Prepare to be shocked then. I'm sure Valve would like to keep pricing similar to a base PS5 but the situation with AI / memory is going to dictate otherwise. I think it will be closer to £800, which for me is a no go given it's performance vs console.
*** Valve Steam Machine ***
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I guess the main apeal of Steam Machine over PS5 will be access to a larger library of games and the flexibility of the platform/OS. That probably won't be enough to attract a big portion of the console/PS5 player userbase though, especially at a higher price.
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Soldato
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I would be very disappointed if they release at £800. It wouldn't exist to me at that price. I am probably the exact sort of customer Valve are hoping to attract with the Steam Machine. I have a Steam Deck with over 400 games in my Steam library but don't have a gaming PC. I will buy the Steam Machine day 1 if it is no more than £600 but any more than that and it just doesn't make sense to me.
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I didn't say it was, just following up on the conversation of the value prospect vs PS5 from posts above.
I agree it primarily aimed at the mid-range PC gamers.
Exactly. For someone new to gaming it might hold some appeal, but for those already entrenched in another ecosystem the cost will be offputting.
Rumours from insiders in the US tech industry were suggesting between $900-1000.
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Another reason why I hold out hope for the Steam Machine to be reasonably priced is because if it is too expensive it is a product for no one.
Console players won't migrate to it, DIY PC builders won't buy one because they will just build their own plus their own DIY PC will be able to be upgraded in the future unlike the Steam Machine. People who buy pre built computers might be tempted but the lack of anti cheat and running Linux might put them off the Steam Machine.
Maybe I am wrongly assuming that Valve care about selling large volumes of the Steam Machine. Maybe it was just a pet project for someone and so long as it covers the cost of making it Valve is ok selling small numbers.
One thing for sure is that Valve have money in the bank and so could sell at a loss, to bring more into their eco system. I bet the current RAM pricing has affected their thinking though!
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But we also don’t know how much huge corporations like valve would have to pay for memory in huge bulk orders/contracts
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They're not a "huge corporation" in terms of hardware. They're utterly insignificant. Framework probably buy more memory year on year than Valve and they're a tiny niche supplier.
I think Valve are going to have to bite the bullet here & swallow a loss on the hardware.
There's simply no better time for them to persuade gamers that Windows isn't the best option.
Win11 has been shoving performance-sapping **** down users throats for long enough that even companies are looking to rollback to 10. Memory prices are through the roof and "Store" apps are Electron bloat where you're literally using 200-300% more memory to do the same thing the previous code did. "Features" which nobody wants are reinstalled/enabled whenever Microsoft chooses. Even Group Policy doesn't work as they deprecate methods there regularly. The only method which appears to work medium/long term (maybe) is applocker and if you're at the stage that the only way to stop your computer being ****** about with is to buy a Pro license to lock down file signatures then enough is enough surely? It simply isn't fit for purpose.
SteamOS is mature, Proton runs Windows games usually at (or better) the same performance and now it appears you can run a subset (ML) of FSR4 on RDNA3 hardware. The Arch Linux default desktop could be setup better but that's trivial.
Microsoft have already lost the handheld market to SteamOS. Even their "own" hardware works better with Proton
Yes there are issues with "anti-cheat/drm" on certain games. Those companies will adapt.
Don't expect change from £800 (base unit) is what I think I said before. That price didn't look attractive a couple of months ago. It may look better now given it appears you can get a good deal more out of RDNA3 hardware on platforms other than Windows.
I doubt Valve will accept much of a loss (if any) but they have a chance for a sea-change in "x86" gaming platforms which in retrospect is long overdue.
Ive recently installed it, for the purpose to replace my xbox. Not got round to moving it yo the living room yet byt it seems to work well.
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I am questioning whether or not I even have a need for the Steam Machine after trying out a feature of my Steam Deck for the first time today.
My main motivation for getting a Steam Machine was the increased power compared to the Steam Deck but having used Chiaki to stream my PS5 to the deck it seems I already have the increased processing power I wanted from the Steam Machine.
The quality of the stream to the deck is excellent with no noticeable input lag. So I can use the PS5 for demanding games streamed to the deck or TV and I can play indie games locally on the deck either docked or handheld.
If you can still buy an LCD Steam Deck before they run out and a PS5 digital you could get the same setup for less than £650.
My main motivation for getting a Steam Machine was the increased power compared to the Steam Deck but having used Chiaki to stream my PS5 to the deck it seems I already have the increased processing power I wanted from the Steam Machine.
The quality of the stream to the deck is excellent with no noticeable input lag. So I can use the PS5 for demanding games streamed to the deck or TV and I can play indie games locally on the deck either docked or handheld.
If you can still buy an LCD Steam Deck before they run out and a PS5 digital you could get the same setup for less than £650.
I recently acquired both devices and most of my time is probably spent playing the NS2. I do love the Deck though, it's basically reignited gaming for me. It's not perfect as some of my main games are Train Simulator and I like others like RTS games, which don't tend to work well on the Steam Deck. What I have started doing though, is playing my older games that I never touched while sitting at my main PC. Even the LCD screen looks great if you can get that a little cheaper.
If you value Nintendo's first part games, definitely go for a Switch 2 but just know that the cost will only increase as you buy more and more. You already have a decent library on Steam, so as long as the type of games you play on Steam are good on the Steam Deck, it's the much cheaper option.
I've had a desktop PC for years, yet I spent more than 90% of my time gaming handheld as it's just more convenient. If you aren't in a hurry to buy one or the other, wait and see what the Steam Machine will offer.
Tbh I’ve never had a Nintendo console, so part of it was appeal of those well optimised first party games.
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I do wonder if the Steam Machine isn't really Valve's end game, the end game is to make Steam OS the defacto gaming OS, possibly even enourage other "console" makers to use, it, and tie up the app store end on the OS with Steam.. which is where they actually make their money... It would make more sense than them trying to compete with consoles..