Valve’s Steam Machine review reveals PC gaming ambition in the living room, but requires initial adjustments
The debut with the Steam Machine presented unexpected challenges, transforming the expectation of a simple console experience into long hours dedicated to solving typical personal computer issues. This highlights the dual nature of the device, which, despite being a PC, has crucial distinctions.
Since the launch of Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, traditional video games have maintained a fundamental purpose: playing exclusive titles in an uncomplicated way on televisions. Companies like Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have been selling similar products for several decades, where the main premise is to purchase the device, plug it in and start playing.
However, the Steam Machine aspires to a more ambitious proposal. It represents the idea of a platform with fewer limitations and a vast collection of games, although this requires a financial investment that is close to twice the value of a PlayStation 5.
In fact, Valve announced that the initial model of the Steam Machine costs $1,049 without a controller, or $1,128 with the accessory, but without providing a notable gain in performance compared to the PlayStation 5, which has already been on the market for five and a half years. Even with price adjustments, a standard PS5, valued at $650, offered more defined graphics in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered during tests. The question then arises: how does Valve justify a price of more than a thousand dollars?
The justification lies in the concept of “PC-plus” that the Steam Machine embodies. It operates as a computer that simulates the console experience more effectively than any other similar device, positioning itself as an evolution of Valve’s original vision of bringing the power of the PC to the living room, honed by lessons learned from first-generation Steam Machines and the success of the Steam Deck. The device stands out for being extremely efficient in cooling and silent, significantly smaller than a PlayStation 5, in addition to being impressively fluid and completely operable with any modern controller, dispensing with a keyboard, mouse or even Valve’s Steam Controller to access and run games.
This device represents the best embodiment of a computer designed for the home environment, even surpassing custom assemblies. Valve maintains that it is practically impossible to replicate the Steam Machine on its own; Even with access to projects and engineering expertise, the company ensures that it sells its components at cost value, the result of negotiations with suppliers in a scenario of unprecedented global memory shortages.
However, the question remains about the suitability of the product for the price of 1,049 dollars. The answer depends on the user’s individual expectations regarding the features of this PC and Valve’s ability to resolve operational issues before the device reaches the end consumer.
Immediately upon unpacking the device, it was necessary to reconnect the Steam Controller repeatedly to establish control. The audio output for the Denon receiver was limited to stereo, forcing a direct connection to the Samsung OLED TV. The television, in turn, did not automatically identify the Steam Machine, requiring manual activation of Game Mode for HDR and VRR. Additionally, Valve had not previously installed crucial dependencies like Proton, essential for running Windows games, which needed to be downloaded before matches began. While waiting, multiple downloads were initiated and upon return it was found that most of them had not been completed, resulting in 800 GB of partial installations on a completely filled disk.
There are indications that these issues will be resolved, and Valve is recognized for its ability to deliver what it promises. Upon discovering that the Steam Machine was experiencing sudden restarts, crashes and graphical glitches as it approached its video memory limit, the company acted quickly, fixing the issues in less than 24 hours. Previous experiences, like the initial review of the Steam Deck, have become outdated due to how effectively Valve ironed out the kinks of that handheld device.
However, as with the Steam Deck, the initial experience with the device is still immature and more suitable for users with greater technical knowledge. Interestingly, this text is being written entirely on a Steam Machine right now, reaffirming its nature as a personal computer.
Initial challenges and Valve’s promise of improvements
When connecting a keyboard, mouse, speakers, headphones, a USB hub and two monitors to the Steam Machine, all peripherals operated perfectly. The system offered a Linux desktop environment almost as efficient as the one I use on my dual-boot personal computer, but with the advantage of being considerably quieter. It was even possible to use an external Blu-ray drive, connected to the front port. For those who don’t have a desktop computer, this extra functionality can alleviate the perception of the high price.
In gaming sessions carried out directly on the table, close to a monitor, the difference in graphical power in relation to larger gaming computers becomes evident. However, when positioned under the television, gaming performance proved to be surprising. Although this is not a high-performance gaming PC, most of the titles tested maintained a fluid frame rate, similar to that achieved by other current consoles: opting for lower resolutions, such as 1080p, and employing AMD’s FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) technology for upscaling to 4K on the TV.
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The hardware capacity allows you to run titles such as Indiana Jones or Returnal at 1440p with medium settings, Forza Horizon 6 at 1440p with high quality, Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K with upscaling and high settings, or Shadow of the Tomb Raider at native and medium 4K. In these settings, frame rates never fell below 40fps, a level that aligns with the VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) operating window, ensuring perfect synchronization with the screen.
The execution of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, specifically, exceeded expectations, considering it one of the most demanding PC games available. Currently, hours have been dedicated to playing comfortably on the couch, fully enjoying the experience.
In fact, the challenging Alan Wake II, which requires a lot of RAM, was downloaded from the Epic Games Store (installed via Heroic, accessible via the Discover app on the Linux desktop) and proved to be perfectly playable at the base resolution of 847p, similar to what is seen on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Improvements needed for a complete console experience
One of the frustrations lies in the need to discover the ideal settings through trial and error. Unlike the PlayStation 5, the Steam Machine does not have automatic adjustments made by manufacturers or developers. There are no specific presets for the AAA games tested, nor a global option for FSR, nor technologies such as checkerboard rendering or PSSR, which are employed in Sony consoles to optimize the image on 4K TVs. As a precaution, Valve configured the system to run at 1080p by default, preventing the setting of 4K resolutions with upscaling without prior manual intervention.
When evaluating the PlayStation 5 Pro, it was not possible to justify the additional investment for those who do not position themselves close to the screen. At a distance of about 12 feet from a 65-inch television, even with perfect visual acuity, the $200 graphical difference over the standard PlayStation 5 was imperceptible. The fluidity of the games was the primary factor, and this same feeling of satisfaction occurs with well-tuned titles on the Steam Machine. However, at a distance of 3.6 meters, games are visibly compromised due to the standard 1080p limit imposed by Valve. The expectation is that developers will quickly create presets optimized for the Steam Machine.
One of the most critical points is the inability to rely on the Steam Machine’s sleep mode to pause games consistently. On three occasions the game resumed exactly where it left off after 12 or 14 hours. However, in three other situations, the session had been missed, and in one of them, the television remained on during the early hours of the morning. Valve has already demonstrated its ability to resolve this issue on the Steam Deck, which raises hope that it’s just a matter of time for the Steam Machine.
More features expected from a console are also expected, such as:
- The convenience of turning on the system with the Steam Controller or a Bluetooth controller to activate the entire entertainment system via HDMI-CEC and turning it off when finished is excellent. However, it was necessary to search for the TV remote when the Apple TV was accidentally turned on, and there was no direct Steam button to return to.
- You can manage the Steam Machine remotely from a Steam Deck or other Steam-enabled PC, and stream games in both directions. However, unlike the PlayStation 5, the device cannot be activated remotely if it is in sleep mode.
- Despite the attractive configurable RGB LED bar that visually displays download progress, the Steam Machine does not perform automatic downloads when turned off; You have to start the process manually and then the system can complete while suspended.
- Although Valve highlights the internal antenna specific to the Steam Controller, several disconnections were observed that do not occur on PlayStation 5 or Xbox. The company guarantees that there are fixes in development for this problem.
Additional Valve platform features and details
Before closing, other interesting aspects to consider are:
- Valve has confirmed that the Steam Machine will receive AMD’s FSR 4, an advanced super resolution technology, similar to that implemented on the PlayStation.
- Also according to Valve, a future graphics driver update could increase ray tracing performance by up to 20% in certain titles; Previously, this functionality was dropped due to dropped frames, but the scenario may change.
- It is possible to adjust the TV volume directly via the gamepad, by pressing the Quick Access button and moving the left analog stick up or down.
- Just like on the Steam Deck, a wide range of information about real-time performance, RAM consumption and other data is available through the built-in overlay.
- The Steam Machine (and HDMI-connected entertainment system) can be activated using Bluetooth controls; Tests were carried out with an 8BitDo Pro 2.
- The SteamOS operating system automatically identified the two audio channels of the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless headset, ensuring chatmix functions to balance game and conversation sound.
- The Ethernet port offers high speed, achieving nearly 1Gbps downloads from Valve servers over a 1Gbps fiber connection.
- Despite HDR’s excellent performance, SDR content looked overly bright and washed out by default.
The front USB inputs are faster and capable of providing greater power compared to the rear ones; a USB 2.0 optical drive, for example, experienced a power failure when plugged into the back. It’s notable that the TV controller can navigate Steam menus via HDMI-CEC commands, although it’s not functional in 2D games. While the Steam Machine allows multiple monitors in desktop mode, in gaming mode, compatibility is limited to a single screen. Users with a Steam Deck microSD card can insert it and play already installed titles, as long as dependencies like Proton are installed first. The LED progress bar only displays the status of the current download or installation, not all pending processes. When inactive, the RGB LED bar can be customized with effects such as breathing, rainbow, solid color or a “patrolling eye”, with adjustments to brightness, softness, speed and tone. The faceplates are magnetic and removable, and Valve plans to make the CAD files available so users can create and 3D print their own customizations. The 2TB model also includes velvety red and walnut wood finish options.
