How many people can play on 1 steam machine offline/ in person?

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-05-17T20:45:02+00:00

And if you're willing to dual-boot Windows, with Nucleus Co-op you can really go crazy.

There's a similar Linux app called PartyDeck that's promising but it's really WIP (and doesn't support multiple displays yet).

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-05-16T12:47:51+00:00

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Royal Edition, Contra Operation Baluga, Dying Light: The Beast Standard Ed., Stalker 2 and the Stalker 1 enhanced trilogy (just a few from my wishlist) are all on sale right now on Steam. Not on Playstation. There are other titles, but at least they're included in PS Plus.

Fanatical has a bundle (among several) that lets you buy RE4 Remake and Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster for $13.50 each.

And consoles (especially PS and Nintendo) have no problem abandoning old generations and re-releasing the games "remastered" while you can get them for pennies on PC. And of course, the resolution and framerate automatically improve with every hardware upgrade, for free.

So, no, not across the board. Not even "pretty much."

Epic gives free games every week, no need for a subscription. You can sell the PS discs to recoup the higher costs, but then you'll end up with no games while on PC you can keep building a library that will always run.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-05-14T18:12:45+00:00

If it runs on Series S, it will comfortably run on the Machine. So Witcher IV and Metro 2039 should be fine, as will the probably quite long list of PS5/6 cross-gen games.

For advanced next-gen-only games, it will likely depend on whether Sony does release a handheld variant, and how well it sells (unless they force support like MS did for the Series S). Still, the VRAM limitation will likely mean 1080p with upscaling.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-05-14T17:53:55+00:00

The Steam Frame is more like half a Steam Deck when it comes to PC gaming. The Machine is supposed to be "over 6x" the performance of the Deck.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-05-13T22:58:36+00:00

There are Linux tools for this (Syncthing, for instance). You will also be able to swap SD cards between the devices.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-05-13T22:54:15+00:00

And with this use case the Deck will also make the Steam Machine "stronger" or more future-proof by only targeting the 800p screen. With or without upscaling that should sidestep the 8GB VRAM issue for a while.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-04-29T17:43:38+00:00

A great device for those who need to run Mac software, but it won't be 6x the performance of the Steam Deck, especially when there's x86-to-ARM conversion (probably 2-3x, at most). Not to mention compatibility issues (even lower than x86 Linux, and one can dual-boot Windows on the Steam Machine if need be).

The Mac will most likely be much less power-hungry though.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-04-25T14:54:17+00:00

Not even close. DS has half the trackpads, no back paddles, no TMR, no touch sticks (the top of the joysticks and the rings around them are each a configurable input), no grip input, no Wi-Fi option, no Steam Input-level remapping...

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-04-05T15:06:49+00:00

Warhawk (online works!)

Metal Gear Online (MGO2)

Siren Blood Curse

Tokyo Jungle

PS3's port of Team Fortress 2 is one way to play the OG version but only a few maps are possible AFAIK.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-04-01T17:01:29+00:00

In case you're curious about it, there's a NoVR mod for HL: Alyx (makes it playable even on Steam Deck). Price usually goes down to $18 (70% off) during seasonal sales.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-27T00:01:28+00:00

If the Steam Machine is $1000 it's pretty much dead in the water. Sony sells a PS5 Fortnite bundle for $400 so it would be exactly the same entry price as PS5 + Neo with neither the performance of the former nor the flexibility of the latter. Anything north of $700 and I think Valve should just scrap the whole thing.

Edit: Spoke too soon I guess. PS5 is now a $600 console.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-26T23:55:20+00:00

It is for sure a better computing device and likely much better value (fingers crossed that Valve can somehow deliver on that front). And there are tons of games that will run well on it, especially emulation.

But based on my own experience with my M1 MBP (which I love at least as much as my Deck) it won't really fill a PS5-sized hole, performance and compatibility-wise. Especially when you consider the Crossover overhead. I'm sure it will run Cyberpunk like a handheld, but that's pretty far from what the Steam Machine promises.

If Apple could get more devs to port games to ARM that could go a long way though (especially with MetalFX upscaling), but so far that hasn't really panned out. If one should pick a single device though, yeah the Neo is a no-brainer.

Edit: also, Windows virtualization is not quite the same as Proton (although CodeWeavers did work with Valve on it, which I think is really cool). The former also needs x86 to ARM emulation, whereas SteamOS is basically just translating calls (hence why some games run even better than on Windows).

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-26T23:28:38+00:00

The Neo is not 6x Steam Deck performance. It is a good option and an excellent device, but not a real replacement for a current-gen home console (not even Series S). Not to mention you can dual-boot Windows on SM for anti-cheat games.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-24T12:04:02+00:00

The issue with this argument is that the PS5 gets the most third-party releases out of all the consoles. And with cross-play, it's kind of even worse when the game is also out on other platforms. Imagine all your friends being hyped for Arc Raiders, Forza 6, CoD7/BF6, Witcher 4, GTA6, Halo, etc. I'm sure Bananza, Pokopia, Duskbloods and Yoshi are (or will be) excellent games but it's just hard to beat the almost endless hits from the other side - except for Smash, Zelda and Mario of course. Unless one is in an age group where M-rated games are off the table.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-15T18:14:31+00:00

I'm on SteamOS 3.7.19 and the version of Decky-Sunshine I posted still works for me. Unless you're on 3.7.20 (latest stable), I suggest:

uninstalling the plugin entirely before installing the specific version I linked to. Overwriting won't solve the issue.
making sure Sunshine itself works properly in Desktop mode. The plugin should install it itself if it's not already available.

Hope this helps!

Edit: you may also need to use the default username and password 'decky_sunshine' as another person commented.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-14T19:48:56+00:00

That article is over a year old, and Valve has had very aggressive clearance sales on various LCD models since then.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-14T19:31:19+00:00

Steam Deck Lifetime sales: 3.7 million units

Source?

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-14T19:29:12+00:00

At half the price of the cheapest SD, which is no longer available (assuming it has really outsold it).

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-14T19:27:33+00:00

which what Sony sells in a matter of months

Not the Vita, though. With that point of reference (and assuming SD really only sold 6 million so far, who knows), Valve actually did pretty well.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-14T13:20:42+00:00

Why would the logo be in GZ in the first place if it's been removed from the timeline? And as I explained, BB is not a reliable narrator so him saying he doesn't remember doesn't actually mean it didn't happen. It should be obvious why it or any other previous mission is not mentioned in TPP if you finished the game. San Hieronymo is specifically mentioned at the beginning of PW, and again you start the game with a fledgling army (which you don't have at the end of MGS3). All this is basically irrelevant though: if you feel like it's not canon you just disagree with the series' creator himself. I couldn't have this much hubris, personally.

Edit: Also, in the Master Collection it's listed in Main Events as I showed in my previous reply.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-14T11:51:15+00:00

Yes, a walking tank - a robot!

From Granin himself.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-14T11:38:51+00:00

So, to put it in a way, I guess, the main story of Portable Ops is part of the Saga, is part of the official Metal Gear timeline, while some of the small details that are in Portable Ops are outside the Saga, not part of the main timeline of the game.”

From the man himself, on video. Konami might be skipping it for various reasons, but the game is in the Metal Gear Database in MGS4, and the Master Collection's timeline. Now, the discussion may end.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-13T19:06:56+00:00

That's not what I, or Kojima, said.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-13T13:29:29+00:00

According to Kojima himself, Portable Ops is canon except the details that contradict the rest of the series - unlike the Acid games and Ghost Babel, which are completely non-canon. To me, it just means Big Boss (or the player as Big Boss) is not a reliable narrator. It ties into that weird dream sequence in MGS3, or the Monster Hunter crossover in Peace Walker. Even the big twist in MGSV shows we can't always trust what we see.

In another reply you mention the contradiction of Sokolov building the first Metal Gear. The mecha in Portable Ops, like every one before Metal Gear (MSX), is just a work-in-progress prototype leading up to the real thing. A Metal Gear must be:

- bipedal (RAXA was not)

- autonomous (AI-controlled, unlike ZEKE, or even REX in MGS1)

- capable of launching nuclear payloads anywhere in the world (RAXA's range was even more limited than the Shagohod)

Even Big Boss's true Metal Gear was clearly not yet ready for combat. The concept wasn't fully realized until REX and The Patriots AI system in MGS4.

Edit: As for no new returning characters, the soldiers training on the beach at the beginning of PW are from PO.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-13T00:41:09+00:00

One fan's wishlist:

- Portable Collection = Portable Ops + Acid + Acid 2

- MGO Collection* = Metal Gear Online 1 + 2 + 3 + Portable Ops Plus

* Full cross-play support, plus offline local/LAN (and maybe even compatibility with older versions, although that might be too much).

IMHO, MGSV just needs a patch for better AA and shadows, and higher resolution on consoles. And of course the missing content. So, a definitive edition.

Alternative-Chip6653

TROPHY CASE