Can The Steam Machine Reach The Same Heights As The Steam Deck?

I can’t stress this enough how critical Steam Deck has been for modern gaming. Nintendo Switch may have started the handheld craze, but Steam Deck took it to the next level by giving people a fully portable PC you can do anything with. When I first saw the Deck, the idea of a handheld PC with complete customization was a little hard to believe. But here we are, living in an era when handheld is gaming is slowly but surely starting to take over.

All these portable PCs launching one after the other with console-level hardware now is nothing to scoff at. Even PlayStation might be going handheld after more than a decade. And at the centre of it all is Steam Deck, with its unmatched affordability and customization, even though the hardware is a bit dated now. Valve continues to win, but the question is, will the upcoming Steam Machine be just as good? It’s not a handheld, and Valve already failed once in the past. How will this time be any different?

SteamOS Will Be The Key

The Steam Machines of 2015 were more open-ended PCs than a dedicated console, and that’s probably why they couldn’t stand out from regular PCs. Well, Valve seems to have a handle on the situation this time around, as the new Steam Machine now comes with fixed specs. Featuring a custom AMD Zen 4 CPU and an RDNA 3 GPU, it’s a slightly toned down version of a Ryzen 5 7600 and RX 7600 build. Solid specs for 1080p gaming, but believe me, this isn’t why you’ll be getting the Steam Machine.

That honor lies with the amazing software called SteamOS. As I mentioned earlier, the Steam Deck doesn’t really have all that superb handheld specs anymore, but it can still run pretty everything in your Steam library with varying settings, and that’s because of the unreal optimization and stability of the linux-based SteamOS. It’s an extremely light-weight operating system that puts Windows to shame when it comes to gaming.

The first true 1:1 test we have shows Steam OS getting better performance than Windows in 10 big games, tying in 2 more, and it's got me salivating for a desktop version of Valve's OS
byu/PewPewToDaFace inpcmasterrace

In 2015, Steam’s propietary software was still in its infancy, but after the Steam Deck, we’ve seen what it can really do, and it’s probably the single biggest reason to consider the upcoming Steam Machine. It features strong enough raw specs for high 1080p gaming boosted with FSR, but with the added magic of the SteamOS, we can expect greatness when it comes to gaming. I’m personally excited for what Valve will accomplish, but of course, as with every digital device, safety comes first. So it’s better to be prepared with something like VeePN for iPhone, PC, and all your other devices, including the Steam Machine.

It All Comes Down To The Pricing

The Steam Machine could have the best specs on the planet and an unrivaled software support, but it still wouldn’t convince a lot of people to buy it if the price wasn’t attractive, and I think this is what will make or break Valve’s latest creation. It’s a pretty solid gaming machine in terms of both hardware and software, but the question is, will it be worth getting over a console or a regular PC?

In terms of hardware, the Steam Machine seems close to a base PS5 in raw performance, but will it be available for $499 as well? I highly doubt it. Valve made it pretty clear that they’re marketing the Steam Machine as a PC rather than a console, and the pricing will reflect this decision. Now the question is, just how much? The inflated prices of RAM and SSDs is a real punch in a gut, but a similar-spec PC will probably cost around 950 dollars if you can get a good deal in this economy.

LinusTechTips: “When I said I’m disappointed [Steam Machine] isn’t going to follow a console pricing model, Valve asked what I meant by console price and I said $500. Nobody said anything, but the energy in the room wasn’t great.”
byu/ChiefLeef22 ingaming

Keeping this in mind, if the Steam Machine releases with a $800+ price tag, I think it would become hard to justify it. Yes, the SteamOS is to die for, but you’d much rather get a more customizable PC at this point if you’re spending so much. On the other hand, if the Steam Machine is more expensive than a PS5, but still within the 600-700 dollar price range, that would be the sweet spot. Anything below, and all hail Valve. Let’s see what happens.