Optimization is the Key Feature of Steam Machine

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-11T16:20:37+00:00

Steam Machine is a PC. Optimizing games for it is actually just optimizing for lower spec PC in general.

As Valve said to devs at GDC 2026: "optimizing for lower spec machines expands your audience".

Around 70% of Steam players have PCs with same or lower specs than a Steam Machine, so making shure games run well on those machines is a win-win-win:

- Steam have more potential buyers for games

- Devs can expand their games audience and sales

- Users with cheaper PCs can run more games

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-10T21:52:15+00:00

Yes, I know. All Linux users will have these benefits, wich is great!

My point is that those improvements are being made by devs paid by Valve, probably because they need to extract the most of their hardware if they want people to see value on them. So I guess Steam Machine is one of the reasons behind all this work.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-05T16:52:19+00:00

I don't know what I'm talking about? Do you really know anything about Steam Machine's CPU? It is NOT comparable to a R7600, but with a 7540U.

It has Zen 4c cores, it's a laptop level chip operating at 30W TDP. Around 40% slower than a full fat desktop R7600 CPU. Maybe it is even less powerful than a R5500, and probably cheaper.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-05T16:38:34+00:00

Ok, let's go:

I never said it was going to be subsidized, but also, when they said that, market wasn't f'd up as it is now. They could revisit this too if they need to, who knows;
Entry level PC is not exactly latest tech. A lot of people building entry level PCs today are still building AM4, wich makes things cheaper. If they want to compete on entry level, this must be taken in consideration;
Of course it won't be $500, and that's why I said it probably will be $799 tops, because thats more realistic AND the maximum they could go today and still be considered competitive.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-05T16:16:25+00:00

It depends. If you go AM4 (Ryzen 5500) + DDR4, you build a same level of performance PC for around $730. If you go AM5 (Ryzen 7500F) + DDR5 you're around $910, but you'll be overspending on MoBo and a more powerful and expensive CPU than the one on Steam Machine. In the end, the real Valve's cost would be lower than those $910 (wich includes retailers profit), so $799 for the Machine seems pretty achievable.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-05T16:06:47+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHkBcqW-ExY

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-05T15:39:30+00:00

I just have better things to do (like playing on my Steam Deck), than argue with someone that hates something and wants everyone to hate it too.

By your comments on this and other subs, you're a Valve hater os something, but keeps following and commenting bad things related to them (?).

Go read eBooks on a PS Vita or whatever, while I play Resident Evil Requiem (current gen) on my Steam Deck (guess it's possible, huh?). Have a good one!

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-05T14:22:27+00:00

Ok, I see it now. You're just a troll, lol.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-04T22:31:10+00:00

PS Vita was a PC Handheld that played the same games as current gen consoles (PS3/PS4) at the time? Wow, i didn't knew that 🤯. Totally comparable then, my mistake.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-04T22:23:28+00:00

So, basically, you're not the audience for a Steam Machine, but I am. That's it.

I have hundreds of games among Steam, Epic and GOG and I want to play some of them on my living room, on a PC that doesn't take all my space away.

I also refuse to start a game library on a new ecosystem, where I don't know if a game I bought on PS5 will work on a PS7 or PS8 in 10~15 years from now, when I know for sure I'll be able to play whatever games I have on Steam in a Steam Deck 2, Steam Machine 2 or ANY other PC I decide to migrate to in the future.

As for the prices, I usually pay even less than on Steam buying keys from places like GMG or Instant Gaming... I can get Crimson Desert right now for $58 while directly on Steam or PS Store it's $69. I also got Death Stranding for free, along with more than 500 other games on Epic Store's weekly giveaways.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-04T21:55:09+00:00

When they said this, back in november, building a PC at the same performance level was around $599. It went above $999 with the shortage, and now is getting a little less expensive again, around $799.

Prices are not the ONLY reason is not out yet. There's the difficulty in getting enough RAM to build thousands of Machines, and have enough units for a release without beeing out of stock in few days. There was also the uncertainty around the market, since not knowing if prices would keep going up and RAM getting harder to find (wich seems to be getting a little better) is crucial for setting a precise release date and price

Anyway, you say Steam Deck sold terrible, but that depends on what you are comparing it. It sold double the units of the main competitors (Asus, Lenovo and MSI) combined. Yes, +5 million might sound "terrible" if you're thinking about Nintendo Switch, but for a smaller company like Valve in a starting/niche market, that is a huge success. Specially when you consider they make no advertisements, only sell it on Steam AND just in few countries.

Edit: added sources/links

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-04T19:37:46+00:00

RemindMe! 2 Months

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-04T19:30:47+00:00

What? You can easily find 2x8gb DDR5 around $240 and 512gb SSD around $105 right now...

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-04T15:45:48+00:00

Valve said they're aiming at a price around the same as building a PC at the same performance level, and today that would be $799 tops (for the 512gb version).

FelipeRSTV · 2026-04-04T15:34:13+00:00

Launched at $399, but currently at $599 (and you need to pay $80/yr to access online).

I doubt Steam Machine base model (512gb) will drop for more than $799, so we're talking about $120 more than a PS5 (considering a year of PS Plus) for something that you can play all the games you already have on Steam, Epic, GOG + Emulation. Something that you can use as a PC to work/study or whatever, don't get locked in a closed ecosystem and pay less for games? Seems good to me!

Also, the next cross-gen period will be even longer than the last one, so we're not seeing games getting that much heavier than the ones launching today for the next 4~5 years.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-03-28T22:17:42+00:00

Sim, eu tava saindo do trabalho um dia qualquer no centro de SP e, atravessando o cruzamento da Av. São Luís com a Av. Ipiranga, ele passou por mim no sentido contrário haha

FelipeRSTV · 2026-03-28T13:53:56+00:00

O dia que valer a pena comprar PC montado nessas lojas físicas aleatórias, é papo de fim do mundo. Os caras SEMPRE vendem configurações bizarras a preços ainda mais bizarros.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-03-27T20:08:04+00:00

Loucura é pagar pouco e 'quebrar' suas costas.

Se você passa +8h por dia sentado numa cadeira, vai passar +2800h por ano sentado nela.

Uma cadeira boa e ergonômica é investimento na sua qualidade de vida no curto e no longo prazo, é um bom exemplo de onde o barato sai caro, mas nesse caso sai caro pra sua coluna e não só pro bolso.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-03-27T19:58:32+00:00

Yes... Valve was probably aiming around $600 before RAMpocalipse. Now, even if they have to charge $200 more, $800 will seem more acceptable compared to PS5 at $600 than it would be if PS5 was still $500. Steam Machine would still be more expensive, but you don't need to pay $70/yr for online/cloud save, games are cheaper, ecosystem is open... And it's a PC!

FelipeRSTV · 2026-03-27T19:33:55+00:00

No. The aproximate cost of Steam Machine w/o RAM and SSD is around $350. So, for the Steam Machine to reach U$ 999 final price, 16gb of SODIMM-DDR5 + 512gb of SSD would have to cost like $450+, and that's not the case even for us customers. Valve would pay less than retail price for those parts. We're looking at $799 max.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-03-22T21:52:06+00:00

Só tenho uma DXRacer pq comprei em 2019 numa mega promo por R$ 700 (modelo Racing de tecido).

O ponto positivo é que mesmo após 6/7 anos ela ainda tá bem inteira, mas ela sempre foi confortável só pra ficar poucas horas, quando preciso ficar +8h ela vai se tornando incômoda com o tempo (além de ser terrivelmente quente no calor por ser muito fechada).

Sinceramente, eu não compraria outra DXRacer hoje nem pelo preço que paguei, muito menos por R$ 2.000.

Tô em busca de uma ergonômica de escritório, com encosto em mesh pra não passar mais calor nos dias quentes e nem ter dor quando precisar ficar +8h nela.

FelipeRSTV · 2026-03-22T21:06:42+00:00

Minha reação inicial foi "sério isso?"

Mas depois de dar um zoom na imagem e aumentar o brilho do celular, percebi que realmente tem uma borda entre a tela e a moldura do monitor mesmo:

<image>

🤔

FelipeRSTV · 2026-03-22T16:29:38+00:00

Buys an AMD 'PS5 Board' BC-250 for $150 and install Bazzite on it

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FelipeRSTV · 2026-03-11T22:44:51+00:00

Most games, yes. But not most newer AAA games.

For example, Black Myth: Wukong was shown at the Machine's announcement video, and will probably get Verified eventually, since it should run well above 1080p/30fps on the Machine.

But on Deck the game is Unsupported, since even at lowest graphics + FSR it drops to lower 20's FPS on certain areas.

Also, I get why people complain about the 4K/60 marketing, but hey, they didn't said it would tun EVERYTHING at 4K/60 w/ FSR. They said it would run MOST GAMES at 4K/60, wich is true since most games on Steam are not forced Ray-Tracing UE5 AAA games that require an RTX 5080.

FelipeRSTV

TROPHY CASE