{"id":297004,"date":"2025-11-20T12:24:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T12:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/297004\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T12:24:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T12:24:12","slug":"everything-we-know-about-valves-steam-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/297004\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything We Know About Valve’s ‘Steam Machine’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dean<\/a><\/p>\n

Readtime: 9 min<\/p>\n

Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more.<\/a> For more information on how we test products, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to save you an in-depth history lesson: about a decade ago, Valve tried to launch its own line of gaming PCs\u2014working with partners to provide hardware while it aimed to provide a Linux-based software platform\u2014called \u2018Steam Machines\u2019. It didn\u2019t work out<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, though, Valve has a working software solution in SteamOS (the software that underpins the fantastic Steam Deck<\/a>), and the knowledge and means to build its own hardware. So, it\u2019s trying again.<\/p>\n

The Steam Machine, as Valve is calling it, is a small-form-factor pre-built PC running SteamOS (built on the open-source Linux, rather than Windows or MacOS), and will be available to buy in \u201cearly 2026\u201d. Valve did show off quite a bit of info about the Steam Machine, but it left some important details out: a specific release date, and how much it\u2019ll cost. <\/p>\n

\"Valve'sValve\u2019s 2026 Hardware Lineup | Image: Valve <\/p>\n

What we do know, though, is that the Steam Machine will be able to play most modern games at 4K resolutions at 60 frames-per-second using upscaling technology (as well as natively at lower resolutions), it runs at a significantly lower voltage than a traditional gaming tower, and it\u2019ll bring a lot of the best features of the Steam Deck to a more powerful device.<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll also launch in Australia day-and-date with the rest of the world\u2014we won\u2019t be waiting an additional two years like we did with the Deck<\/a>\u2014alongside a revamped Steam Controller, and its latest VR offering, the Steam Frame (both seen above).<\/p>\n

Further Reading <\/p>\n

Like many of my fellow nerds, I\u2019m really excited to see what Valve brings to the hardware space, and I\u2019m hoping the Steam Machine will bridge the gap between PCs and consoles in the same way the Steam Deck did with PCs and handhelds. We\u2019ll have to wait a little bit more before we see where it lands, so here\u2019s what we know about the Steam Machine so far:<\/p>\n

\"Valve'sValve\u2019s Steam Machine | Image: Valve Tech Specs Valve\u2019s \u2018Steam Machine\u2018Confirmed SpecificationsPriceTBAOSSteamOS (Linux)Internals\u2013 AMD Zen 4 CPU (4.8GHz, 6 cores)
\u2013 AMD RDNA 3 (2.45GHz, 8 GB DDR6 VRAM)
\u2013 16GB DDR5 RAMPorts\u2013 4x USB-A Ports
\u2013 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
\u2013 DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 4K 240Hz, 8K 60Hz)
\u2013 HDMI 2.0 (up to 4K 120Hz)
\u2013 Gigabit Ethernet
\u2013 SD Card ReaderStorage\u2013 512GB or 2TB M.2 Storage
\u2013 Can be upgraded by userDimensions\u2013 156mm x 152mm x 162mm
\u2013 2.6 kgOther\u2013 Replaceable front cover<\/p>\n

Scroll horizontally to view full table<\/p>\n

\"Valve'sValve\u2019s Steam Machine | Image: Valve Is it a Gaming PC? Or a Gaming Console? <\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that while Valve is very much positioning the Steam Machine as a gaming PC, it\u2019s also skirting the line into console territory.<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Valve, you should be able to plug the box into your TV, projector, monitor, or whatever you\u2019re using and get running quickly and seamlessly. It\u2019ll have sleep-to-wake functionality with the new Steam Controller, which is something PC gaming has traditionally struggled with, meaning you can easily jump back into a game on your TV when you get home from work.<\/p>\n

Plus, with how well SteamOS simply works as a full-screen gaming OS, rather than a more traditional Windows-like environment (which is very cumbersome to navigate using a gaming controller), it\u2019ll be very well suited to a home theatre-like role\u2014plugged directly into your TV, rather than sequestered away on a desk.<\/p>\n

Assuming it all works as it should, the Steam Machine could be a great bridge between those who want the freedom of PC gaming without giving up the comfort of a living-room console, and given my months of Steam Deck use, I can say that a lot of these things already work pretty well: the biggest problem I tend to hit with the Deck is that it\u2019ll run out of battery while asleep, which shouldn\u2019t be an issue for a device that is perennially plugged in.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that one of the other ways it eschews closer to consoles is in the Steam Machine\u2019s virtual inability to be upgraded. <\/p>\n

It should be pretty simple to swap out the device\u2019s storage, but here you effectively get what you pay for. You\u2019re not going to be tossing in a new GPU once performance starts lagging as you could with a more traditional desktop PC, and without a Thunderbolt\/USB-4 capable port the Steam Machine can\u2019t function with an external GPU.<\/p>\n

Instead, Valve is banking that a lot of people will be comfortable gaming without cutting-edge hardware, but with the added software customisability of a PC\u2014and, based on Steam\u2019s monthly hardware surveys<\/a>, its probably spot on. Plus, there are plenty of people without the patience to tinker with hardware but who still would prefer to game on Steam than a console. <\/p>\n

\"Valve'sValve\u2019s Steam Machine | Image: Valve Who\u2019s the Steam Machine For? <\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth stating here that if you\u2019re someone who already has a high-end gaming PC capable of hitting 4K on ultra with respectable frame rates, it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll get a lot out of a Steam Machine aside from a potentially cheap living room box to stream games to. You could, instead, simply install a similar Linux-based OS (such as Bazzite) and make your own Steam Machine.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been looking to get into PC gaming on a budget: the jury is still out, but this one should be an answer to that problem.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re coming from a console, though, there\u2019s quite a bit to talk about.<\/p>\n

Valve says the Steam Machine lands somewhere around six times the power of a Steam Deck\u2014which sounds like a massive jump, but actually puts it pretty close to today\u2019s entry-level console architectures. The technically-minded folk at Digital Foundry believe the capabilities on show here theoretically put the Steam Machine between the Xbox Series S and the base PlayStation 5.<\/p>\n

These would be very respectable benchmarks to hit, though we still don\u2019t know anything about how it\u2019ll compare on pricing. <\/p>\n

The Steam Deck is still one of the cheapest PC handhelds on the market, thanks to the fact that it natively runs SteamOS, and Valve takes a cut of every game sold on the Steam store\u2014the de facto gaming store on PC. Getting the device into your hands cheaper means more games sold on Steam, which means more money for Valve in the long run.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know if that\u2019ll be the approach Valve is taking this time, but its hinted that it aims to keep the Machine affordable.<\/p>\n

Similarly to modern consoles, the Steam Machine will rely on upscaling technology to hit its quoted \u201c4K 60fps\u201d capability. However, if you\u2019re happy playing games at 1080p, or even 1440p for certain titles, the Steam Machine should function well even without any kind of upscaling.<\/p>\n

Additionally, it costs nothing to play online games through Steam. Comparatively, it costs AU$30 a year to jump in on Nintendo\u2019s cheapest membership tier, AU$102.95 for a year of PlayStation Plus \u2018Essential\u2019, and AU$155.40 on Xbox\u2019s Game Pass \u2018Essential\u2019 tier (paid at AU$12.95 monthly).<\/p>\n

You do get a lot more value in some of these memberships beyond just playing online (free games, discounts, game streaming, etc), so it isn\u2019t exactly a fair comparison\u2014but if you don\u2019t want any of those things, and just want to play games you buy online with friends this could be an attractive way to get there.<\/p>\n

\"Valve'sValve\u2019s Steam Machine | Image: Valve Are There Any Red Flags? <\/p>\n

It can\u2019t all be good though\u2014the included SD Card Reader should make transferring games between your Steam Deck and Steam Machine a breeze, but actually playing those games off an SD card isn\u2019t going to be a great experience. You\u2019ll likely still want to transfer games onto local storage to keep read times quick\u2014especially if you\u2019re playing something competitive.<\/p>\n

As with the Steam Deck, which launched with underpowered capabilities, the Steam Machine isn\u2019t going to be leading the pack graphics-wise\u2014even among other mini PCs. <\/p>\n

While RDNA 3 graphics are good, RDNA 4 is already a thing and there are far more powerful pre-built mini PCs on the market: though it\u2019s worth noting they\u2019re all quite expensive as a result. If Valve is trying to keep the device affordable and small, while still performant, as it says it is, keeping some costs in check is inevitable.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the issue of Linux. <\/p>\n

While Windows and MacOS are pretty well-embedded into our lives at this point, Linux is a bit tricky to get started with. Yes, SteamOS is a pared back, simple version of the OS, but if you\u2019re reliant on specialised software to do your job there\u2019s a large chance Linux won\u2019t fit your needs (unless you\u2019re willing to get very, very in the weeds to make it work). <\/p>\n

If you only use your PC for gaming, streaming content, and browsing the web, you\u2019ll be completely fine\u2014though there will still be a learning curve.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, even gaming can get tricky on Linux. Valve has made huge strides in this space in the past decade with its Proton translation layer, which I\u2019m not going to go into at all (this story is long enough already), but many newer games require a type of anti-cheat that Linux itself does not support. <\/p>\n

\u2018Kernel-level\u2019 anti-cheat effectively embeds itself into the deepest depths of your PC\u2019s software with the aim of keeping an eagle-eye on whether or not you\u2019re cheating in online matches, though it also appears in single-player games from time to time. Game developers swear this level of visibility is necessary to keep hacking in their games under control, but many people see this as complete overkill and an invasion of their privacy. It\u2019s a thorny issue that, again, I don\u2019t have time to get into here. <\/p>\n

The result is that many modern games, such as Battlefield 6<\/a>, will not run on the Steam Machine without some tweaking from the developers\u2014and few developers will bother unless there is a large contingent of players flocking to Linux to make it worth their while.<\/p>\n

That may not be a big deal to veteran PC players who know enough about this issue to go in with the knowledge needed, but if someone is buying their first gaming PC only to find out that their favourite game simply won\u2019t run after already dropping an unspecified amount of money on the hardware\u2014that\u2019ll be a kick in the teeth. <\/p>\n

What do you think? Are you interested in a new player entering the console wars? Are you interested in jumping into PC gaming, but haven\u2019t wanted to deal with the hassle? Are you interested in a small-format PC? Let us know in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Readtime: 9 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,118036,268,11220,105],"class_list":["post-297004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-consoles","tag-pc","tag-steam","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}