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Valve Announces New Hardware!

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Pezimak

macrumors 601
Original poster
May 1, 2021
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Today Valve has launched the Steam Machine home console for your TV running Steam OS, new Steam Controller and Steam Frame VR headset. The Steam Machine has upgradable SSD and memory! And is 6 times the power of the Steam Deck. Gotta say it is tempting....



No pricing as yet, but the Steam Machine will be offered in a 512GB and a 2TB option, but as said you can upgrade that.
 
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I may be tempted to consider this. I tried an older SteamDeck with a dock to use with my home theater system and utterly loathed the experience. I’d have to unplug and re-plug everything in to get it to connect to my AVR. I still have a Nintendo Switch that just works. Wake it up with the game controller and everything comes on. If this new Steam Machine will do the same, I’m in.
 
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Digital Foundry confirmed, SSD is an included 2230 but you can 'easily' upgrade it to a 2280! And the RAM used is laptop SODIMM ram and IS upgradable but you have to strip the machine apart to get to it. So being sold as a console with upgradable SSD and RAM. Holy moly if the 512GB model is sold for 400 or 500!!!!!!!

It supports ray tracing too but we need to wait to see performance. Also Valve are in discussion with AMD to officially bring FSR 4 to it! They are putting it near PS5 performance. But PS5 should still have overall better performance, however no one has really tested it yet of course.

I might consider this. I enjoyed the Steam Deck but couldn't use it after a few months as it gave me bad RSI pains, and Windows handhelds are expensive and heavy and run Windows.. so this may be a good alternative as I can use what ever controls I want and its purpose built for the TV or a monitor.

Irony also is this COULD run PS5 games better than PS5.
 
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Meh.. Valve said they are not going to be pricing the Steam Machine like a console, but more like a Mini PC. So it could end up costing 600 or 700 starting price I guess? That is too much I think. Memory prices are pretty volatile at the moment.

Also their is a chance that the next Steam Deck is ARM based as they have got Steam OS for ARM now, the new R headset is running a Snapdragon chip.
 
I can't put my fingers on who it's for.

Too geeky to appeal to casual gamers who want a gaming console that doesn't need fettling with settings.

Marketing it as a tv console is not ideal as fsr3 artefacts are highly visible on a tv. At best its a 1080p console.

Specs aren't high enough to ace AAA tittle. Might not be an issue if you mostly play indie games. But if you do, it might be better to buy a steam deck that you can also play casually on the go.

Furthermore unlike a PC it's not upgradable. At most I would pay PS5 money for it.

Lifeisabeach said:
I may be tempted to consider this. I tried an older SteamDeck with a dock to use with my home theater system and utterly loathed the experience. I’d have to unplug and re-plug everything in to get it to connect to my AVR. I still have a Nintendo Switch that just works. Wake it up with the game controller and everything comes on. If this new Steam Machine will do the same, I’m in.
Click to expand...
Does docking not work as smoothly as with a Nintendo switch?
 
Macalicious2011 said:
I can't put my fingers on who it's for.

Too geeky to appeal to casual gamers who want a gaming console that doesn't need fettling with settings.

Marketing it as a tv console is not ideal as fsr3 artefacts are highly visible on a tv. At best its a 1080p console.

Specs aren't high enough to ace AAA tittle. Might not be an issue if you mostly play indie games. But if you do, it might be better to buy a steam deck that you can also play casually on the go.

Furthermore unlike a PC it's not upgradable. At most I would pay PS5 money for it.


Does docking not work as smoothly as with a Nintendo switch?
Click to expand...
It's for people that want a PC to hook up to their TV and have it be relatively easy to use. It's also fast enough that AAA games will run fine. No, you won't be playing everything at 4K, but generally new stuff will work reasonably well.

Steam Deck is pretty under-powered for TV play and can be pretty finicky to use docked because of the resolution switching and built-in controller (sometimes games REALLY want that to be player 1). For people that don't care about playing on the go and only want TV play this is the better buy.

You can upgrade both the storage and the RAM.
 
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Macalicious2011 said:
Does docking not work as smoothly as with a Nintendo switch?
Click to expand...

No. As mentioned, I used it with a dock. This was an older SteamDeck and "supposedly" the newer OLED SteamDeck works better in this regard, according to my GF's son. I just can't be bothered to give it another shot based on his word alone.
 
salamanderjuice said:
It's for people that want a PC to hook up to their TV and have it be relatively easy to use. It's also fast enough that AAA games will run fine. No, you won't be playing everything at 4K, but generally new stuff will work reasonably well.

Steam Deck is pretty under-powered for TV play and can be pretty finicky to use docked because of the resolution switching and built-in controller (sometimes games REALLY want that to be player 1). For people that don't care about playing on the go and only want TV play this is the better buy.

You can upgrade both the storage and the RAM.
Click to expand...
From what I read, the console stem from data that a big percentage of dream deck players play docked.

In fairness, the majority of titles are designed for least common denominator. Keep settings between medium and high and 4k at reasonable frame rates with fsr should hit 60fps.

A big bonus with this console/pc is that many buyers will already have a library of games to play.

Most games I buy on steam are older or indie, therefore the specs should be enough. Eitherway my next hardware will likely be the steam deck to supplement my Series X and 4070ti super pc.
 
Valve are in discussions with AMD to bring FSR 4 officially to the Steam Machine hopefully by the time it launches, so it will have upscaling that can compete with Nvidia’s DLSS, and FSR4 is said to be a HUGE improvement. It will sell by the truck load if they price it right. Steam OS is no joke and MANY prefer it over Windows and its bloat and issues. I cannot use the Steam Deck personally, it gives me bad RSI pains due to the left thumb stick being so inset.
 
FSR4 is a must. 3 is simply not good enough compared with DLSS, even more so now that DLSS uses transformers. Far3 is completely left behind.

It’s a bummer that RAM prices have shot through the roof. Makes it difficult to valve to offer it at a bargain price.
 
Pezimak said:
Digital Foundry confirmed, SSD is an included 2230 but you can 'easily' upgrade it to a 2280! And the RAM used is laptop SODIMM ram and IS upgradable but you have to strip the machine apart to get to it. So being sold as a console with upgradable SSD and RAM. Holy moly if the 512GB model is sold for 400 or 500!!!!!!!

It supports ray tracing too but we need to wait to see performance. Also Valve are in discussion with AMD to officially bring FSR 4 to it! They are putting it near PS5 performance. But PS5 should still have overall better performance, however no one has really tested it yet of course.

I might consider this. I enjoyed the Steam Deck but couldn't use it after a few months as it gave me bad RSI pains, and Windows handhelds are expensive and heavy and run Windows.. so this may be a good alternative as I can use what ever controls I want and its purpose built for the TV or a monitor.

Irony also is this COULD run PS5 games better than PS5.
Click to expand...
If this thing went to market for $400, Microsoft/Xbox is cooked
 
kody137 said:
If this thing went to market for $400, Microsoft/Xbox is cooked
Click to expand...

Sadly it won’t, Valve told those who went to see it they will not be pricing it like a console, but a PC. Most likely to protect their relationships with Windows and Microsoft etc, I mean the next Xbox is rumoured to be a PC that will have the Steam store on it. How much it will be who knows, but it could be 700 or 800.
 
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Pezimak said:
Sadly it won’t, Valve told those I voted to see it they will not be pricing it like a console, but a PC. Most likely to protect their relationships with Windows and Microsoft etc, I mean the next Xbox is rumoured to be a PC that will have the Steam store on it. How much it will be who knows, but it could be 700 or 800.
Click to expand...
Idk, Valve is increasingly holding all of the cards, I don't think it will be long until Microsoft is asking THEM to play nice. Every indication based on what they showed off yesterday signals that they are looking to go to market at the lowest price viable. They also sold the Steam Deck as a loss leader, and I can see them doing the same with the Machine. Steam doesn't NEED Windows. The only reason it's so popular for gaming is because gaming on Linux has traditionally sucked, but Valve is also investing a metric ton into compatibility layers, and if the Machine takes off, I don't think it would take long for anti-cheat issues to be figured out on Linux
 
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kody137 said:
If this thing went to market for $400, Microsoft/Xbox is cooked
Click to expand...
Bear in mind that SteamOS is not perfect. The stores don't have all the game, no gamepass/PSN and some games that require anti-cheat or aren't optimised for steam OS don't work perfectly.

Many console gamers are non geeky and just want things to work and not have to scroll through forums for trouble shooting. However these are issues that will likely be resolved overtime. SteamOS is a great anti-windows option for gaming. Maybe one day i will install it on my PC which is exclusively use for gaming on the tV.
 
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