Valve's Living Room Ambitions Stumble with New Steam Machine
AI-generated image · US National Wire
Despite a sleek design and intuitive Linux-based OS, the $1,049 device struggles to compete with established consoles on power and value.
Valve has launched the Steam Machine, a $1,049 attempt to bring PC gaming to the television, according to Wired. While the device offers a consistent hardware experience compared to Valve's previous efforts, Wired reports that it fails to meet the expectations of high-end gaming.
The device features a compact 156 x 152 x 162.4-mm chassis and runs a Linux-based desktop using the KDE Plasma graphical shell. Wired notes that the system is intuitive and welcoming, potentially making Linux more accessible to new users. However, the hardware specifications are a point of contention; Wired reports that the Steam Machine's specs are comparable to the PlayStation 5, which is nearly six years old. While the Steam Machine utilizes a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU with six cores and 12 threads, its semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU provides 28 compute units, falling short of the 36 compute units found in Sony's console.
Further complicating the value proposition is the lack of included peripherals. Wired points out that the Steam Controller is sold separately, despite the hardware being designed specifically for it. While the device provides access to a vast Steam library and solid 1080p performance, Wired concludes that it cannot deliver 4K quality gaming, leaving Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo as the dominant forces in TV gaming.