Queen6
macrumors G5
No you dont, but you speak of it. Your correct, your request is dully noted & accepted, end of line...
Q-6
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Steam Machine Discussion
- Thread starter maflynn
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Q-6
aespana
macrumors 6502
Th PS5 Pro just has a much better value.
Yes, you can use the Steam Machine as a PC and use all our Steam Library but a what cost? To play everything with low settings and FSR to get 50-60fps?
I can't see the benefit with this thing. You can buy a PS5 for $400~ less or just look for a second hand PS5 for $600~ less. Or look for a Pro with a controller, 2TB and much better performance for even less than this thing.
I like the form factor since I like little PCs (mine is not little but yeah) and that little led bar looks really good but man, that's all.. nothing more. The price, no controller, the performance.. no thank you.
Yes, you can use the Steam Machine as a PC and use all our Steam Library but a what cost? To play everything with low settings and FSR to get 50-60fps?
I can't see the benefit with this thing. You can buy a PS5 for $400~ less or just look for a second hand PS5 for $600~ less. Or look for a Pro with a controller, 2TB and much better performance for even less than this thing.
I like the form factor since I like little PCs (mine is not little but yeah) and that little led bar looks really good but man, that's all.. nothing more. The price, no controller, the performance.. no thank you.
Black_Mage
Contributor
At this time, I'd rather have a PlayStation 5.
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diamond.g
macrumors G5
I think the only question to this argument is one of game costs. You spend more on the hardware upfront to buy the games at cheaper prices with the Steam Model (you also do not have to pay to play online). With Sony's model you pay less for the hardware, but more for games, and you have to pay to play online.
You don't really. Games are basically the same price on PSN vs. Steam, the sales are often the exact same prices on every platform. Sometimes there's an exception one way or another like if the port is more recent on one than another then it can be higher for a little while but that works both ways. At best it's a dollar or two savings, but sometimes the console version is cheaper. Heck, sometimes the Switch version is cheaper. Right now CP2077 Ultimate Edition is cheaper on Switch 2 than Steam even and has ever been. And this is just talking digital titles and ignoring physical game deals.
Paying for online is valid, but all the console players let you play F2P games online without a sub and those are generally the most popular multiplayer titles these days outside of CoD.
I'm largely seeing the same prices, maybe a few dollars cheaper here and there. I'm sure we can find some games where steam is cheaper then ps5, and given the subscription model for playstation there will be games cheaper on that platform then the steam
diamond.g
macrumors G5
I guess it depends if you are only buying AAA(A) games day 1 or waiting for them to go on sale. As far as system hardware prices are concerned, Valve has the same issue Microsoft may have. Allowing alternative storefronts on your hardware means you cannot (initially) sell said hardware at a loss.
I do wonder if ASUS and MSI will build small boxes to compete like they did with the Steam Deck.
I do wonder if ASUS and MSI will build small boxes to compete like they did with the Steam Deck.
I don't know if there's really much of a market given the crazy ram prices. I think overall computer market is in a really tough spot
I think prices on day one vs. sale are generally the same too...
RE: Requiem was $70 on Steam/Epic on day one and $70 on PSN/Xbox/Nintendo for example.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
Yeah, allegedly ram is holding steady, but storage prices are still rising. Not that it helps anyone in these situations. I honestly wonder if the next console generation will be pushed back to 2030 to try to reduce costs.
True, but games like Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 are not the same price (ignoring the summer games sale).
How do you guys feel about the FSR 4 performance hit on non-RDNA4 hardware?
I saw one news clip/video segment where the Valve people were talking with Gamer Nexus, and they stated something along the lines of there is no contracts for ram. The suppliers call you monthly, and say do you want this, or not. Here's the price. No negotiating, its yes or no. You say no, they won't call you the next month.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
Yeah, I was also surprised they went with 1 16GB stick instead of 2 8GB ones. So it means you could acquire another 16GB stick and increase bandwidth and capacity!
GN seemed to like the hardware (not the price), which seems to be the general consensus among reviews I've seen.
I haven't had time to watch their video on it. I just saw that one clip. HE goes so far indepth, I need to carve out a hunk of time, lol
LionTeeth
macrumors 6502
The console makes no sense. It's coming to a very mature market with less horsepower than the current consoles that were released six years ago.
They cannot run their standard anti-cheat stuff something to do with the Linux distribution. So you won't be playing any competitive shooters or anything on it.
And if I'm already into steam, I'm a PC guy. Why would I want a sh***ier console to play on. I can plug a controller into my PC.
It just makes no sense.
They cannot run their standard anti-cheat stuff something to do with the Linux distribution. So you won't be playing any competitive shooters or anything on it.
And if I'm already into steam, I'm a PC guy. Why would I want a sh***ier console to play on. I can plug a controller into my PC.
It just makes no sense.
Hajj.david
macrumors 6502a
Why would you get this when you can get a console for significantly less and get a wider game collection?
surfzen21
macrumors 65816
I'd take a guess that Valve is disappointed this is in the middle of the ram/storage crisis but this seems to be bad value unless you need it.
I just put in my closet my old gaming rig after upgrading what is now my newer one over the last 6 months. It's crazy that my old rig from 2019ish is still more powerful than the newly released steam machine.
I'm now running a 7800x3d/9070xt with two 1tb NVMEs plus a 2tb storage drive that dual boots to Win10 or Win11.
I put away a 5800x/2080ti that only needs a NVME to be really usable. It currently has an SSD that will get it through boot but would load any games frustratingly slow.
I moved what was my backup i5-4690k/RX480 to their OG boxes for the apocalypse build if necessary 😂
Although in my case spending roughly $1300 to upgrade for specifically one game that costs $60 and is a mixed bag at best is far from a logical. 🥲
I just put in my closet my old gaming rig after upgrading what is now my newer one over the last 6 months. It's crazy that my old rig from 2019ish is still more powerful than the newly released steam machine.
I'm now running a 7800x3d/9070xt with two 1tb NVMEs plus a 2tb storage drive that dual boots to Win10 or Win11.
I put away a 5800x/2080ti that only needs a NVME to be really usable. It currently has an SSD that will get it through boot but would load any games frustratingly slow.
I moved what was my backup i5-4690k/RX480 to their OG boxes for the apocalypse build if necessary 😂
Although in my case spending roughly $1300 to upgrade for specifically one game that costs $60 and is a mixed bag at best is far from a logical. 🥲
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cateye
macrumors 65816
I was very excited for the Steam Machine when it was first teased; A little less so now that the pricing is... well, it is what it is and the reasons aren't a surprise. It's still a reasonable value at $1049, but beyond what I would consider my threshold for "yolo" purchases. So I'm not bothering to enter the lottery, but it's still top of mind for in the future.
For me, it's the easiest way to gateway a Steam Library into the living room. I already have a Series X and a Switch 2, so I'm well covered in the console space. Bridging living room gaming with the PC master race is the appeal. Yes, I could build a SFF PC to achieve the same results, but I don't want to. So I appreciate Valve's approach here with a console-like PC that doesn't give up the flexibility of a PC.
And I would never, ever game on a Mac or even support gaming on the Mac (burned by various architecture transitions in the past rendering libraries of Mac games useless, I have an irrational hatred towards anything Apple and gaming at this point), so something like a Mini in a similar role is a non-starter. My Macs are for productivity, at which they excel.
For me, it's the easiest way to gateway a Steam Library into the living room. I already have a Series X and a Switch 2, so I'm well covered in the console space. Bridging living room gaming with the PC master race is the appeal. Yes, I could build a SFF PC to achieve the same results, but I don't want to. So I appreciate Valve's approach here with a console-like PC that doesn't give up the flexibility of a PC.
And I would never, ever game on a Mac or even support gaming on the Mac (burned by various architecture transitions in the past rendering libraries of Mac games useless, I have an irrational hatred towards anything Apple and gaming at this point), so something like a Mini in a similar role is a non-starter. My Macs are for productivity, at which they excel.
I think the angle most people seem to miss - and I don't blame them, but it is worth pointing out - is that locked devices with a closed software and hardware eco system and open devices you can just buy and then actually *own* run on very different economics. There is a reason consoles are really well protected from running arbitrary code on them: they don't want you to buy them *unless* you also buy the games and the accessories.
If you compare the Steam Machine with other off-the-shelf PCs from companies like HP and Lenovo, then the Steam Machine is absolutely a competetive offering in this economy, and that despite Valve not having anywhere near the same supply chain dominance Companies like HP, Lenovo, Sony and Microsoft can flex.
Is it a better deal than the PS5 on PS5 logic? No, and it was never going to be. If you are asking "Why would I buy this instead of the PS5?", then you are the wrong customer for this.
I personally think for someone who just wants to play their PC games on their TV without having to rebuy half their catalogue and not having to build their own PC.... this is a decent product that happens to exist in the most stupid economy.
If you compare the Steam Machine with other off-the-shelf PCs from companies like HP and Lenovo, then the Steam Machine is absolutely a competetive offering in this economy, and that despite Valve not having anywhere near the same supply chain dominance Companies like HP, Lenovo, Sony and Microsoft can flex.
Is it a better deal than the PS5 on PS5 logic? No, and it was never going to be. If you are asking "Why would I buy this instead of the PS5?", then you are the wrong customer for this.
I personally think for someone who just wants to play their PC games on their TV without having to rebuy half their catalogue and not having to build their own PC.... this is a decent product that happens to exist in the most stupid economy.
HouseLannister
macrumors 68040
I hate the price, but I hate the price on everything right now.
It's ideal for 1080p and just not very future proof.
I have a Ryzen 7950X with 32 GB RAM and an nVidia 4080, so I might just wait for nVidia drivers to come to SteamOS and buy a Steam Controller and attach that to the TV.
Or get a Radeon 9070 before those prices go up too? Thoughts?
It's ideal for 1080p and just not very future proof.
I have a Ryzen 7950X with 32 GB RAM and an nVidia 4080, so I might just wait for nVidia drivers to come to SteamOS and buy a Steam Controller and attach that to the TV.
Or get a Radeon 9070 before those prices go up too? Thoughts?
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In what world are you getting a wider game selection on a console over the immense catalogue available on Steam?
BSDnostalgia
macrumors 6502a
diamond.g
macrumors G5
It's easy to use. It's designed for working with your TV. Most PCs don't support using HDMI-CEC so they won't turn on when you turn the TV on, nor will they wake from a controller. Windows also sucks rocket chunks with a controller. It's also a pretty small box which costs more than giant one. Not everyone wants to build a PC or sit at a desk.
It's not for everyone, and the price sucks (although that's true of everything now), but it makes some sense for some niches and people.
cateye
macrumors 65816
Not only that, but you're not locked in to a single game store with the Steam Machine. It's a PC; want to buy games on Epic instead? Go for it.