves components, maybe Valve will offer their own upgrade kits in the future?
by ecef9-8c0f-4374
1 subcomments
- I really like my steam deck.
After buying it I wanted to Download Musik and checkout some Films just to realize they removed all non game media years ago
- The best part was that there was no mention of generative AI anywhere.
- I priced out an upgrade for my machine: Radeon 9070XT, motherboard and PSU, coming in at roughly $1000. Part of me knows I should probably just buy this instead.
- The year of the Linux coffee table.
by CuriouslyC
0 subcomment
- Valve is cooking. Their work is paving the way for an open computing ecosystem that is gonna be lit.
- Can't wait for benchmarks. I have a Corsair One running exclusively Linux but it is getting old. I wouldn't mind replacing it with something even more compact and quiet.
- No external power brick. Instant buy.
- But will it be able to run GTA VI?
Truly the only litmus test for any gaming system released from now until 2027.
by somanyphotons
0 subcomment
- If they can make it play Microsoft Flight Simulator then that'd be pretty enticing
- The non upgrade-ability of the components is a deal breaker for me considering the estimated cost (800eur?). I'm not sure who the target market for this is, the pc games already have pcs they can upgrade.
What would make the console players consider paying effectively twice (compared to the current ps5 prices) to play the same games? I think such a device would have to be priced competitively with ps5 for me to even consider having a separate gaming device/replace the console in the living room.
- I pretty much already use my Steam Deck as my main Desktop computer at home (I have a laptop for work). If I wanted to upgrade, this would be a no-brainer.
by schmorptron
0 subcomment
- They mention FSR specifically in the trailer, but this comes with RDNA3, meaning no FSR4 currently. Does this mean that the int8 path for fsr4 is gonna become official to support this and the ps5 pro?
- Does anyone know if the resolution is good enough to use it for work? I.e., e-mails, programming, etc
EDIT: I mean the VR googles.
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- Steam machine so close to perfect, but 1x USBC and 1GB Ethernet are huge misses for a 2026 device. Also needs more VRAM. May be better to just do custom SFF build.
- The body is really simple and appealing but as these are rare nowadays I wish they'd consider squeezing an optional optical drive inside or perhaps maybe some external one that would stack on top.
- How does this compare to the Framework Desktop as a gaming Linux box? I notice only the RAM and storage is upgradable for the Steam Machine, but is there significant performance difference?
by simlevesque
3 subcomments
- I bet they decided to crash their skin market in part because too many people were exploiting the Steam Deck loophole to take the skin money out of the system.
Now people will need to give Steam real money to buy their new devices.
- the 8gb vram is very concerning to me. it claims to be 4k ready and 8gb of vram is nowhere near enough for 4k gaming natively. they say that this is offset by using fsr upscaling, which is fine, but then you need whatever amount of vram that is necessary for running the game at 1440p or 1080p and then additional vram for the fsr. this will be fine for casual games or even AA games, but I can't imagine AAA gaming on this thing being anything less than a disaster. hopefully i'm proven wrong.
- Two very important questions are:
How long before the steam machine gets obsolete? Would it be hardware upgradeable?
by estimator7292
0 subcomment
- I really, really hope people start calling this device the GabeCube
- Seems like this is very under-spec'd in terms of RAM. I have my doubts that this will run modern games at acceptable performance.
- The PC looks pretty cool in a small form factor case. And since it runs ArchBTW, you can run a bunch of other games too outside of Steam. Wondering how the pricing will be...
- When's the preorder?
- [off-topic rant]
Two companies, both (quasi) monopolies in their field.
Company A built its fortune by exploiting people.
Company B built its fortune by building (somewhat) decent products.
Company A developed a very advanced approach to hiring: specific questions to assess a candidate’s psychometric profile, screens to weed out bad choices, and a laser focus on the "top 0.1%".
Company B made it very public that hiring well is vital and encouraged every employee to think about it and participate. They even published an Employee Handbook years ago [0]
Today, many startups copy Company A’s playbook: crafting advanced questionnaires, trick questions, and trying to detect behavioural traits in their candidates.
No startup (that I know of [1]) has adopted Company B’s strategy.
Take your pick on who Company A is.
Company B is Valve.
[0]: http://media.steampowered.com/apps/valve/Valve_Handbook_LowR...
[1]: I kjnow of one that <<pretends>> to
- For everyone talking about anti cheat, you can just install windows then, right?
- I've been looking at getting a Bee-link box to run as a TV computer and plex server. I'm definitely holding of buying until I see the pricing on this!
by sentrysapper
0 subcomment
- oh boy here comes the GabeCube
by somanyphotons
0 subcomment
- Does this suddenly become the best supported ARM desktop?
by HexPhantom
0 subcomment
- A little time capsule from when Valve was still trying to drag desktop Linux into mainstream gaming
by Solstafir
2 subcomments
- What can I do with steamos besides Gaming?
by markus_zhang
0 subcomment
- Has anyone managed to scroll to the bottom? The page crashed on me if I scroll down too much. Is there a price point at the bottom?
by reactordev
4 subcomments
- These links open the Steam app on my phone and crash. :(
by somanyphotons
1 subcomments
- I'm surprised they went for ARM in the desktop, but for x86 on the handheld. Does this mean the handheld will move to ARM aswell?
- > No giant brick! Steam Machine's power supply is built right in.
Great! Extremely great!
- Just waiting on a steam pass and I’ll never buy a console again.
- After years of Cloud gaming with GeForce Now, this might just be what I‘ve been waiting for!
by unpopularopp
1 subcomments
- If they want to capture the console audience its better be priced like one too and not prevent me from playing multiplayer games due to Linux and anti cheat software not playing nice
Anything above $600 is DOA and that's with accepting the fact that the most popular games will be not available on the platform
- Maybe this will have better luck this time, and who knows, studios might finally care to do at Steam OS native builds.
- How much?
by nelsonfigueroa
0 subcomment
- This is exciting. I can't wait to get rid of Windows altogether. I only put up with it for gaming purposes.
by alligatorplum
0 subcomment
- This is likely the push i need to fully ditch windows and go install linux on my PC. Can't wait to preorder!
by 2OEH8eoCRo0
2 subcomments
- Will it be able to play AAA games with shitty DRM such as Battlefield 6?
Not being able to play these huge titles on Linux really sucks!
by bytesandbits
0 subcomment
- Damn. Windows might lose!
- Steam is starting to become the 'Apple Computer Inc.' everyone wants.
- Is this the end of Windows for gaming?
- Wonder if there is a good remote with voice input to use for YouTube and Kodi so I can replace my shield TV.
- Wonder if they'll ship worldwide.
by mistyvales
0 subcomment
- Will wait until dosdude1 upgrades it to 32GB :D
- I thought it is very easy to burn and SD card. Since when can you use it as storage expansion?
- I just need more RAM. 16GB is unfortunately not enough for me.
With some luck it would be easy to upgrade ourselves.
- I doubt those specs are enough for running games at good graphics settings.
- I’m just not seeing the market for this. Why not build a better steam deck dock instead?
- I'm really wondering about the CPU+GPU.
Like in some contexts it sounds like a single APU with both.
But then it has normal and graphics RAM?
So is it 2 SoC? Or one connected to two kinds of RAM? Does the GPU have direct access to the non graphic memory?
The dedicated RAM makes it looks like 2 chips, but number of CU and similar make it look like an APU/integrated graphics???
I mean even with FSR 8GiB of graphics RAM is a bit tight for 4k60fps. But on the other hand recent consoles (e.g. PS5 Pro) do promise similar things and have 16GiB for _both_ the CPU and GPU which in effect also means only roughly around 8GiB dedicated to the GPU. So it still is viable. And if the GPU could directly access the non graphic RAM then it could easily outperform a classical 8GiB RAM GPU????? But I guess it's probably nothing fancy like that.
One good thing about it not having a AMD Max SoC or similar is that it probably will have console pricing. I mean for Valve Steam devices are about making sure Windows can't kill Steam and Steam staying relevant even if Windows decides to suicide themself with ads. So I would guess the price concept is similar to the Steam Deck, no loss, but also not a huge profit margin.
- Wait. Will I be able to play Subnautica 2 on this?
- I wonder if AMD have bothered finishing the gfx drivers for this before release.
- For this to truly become a console replacement, Steam needs to mint agreements with Netflix, Spotify and Discord.
Netflix and Spotify could live as a 'game' application in the store. Spotify also is fairly easy to plug into Steam's overlay music control (currently via Decky plugins).
Discord just needs integration with the Steam Friend List. I know Valve wants Steam Friends to compete with Discord, but that ship has sailed every since 2020 (and frankly, the entire decade before that when they let it languish).
- Been waiting for this
- Oh, c'mon. I've been waiting for that machine for years. So much that I bought the Steam Deck out of frustration b/c it was so close.
Two weeks ago I got tired and built a mini-ATX gaming PC with a RTX 5080.
Way to go Steam nonetheless. I can get 100% behind a Windows-less gaming future. I may even buy this for a 2nd screen or for the kids.
- > CPU Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP
> GPU Semi-Custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs 2.45GHz max sustained clock, 110W TDP
> RAM 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
All of those seem a little low (at least judging by power usage) when compared to your average tower gaming PC build, but modern parts are pretty power efficient and given the form factor (and hopefully reasonable price) it seems like it's gonna be a pretty good device - definitely enough for most indie titles, all e-sports titles, even AA/AAA games with some upscaling/framegen, although I predict that your average UE5 slop game will wipe the floor with it. That doesn't reflect badly on the hardware, just how the devs use the engine in some cases, but at the same time being able to use it as a regular SFF PC is nice as well, actually a good reason to buy it compared to most consoles.
by gorfian_robot
2 subcomments
- echoing others here in that I want Steam Lap(top).
I am old and never into controller/couch gaming after the Atari era. I prefer either keyboard/mouse or gameboy for those nintendo exclusives.
I also travel a lot and a console or desktop PC just doesn't make sense in my life.
Maybe soon!
- We can now start to dream of a future without Windows Kernel level Anti Cheat software in every competitive multiplayer game.
by flakiness
1 subcomments
- I'm still waiting for Steam Deck 2! Come on!
- They're gonna sell millions
by defraudbah
0 subcomment
- i am ditching my ps5 for this, go valve!
- What on earth is this abomination of a website? My locale is Greek and I'm presented with an auto-translated page in which most sentences don't make any sense. And I don't think it's AI slop, it's too bad to be even that. It feels more like google translate from a decade ago, translating everything word by word. FFS, go to fiverr and hire an actual human that knows how to translate stuff.
Oh, and of course you're presenting greek text, as awful as it is, but didn't think to check if the font you're using supports greek at all.
I'm sure it's the same for lots of other languages. sigh
by translucent0
1 subcomments
- it's meant for 'high-end' gaming but doesn't come with a lan connection(?)
by koakuma-chan
3 subcomments
- It looks pretty bad on the photos.
- Can I use it as a jellyfin server?
- not everybody has to be Apple, but the ugliness of this page (and the others) is astounding
by paulatreides
1 subcomments
- "Yes, Steam Machine is optimized for gaming, but it's still your PC. Install your own apps, or even another operating system. Who are we to tell you how to use your computer?"
by adroitboss
0 subcomment
- The Ouya finally realized.
- > Yes, Steam Machine is optimized for gaming, but it's still your PC. Install your own apps, or even another operating system. Who are we to tell you how to use your computer?
Isn't it just a relief to see a product announcement where this is a proudly announced selling point.
- Half-Life 3 when?
- > There's an LED strip, y'all!
I've never seen marketing embrace southern culture like this.
I love it, y'all!
- release date?
by FloatArtifact
1 subcomments
- One disappointment is that's not geared towards media playback or apps like netflix. In the interviews, they mention relying on the web-based versions of apps. Unfortunately, they often come with artificial limitations (limited streaming quality) by companies such as Netflix.
- This will be a great reality check for consoles. If they don't drop their atrocious fees for online play I can't see what is the incentive to purchase PS/XBox in 2026.
by gigatexal
1 subcomments
- Any idea on cost? Wish the GPU had 12 or 16GB of ram but this is serviceable.
I think I’ll wait for the gen2.
- When Steam Pass?
by tiotempestade
0 subcomment
- Good bye M$
- valve shouldering entire linux desktop growth for 10+ years
- Huge streamers/youtubers were already listing games to test on the steam machine... which I already know they do not work on valve proton... (and the lack of official and legally required technical support will show on the medium/long run since proton/wine is not reliable in time).
This may backfire if valve does not come clean with this technical support.
by martini333
0 subcomment
- >HDMI 2.0
So no 4K 120 Hz ?
- > We may be new but it's like we've known each other our whole lives: All Steam Hardware works great together, whether you’re streaming or playing games across devices, including Steam Deck. And because Valve remains committed to an open PC ecosystem, we also play well with others (as in, your other devices).
I am skeptical about this, especially streaming. I assume the steam box will be running steam os aka Linux with iirc kde and leveraging game scope.
I have my steam deck docked to the living room tv and regularly try to stream from my gaming rig running manjaro and hyprland, to mixed results. Moonlight/sunshine has only ever crashed, and steam's native solution will often crash on the deck side immediately, leaving the game running on my PC. Or the game will play but no video will be sent. Or the controller input won't be sent.
They still as of last week have a bug where native steam streaming simply doesn't work if you have the deck docked with Ethernet but also have wifi on. You gotta switch off wifi for it to work or unplug Ethernet.
I've tried to keep a thread going listing options for streaming and the problems with each but valve locked it https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/11/382078096812...
by nullbyte808
0 subcomment
- it looks like an ugly mini fridge. Valve's UI aesthetics carried over to their hardware too.
by thrownawaysz
3 subcomments
- The elephant in the room: "will this game run on my Steam Machine?"
This is really the part a lot of people don't understand and not a qestion you even have to ask when you buy/download a game for a console.
Some of the biggest games right now like BF6, COD, or Fortnite, League of Legends, chinese gacha games won't run on this. That excludes a massive part of the market, many of whom would be the exact audience for a simpler, more console-like PC experience. There's also no guarantee that future AAA games will be compatible with this day one (8GB VRAM is very limiting already).
Yeah yeah indies but if people want to play X then offering them Z is not an option.
This will be DOA anything over $500
- great news both for linux and gaming
by tropicalfruit
0 subcomment
- i hope they can put some price pressure on other small form factor gaming pc
the asus rog nuc is extortionate pricing, and beelink are constantly raising their prices too now
- I couldn’t see a purchase link anywhere. Too lazy to check, they potentially lost a customer due to this UI.
by lenerdenator
1 subcomments
- To the HL3 faithful, this is your reminder that
NOTHING
EVER
HAPPENS
by translucent0
1 subcomments
- it's meant for gaming and doesn't come with a LAN connection. sad lol.
- another slam dunk from Valve
- One more nail in the coffin of the xbox hardware business. Ouch.
- [dead]
- [dead]
by calmbonsai
0 subcomment
- Meh, I'm hopeful, but I'll wait for specs.
- 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.
- I really hope that we'll be able to put Windows on this.
- "Over six times the horsepower of Steam Deck" ≈ RTX 3060 Laptop?
- Why does Steam/Valve care so much about Linux? I know as devs we all would prefer to use Linux/Unix. But developer experience isn’t a good business justification.
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