Steam Machines Are Making A Comeback But Should You Actually Buy One?
Stop what you’re doing—we finally have a look at the state of living room PC gaming. The ghost of Valve’s past is haunting the hardware scene again and it is time to talk facts.
The News
The concept of the Steam Machine was once considered a massive failure for Valve. However, the explosive success of the Steam Deck has breathed new life into the idea of a dedicated SteamOS box for your television. Third-party manufacturers are starting to eye the space again with high-spec builds designed to mimic the console experience. While Valve has not officially announced a “Steam Machine 2,” the software ecosystem is finally ready for one. The question remains whether consumers are actually ready to trade their PS5 or Xbox for a Linux-based powerhouse.
The Breakdown
- SteamOS 3 offers a near-seamless console UI that has been perfected on handheld hardware.
- The Proton compatibility layer now allows thousands of Windows games to run flawlessly on Linux.
- Hardware manufacturers like Asus and MSI are creating small form factor PCs that essentially function as unofficial Steam Machines.
- Official Valve support for a general SteamOS installer for third-party PCs is still the missing piece of the puzzle.
The Jay Respawns Take
Look, I’ll get straight to it. These boutique PC consoles are incredibly cool but they are currently a niche within a niche. Truth be told, most players would be much better off just docking a Steam Deck to their TV and calling it a day.
It sounds great on paper, but we’ll see if the execution holds up when you factor in the high price tags. The value proposition is tough when a PlayStation 5 is half the cost of a mid-range gaming rig. We need Valve to step in and normalize the pricing before this becomes a mainstream win.
Stay tuned. This is going to be a wild one to track.
The Steam Machine dream lives on but your wallet should probably stay closed until Valve makes a move.
