Why you're probably not the target audience for Valve's Steam Machine

Valve has finally revealed the price of its long-awaited Steam Machine, and thanks to the AI ​​bros technology that will ruin us all, it comes with a price tag that many find unacceptable.

Starting at $1,049 / £879 for the 512GB model and rising to $1,349 / £1,149 for 2TB of storage, it's a machine that, like regular games consoles, has limited room for upgrades like PCs. It also costs significantly more than even Sony's very expensive PlayStation 5 Pro ($899.99 / £789.99), despite being technologically inferior.

Now I get it. Many of you were excited about the new Steam Cube, which promised a lot when it was first revealed. It still holds true – the official store lists 4K gaming at 60fps with FSR, and the claim that it can “play your entire Steam library, including your favorite triple-A titles” remains true.

Early hands-on reviews, such as this one from PC Gamer, indicated that there were major caveats when compared to similar computers. If you're playing like Cyberpunk 2077, hitting 60fps is a dream even at 1440p. Ultimately, its stunning specs for the price make it a bridge too far for many, and quite rightly so.

However, here's where I paint a target on my back – this machine is not for you and never was.

Gaben's eye sees everything, especially your hardware

One crucial point that many involved in the online discourse seem to be forgetting right now is that Valve has a huge amount of information about what hardware Steam accounts are running on, thanks to their monthly survey. It thus obtains detailed data on what CPU, GPU, RAM configuration and even what hard drive space players need to play with. And it is clearly this data that influenced Valve's decision to produce such hardware.

Let's compare the Steam Machine specs to the survey with regard to the most frequently returned answer:

So when you factor in the fact that the Steam Machine uses more modern components like DDR5 RAM and GDDR6 VRAM, Valve's claim that it will be more powerful than 70 percent of what Steam users have at home seems to hold up.

PC Master Race? You're missing the point

The questions about who the Steam Machine is for are completely valid. It's ambitious in its desire to be a viable alternative to your PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch, but its price has erased that ambition, at least for now, leaving it in a strange place. However, I think one thing we should all agree on is that it was never designed for PC purists, many of whom are the loudest dissenting voices online. Maybe they want a Steam Machine to put under their TVs, but I bet those same people already have a powerful PC and multiple consoles.

It's not a Frankenstein's monster made up of different parts from many manufacturers like regular computers. Sure, it seems overwhelming on the surface, but we need to stop looking at hard specs and think of the Steam Machine in a different light – as a highly optimized piece of kit designed for relative ease of use. Console, but No console because it comes with (most of) the benefits of Steam and PC gaming in general. It is an important new platform.

And just like the console, Valve will be rolling out updates aimed at further optimizing the machine, such as the planned update to AMD's improved FSR 4. Steam Verified targets a base resolution of 1080p at 60fps – six times the performance of the Steam Deck – showing that it prioritizes smooth gameplay on your TV over fidelity to sunlight or fantasy.

There's no juggling Windows, Nvidia Control Panel, AMD Adrenalin, or any other debugger you need to get your regular machine running nicely. To me, Steam Machine is really for people who No they want trouble micromanaging the computer.

Best value for the average Valve user

Valve

I'm far from a PC tech, but I did a PCPartPicker search to find the components that most closely resembled a Steam Machine based on known specs like clock frequencies. Just the four main parts of the CPU, GPU, RAM and storage came to around £700. This is not counting the case, cooling, motherboard, power supply unit and other necessary components. It also doesn't take into account the fact that the CPU and GPU on the Steam Machine are semi-custom, with Valve working with AMD to design chips that work better with the hardware than just throwing in any old retail chip.

A quick, uneducated look at retailers such as PC Specialist, SCAN, Currys and Argos tells me that similarly priced pre-builds either come with outdated components (like DDR4 over DDR5 or 6 RAM) or downright worse parts. So while more experienced heads may find better options than me or build their own rigs, it seems like a lot of work.

Whichever way you look at it, Valve's offering will still be the best value in the world current marketfor target market. Dirty casuals, not Master Rase doyens.

Time to say goodbye, Windows

Despite the discourse, I fully expect the Steam Machine to sell out. There will be many who buy one just because it's a Shiny New Thing, and many who buy it because of the weird parasocial relationship people have with hardware manufacturers or platforms. I can see it having broader appeal in a similar way to the Xbox Series S, which according to leaked court documents was at one point selling three times better than the more powerful Series X. It offers a gateway to PC gaming without such a high barrier to entry.

I can also see it occupying a wider niche for those like me who either want to upgrade from an older PC or laptop to the convenience of a plug-and-play PC, or (finally) get rid of Windows at a decent price. I tend to play things like DayZ or Final Fantasy 14 on my laptop and reserve AAA games for my PS5. I don't need something that can solve dense linear equations.

With the Steam Machine I get everything I need from a PC with a better and optimized user experience for £879. The reality is that computers cost so much money these days and it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon. Let's all go back to being mad at the AI ​​bros, shall we?

Mark

Valve

Original MSRP (USD)

$1,049 (512GB) / $1,349 (2TB) – Driverless

Operating system

SteamOS 3 (based on the architecture)

Processor

Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T up to 4.8GHz, 30W TDP

Resolution

Up to 4K @ 240 Hz or 8K @ 60 Hz

HDR support

Yes