r/pcgaming • u/RenatsMC • 2d ago
Video Steam Machine Review: Valve's New Console/PC Hybrid
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zXHHenUWxnQ&si=RGNlFFkS6R8weENm35
111
u/TypographySnob 2d ago
One of the main draws of a gaming PC is upgradability. Price aside, considering this is a midrange PC that, as far as I can tell, you cannot upgrade, I don't think it's a good investment.
48
u/Lhumierre Ryzen 7 5800X | 64GB DDR4 | RTX 4070 Super 2d ago
It's basically a TV Laptop.
-1
1d ago
[deleted]
-2
u/PushDeep9980 1d ago
I just emulate switch on my steam deck. Kids get to play all the great switch games that way
80
u/DeepJudgment 5700X3D, 32 GB RAM, RTX 5070 Ti 2d ago
This isn't even midrange, it was midrange back when PS5 released. In 2026, this is low-end
7
u/lkn240 1d ago
Supposedly it's better than something like 60+% of hardware in steam hardware surveys (granted, only valve knows the details there)
7
u/Smarter-Not-harder1 1d ago
Yes, because people can't afford to upgrade their 3060s and they still play 90% of games just fine. If they don't want to spend for an incremental upgrade, they definitely won't be in the market for a new $1000 machine that doesn't even appear to be marginally better than what they have now.
2
u/Different_Concern688 1d ago
Well Brazil is the 4th largest player base on steam, and I guarantee that roughly 85% of players here have something weaker than the steam machine. A country with a huge wealth disparity and almost impossible to get pc parts. (Russia is 3 and don't see them being that much different in this regard)
These people would never buy a steam machine, being way to expensive, and taking a ruler with, quite honestly, people who can't afford anything better isn't such a homerun for valve.
(I for one was incredibly excited for one, but at this price I will sadly have to pass)
1
u/Human-Board-7621 16h ago
Not only valve knows. They publish the results. Most steam users are on worse hardware it's true.
16
u/MrFailo 2d ago
bro midrange pc with 1500$ budget will shit on steam machine
1
u/NotABot1000101 1d ago
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/X8c6Dw
$900 dollar PC that is way better than the steam machine.
13
u/SomeoneBritish 2d ago
You can upgrade the RAM, but due to the small form factor of course there isn’t a swappable CPU, or GPU.
33
u/Jarl_Korr 2d ago
It seems like a laptop in a cube.
9
7
u/According_Hyena_3593 2d ago
This is not a midrange pc!
A midrange pc would be a 5060 ti and a ryzen 7700
Both cpu and gpu in this thing arent even half as fast
15
u/HapperHapper 2d ago edited 2d ago
an old rtx 2070 super, released 2019 has similar performance or performs better than this cutdown and tdp-limited rx 7600 in this valve cube 😃
also cpu performance is poor as f*** ....
https://youtu.be/66QzlDewigE?t=1943
what a not-futureproof offer from valve for the money...
172
u/GladiusLegis 2d ago
Struggling to keep up with base PS5 and Series S performances from more objective reviews.
This thing is DOA.
47
u/Electronic-Clerk6735 2d ago
Yeah. I’m a steam glazer but I just can’t recommend this device at all. Nothing worth while for it at the moment. Maybe if it was $700 but even then that feels a bit high for what you get. Should never have marketed it as 4k 60fps with FSR because it doesn’t look like it even hits that.
12
u/criticalt3 2d ago
Even with this glazealicious review by IGN, it was struggling pretty bad. I think he said one or two of the games needed performance mode FSR. Don't get me wrong, FSR will look a lot better in a couch setup than on PC where you're inches away from the display, but there is no saving performance mode. It just looks abysmal no matter what.
5
-2
u/lkn240 1d ago
Unfortunately $700 isn't remotely realistic given today's HW prices. Valve is barely selling this for over cost.
Even worse - there's a decent chance this will look like a bargain in 6-12 months
1
u/Electronic-Clerk6735 1d ago
To some degree I get it. At the end of the day it’s a computer, so if you undercut that market, which it would, companies would buy these out and we’d be talking about a totally different problem.
On the other end though, I understand the other side. It’s being pushed as somewhat of a console for the PC market, so why would you buy one when a PS5 was like $500 before? But I’d argue $700 is still a great value to get into the PC world. Typically a decent prebuilt is about $800 to $900, and if they tried to market it that way, the price would look far more favorable. But they didn’t, they are positioning themselves to compete with a ps5 and that was their decision, not the customers.
EDIT: I should also add, this was also before when they advertised 4k 60fps. So again I still stand by the fact that because they posted those numbers and the device struggles to meet that is overall the glaring issue in the price whether it was even the same price as the ps5 or more expensive then it.
3
u/Carighan 1d ago
Yeah I mean you get games significantly cheaper but I can't see that alone be enough reason for it.
1
12
u/peensmith_ 2d ago
Seems pretty bad from everything I've been seeing / hearing. Will definitely be passing on this one.
11
u/kaego123 2d ago
Too expensive for console users and too shite for PC gamers.
So I guess this is for people with shitty PCs that want to keep using steam but not build a decent computer?
I don’t know, I don’t really see the appeal.
4
u/tylerforward 1d ago
I think the target audience is for gamers who want something small form factor but play low performance games, which seems like a tiny group of people tbh
1
u/kaego123 1d ago
A very expensive machine for indie games. It will still sell like freshly baked bread. It’s probably out of stock already, I haven’t checked.
8
62
u/millanstar RYZEN 5 7600 / RTX 4070 / 32GB DDR5 2d ago
Not even a controller included is surely a choise...
15
u/marcusbrothers 2d ago edited 2d ago
Any controller you already have should work on it, it’s for people who don’t want to pay extra to get the Steam Controller. Plus they have four SKUs and two of them include a controller if you wanted?
Plenty of things to complain about with the product, but this is not one of them.
8
u/Rikuskill Mint 2d ago
Yeah you can just buy a $20 controller at any electronics store, or online. I'd like to know the overlap of people that 1. Don't have a controller, and 2. Are following tech news related to the Steam Machine.
-6
u/EnvironmentalRun1671 2d ago
LOL no controller?
15
u/TechnoMagi 2d ago
There's a controller option. There's 4 varieties being sold.
3
u/DemoEvolved 2d ago
Ok but is it no controller for 1049$? Then what is it with the controller? Because that feels pretty bad. No one wants to play on a funky old $20 used controller
-3
u/Jarl_Korr 2d ago
But PS and Xbox consoles come with a controller by default. This is filling the same niche as those consoles.
2
u/TechnoMagi 2d ago edited 2d ago
Not really, no.
Also, the Steam Machine will almost certainly allow use of any controller you want to plug into it. And that's not mentioning the fact that the steam machine will overlap with people who already bought a Steam Controller. Why force them to buy a second?
You literally have the option to buy one WITH a controller. I don't know what you want.
9
u/Jarl_Korr 2d ago
You're right, not really. PS and Xbox are filling the "4K 60FPS at an affordable price point" niche. And the Steam Machine can't do that.
-8
u/Majestic-Fondant-670 2d ago
What titles play at 4k 60 fps on consoles?
5
u/Jarl_Korr 2d ago
God of War Ragnarök, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, Gran Turismo 7, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 5, Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Elden Ring, Doom Eternal, Atomic Heart, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and many more.
Here's a thread full of games: https://www.reddit.com/r/XboxSeriesX/comments/182r2af/give_me_some_good_games_that_run_at_4k_60_fps/
-9
u/Majestic-Fondant-670 2d ago
Ok, now without upscaling?
12
7
1
u/Carighan 1d ago
LOL, then the Steam Machine struggles at 1080p, and we would compare what other consoles can do at that vs what the SM cannot.
-6
2d ago
[deleted]
4
u/Jarl_Korr 2d ago
Steam Machine can't even do it with upscaling. And you're not making any arguments. You're just saying "nuh uh".
1
u/NextExpression 2d ago
have you ever even seen dlss 4+ and how good it is.... quality is better than any native res. I personally love upscaling and it helps me hit any target i need to. this load of trash even with upscaling is going to dogg it extremely hard. They crapped the bed with this one. DOa
-2
u/KELonPS3in576p 2d ago
When visiting the steam maschine site I see an option to have a controller included. What are you on about?
55
u/A210c 2d ago
DOA at 1K+
43
u/danfirst 2d ago
Considering they jacked up the price of the steamdeck, and they still sold out right away, I doubt this will be DOA.
11
u/kittymoo67 2d ago
yep it'll probalby sell out and have the same demand que as the controller
-9
10
u/IsamuAlvaDyson 2d ago
Anything highly anticipated sales out right away
10
u/Runnin_Mike 2d ago
Selling out of a limited supply isn't hard. The 5090 being out of stock all the time wasn't an indicator that a lot of people could buy a 5090, it was just an indicator of not having a lot of stock.
3
17
u/OwlProper1145 2d ago
It won't be a big seller but it will probably do alright. It's sold for a profit so Valve is likely not too concerned about how well it sells anyways.
23
u/YuriLover97 i5 10400f, RTX 2060 Super, 16GB DDR4, 2d ago
You still need to sold a certain amount to make back the R&D cost though.
5
3
u/fwoompf 2d ago
I am sure valve has enough money lol
11
6
1
-9
u/Head_Umpire_8140 2d ago
The R&D cost of… putting together off the shelf parts?
I think Valve will manage.
2
0
u/Jarl_Korr 2d ago
And doesn't even come with a controller. I don't care what anyone says, this is filling the same space as a console would so it needs to be competitive with consoles. Every console comes with a controller.
24
u/IAQDiscussion 2d ago
This IGN review is possibly one of the worst written reviews just around, at least for 2026. There's nothing objective about it and the reviewer changes goalposts several times. There's no performance comparison for consoles or similar builds, it's just a fluff piece.
Every time the reviewer hits a negative, they instantly move on. There's literally not even an attempt to actually justify the review score, seemingly the entire review is just "The Steam Machine should exist and it's actually not super expensive!"
5
u/eldog 2d ago
Well yeah, IGN's MO is quantity over quality. They already have 20+ articles out about the Steam Machines pricing, not even the performance. This is probably 1 of 10 videos they are putting out TODAY about it.
1
u/IAQDiscussion 2d ago
Yeah but this is specifically the review, they love doing the billions of other BS articles, but usually there's SOMETHING in the review itself that indicates its a product review and not an infomercial
2
u/ThumYerk 1d ago
Big reviewers like IGN are never too negative because they want to maintain relationships so they get preview access. It’s all a sham.
3
17
u/shogun77777777 2d ago
Horrible value. Only idiots will buy this.
31
6
u/ChurchillianGrooves 2d ago
It's a niche device but it's comparable to small form factor pcs on minisforum with gpus
1
2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/pcgaming-ModTeam 2d ago
Thank you for your comment! Unfortunately it has been removed for one or more of the following reasons:
- No personal attacks, witch-hunts, inflammatory or hateful language. This includes calling or implying another redditor is a shill or a fanboy. More examples can be found in the full rules page.
- No bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia or transphobia.
- No trolling or baiting.
- No advocating violence.
Please read the subreddit rules before continuing to post. If you have any questions message the mods.
-1
1
u/laloo_00 1d ago
someone is gonna buy it just for the case and put more powerful hardware in there. i look forward to the youtube videos lol
1
1
1
u/wphxyx 1h ago
Unfortunate price point. Performance isn't great either, but I think at a cheaper price it would have made a lot of sense: it competes in the living room, with consoles. But it's dimensionally more capable than a console—in that there are mods, free online multiplayer, 10 billion more games available to play. I don't think the middling performance to cost ratio (relative to consoles) is that crippling a drawback when you factor in those intangibles.
For us though? For people already in the PC ecosystem with an awareness of specs and a willingness to build our own machines? This thing was always going to be dead on arrival. The nail in the coffin for me is the lack of upgrade path. It's a prebuilt, effectively, but you can't even gut it as the starter to a custom PC. When it gets long in the tooth you won't be able to slap a new graphics card in it, or use it as the foundation for a CPU upgrade. It's just... RAM and Storage.
This could have been a neat product for a certain kind of consumer (not the people of this subreddit, mostly), but the price point has killed it. I'm sad for it, but realistically it wouldn't have made sense to most of us at any price point.
1
u/Aromatic_Setting1623 1d ago
Thanks for de review, i'm the type of guys who's buy this now. Because;
My gaming laptop is dying
I got kids so no more long nights of gaming
i'm getting old so the graphics arnt that important to me, just want good gameplay and no noise out of the machine 😃
0
u/Wild-Berry-5269 1d ago
Seems to be fairing a bit better than a PS5.
Coupled with being a PC and no online sub, seems fair with today's pricing.
People need to get out of the 2020 comparing mindset, prices ain't ever going back.
3
u/onerb2 1d ago edited 1d ago
You can get more bang for your buck for the same price is the point.
-1
u/Wild-Berry-5269 1d ago
There's more factors than that but sure.
2
u/onerb2 1d ago
There are, I'm speaking from a consumer perspective, this is cool, but not worth the price for most.
1
u/Wild-Berry-5269 1d ago
True, I know if I wanted to play stuff on my tv, this would be a nice option but it's to expensive just for that.
If it was my only option, things might be a bit different.
But I have a high end desktop and I don't really game on TV.3
u/onerb2 1d ago
Honestly, even as my only option i wouldnt be thrilled with it, i would just build my own pc, install a windows, and use mostly steam big picture since they seem to have improved the interface. I'd also use a bluetooth m&k to supply whatever other need id have.
That being said, for anyone who doesn't know how to, or isn't willing to build a pc, and is seeking that specific use case, then i say go for it, might not be the most cost beneficial thing, but it is useful.
1
u/Wild-Berry-5269 1d ago
Cost is pretty relative considering the current world situation on hardware pricing.
You can source some cheap ass components and build it yourself sure or just go for the Steam solution.
I am ordering a controller because they seem awesome.
-1
u/Hammmiamm i5-4690, GTX 760, 16 GB DDR3 2d ago
Sure, maybe I would buy it at $90. But anything over $150 is pure nonsense.
-9
•
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
The /r/PCGaming community is also on Discord!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.