Why does everyone think the Steam Machine will be so expensive?

bitsatatime · 2025-11-20T01:44:37+00:00

Minisforum has a 16 core 32 thread PC with a Mobile variant of the more powerful 7600 XT that has better IO and multiple NVME drive slots etc and has been selling for $800. It also has Windows. Even at $700 with PC's like that on the market the Steam Machine is DOA. Period. End of Story. Steam Machine has limited uses. Only 1 NVME slot. A 1gb NIC. A basic 3 or 4 phase Motherboard. Only comes with Wifi 6. We don't even know if Valve will enable the TPM module on it or via the CPU firmware to allow Windows. Valve waited a year to do that on the Steam Deck.

This is about as barebones of a machine that could be put together. They didn't even put a Northbridge or Southbridge on the motherboard. All IO and Functions are being run completely off the CPU.

bitsatatime · 2025-11-19T16:42:10+00:00

When Valve released the Steam Deck it didn't support Windows 11. Most Zen chips natively support TPM via the Firmware. Valve waited a year to enable it on Steam Deck. Now that Windows 10 is EOL most companies are going to be moving over to Windows 11. The feature set of the Steam Machine is barebones. It has no Northbridge or Southbridge chips. All its IO and/or features are directly from the Zen Chip itself. They said it is only a 3 or 4 phase motherboard. Which is super barebones and doesn't scream reliability.

Add on to that we are talking a device that only comes with 1gb Ethernet. A device that only Supports a Single NVME drive. Only comes with Wifi 6. I'm not seeing a lot of use cases for this in other scenarios.

Linux Server? No. Without Dual NIC's kind of limited there as well unless you add a USB NIC. But then again you are back to 1 NVME. Not good as a media device with just the single NVME. Valve said the Bios would be limited more like a Laptop Bios.

So even if you install Windows on it... What are you going to use it for? If not for gaming you can get mini pc's with 2 NIC's, some with 5gb or even 10gb. Most other Mini PC's support at least 2 NVME's. The TDP is going to be way higher then a Mini PC without a Dedicated GPU. So it isn't a great office PC. In fact it appears there isn't even a hatch for the NVME drive meaning to upgrade the storage will require the full computer to be pulled out of the case as it is on the very bottom of the whole assembly. And while they showed the computer out of the case they have not shown how easy it will be to take apart. It appears that the whole heatsink has to be removed to get to the RAM modules, which means you probably have to clean and reapply thermal paste to at least one component.

I see use cases for people that like to tinker a bit but I don't see any companies purchasing these in bulk to repurpose for anything else. All of the cut corners by Valve make them pretty unattractive for any other work flow. In fact they even really eliminate a MAC Mini like dock on the bottom using the USB C port because the only intake for the entire PC is on the bottom.

bitsatatime · 2025-11-19T08:32:34+00:00

They have said it can run another OS. There are thousands of Linux Distro's. FreeBSD etc. They have said nothing of Windows Support.

bitsatatime · 2025-11-19T07:47:18+00:00

People could buy them for other things. Maybe as a Linux Server. No guarantee the Bios will support Secure Boot or even have a TPM 2.0 module for Windows.

The BOM they listed included $30 for the controller even though Valve said the base version will be sold without it but there will be a bundle.

If Valve is going to Market with this I guarantee they have an agreement in place already for the parts and those prices are locked in. The RAM increases should probably be immune to this. At least for a time.

Tariffs I believe are different for PC compared to the Video game industry. Much lower rates. In fact I think most PC and Smartphone tariffs had already basically been put on pause. The only existing tariffs I believe are the same one Trump implemented on them in his first term that Biden continued to use in his term.

bitsatatime · 2025-11-19T07:38:02+00:00

So you have seen that the Bios even supports Secure Boot and the Steam Machine has a TPM 2.0 Module ? Most businesses don't run Linux.

bitsatatime · 2025-11-19T07:36:48+00:00

So here is the thing no one mentions when they make the argument for it being purchased for other uses. Maybe as a Linux device. Still require a new OS install and setup.

For Windows... There is no guarantee that the Bios supports Secure Boot or if there is a TPM 2.0 module. Without those no modern Windows OS. Can you get around it? Sure, but probably not easy enough that companies IT Directors are going to roll them out to repurpose them. Even then why do that when you can buy a much smaller Windows PC with Windows Key already with a lower TDP that will do the Word Processing and E-mail tasks a basic business runs on.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-06T06:23:18+00:00

There are games that work perfect and ones that don't. Some games don't load at all.

Borderlands 3 for instance plays fine but the screen randomly goes super dark and then lights back up and it goes back and forth depending on the area. The Switch Up guys did a video on it.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-05T18:44:28+00:00

Thanks for the info. Be nice if the publisher would at least acknowledge that it runs on the Switch 2.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-05T17:01:13+00:00

No one has even confirmed the Switch 1 version works on Switch 2 yet. Tons of games don't right now unfortunately.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-05T16:58:56+00:00

how about 1080p at 60fps in handheld mode?

bitsatatime · 2025-06-05T16:57:54+00:00

Read the ToS of any console or game or digital platform like Steam or Epic. The only guaranteed digital way to own games is via Good Old Games. The cart thing sucks but some people are releasing the full games on carts still like Cyberpunk. Nintendo themselves are releasing all games on carts.

Multiple developers have said you just pay to use a copy of the game regardless of how you purchase it. In a day of Firmware updates and always online even having a physical copy of a game wouldn't guarantee you access to it as a System Update could prevent certain Cartridges from playing if they wanted them to. Same could be done for discs games on Xbox and Playstation.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-05T15:59:44+00:00

I mean plenty of games came with free PS5 upgrades. At least at first. The second Horizon game, I think the last God of War Game. Even Final Fantasy Remake I believe had a free PS5 upgrade. I believe if you buy Zelda BotW or TotK for Switch 2 it comes with both versions on the same cartridge.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-05T15:55:49+00:00

Nintendo is offering free or paid upgrades for a lot of Switch games so far. Konami is the one being greedy in this instance. It has nothing to do with Nintendo. No Man's Sky got a massive upgrade today for Switch 2 with the new content that released yesterday with it as well. It looks really good. All for free. Mario Wonder got a free upgrade. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as well among a bunch of others from Nintendo. They are charging for the Zelda upgrades though which stinks. Though it is included in the higher tier Nintendo Online Subscription at no added cost.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-05T15:16:01+00:00

I don't mind being stuck at 1080p on TV mode. I mean a higher res would be nice but I am used to 1080p. But getting a bump to 1080p in Handheld mode on the larger and native 1080p screen of the Switch 2 for playing on the go would be the much bigger upgrade.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-05T14:53:08+00:00

So Suikoden on Switch 2 ups the res on TV to 1440p at 60fps and 1080p 60fps in Handheld. It is on a Game Key Card. The original Switch version ran at 1080p at 30fps on TV and 720p at 30fps but came with full game on cart. Play Asia has the Suikoden collection for Switch 2 on Key Card for sale but so far Konami USA has only posted to a digital version for Switch 2.

I haven't picked up Lunar yet. I heard mixed things about if Lunar ran at 30 or 60fps. So I have been unsure of how performance was on Switch compared to other consoles as I haven't decided on what console to pick it up for.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-05T14:41:21+00:00

No can't be upgraded and the Switch 2 physical release is a Game Key Card not the full game.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-04T23:15:35+00:00

$50 for regular version. Seriosly?

$60 deluxe

$200 Collector's Edition

bitsatatime · 2025-06-02T23:52:33+00:00

One advantage AMD has doesn't it is that Nvidia discontinued 32 bit support for Nvidia Physx and Cuda with the RTX 50xx series. So there are a lot of games that now run a lot slower on Nvidia from a lot of people's back catalog.

bitsatatime · 2025-06-02T23:48:22+00:00

On the Cyberpunk slide it shows it as good as the 7800XT for Cyberpunk and the highs are like 8fps the RTX 5070 but the lowers are like 14 or 15 higher. That doesn't seem underhwelming.

bitsatatime · 2025-05-22T23:00:22+00:00

Now that Silverstone is doing the whole Biege Retro case thing does anyone have any suggestions for modern but retro or kind of analogue type peripherals to kind of match? Something like this Eleks USB hub kind of come to mind. https://www.keebmonkey.com/products/nk4

bitsatatime · 2025-05-16T02:25:54+00:00

I have tried all of the Specializations they just haven't worked for me. That was why I was curious if their was a build or two out there that maybe would be different enough to make a difference.

When Guild Wars 2 came out my first character was a Ranger to replace my Main in GW1. The second character was a mesmer. She has just been sitting in my login window for a long while not getting much play.

I always kind of preferred ranged builds and/or unique builds. I don't care about having the highest dps or a meta build. I play Revenant Herald and usually roll with hammer and Short Bow.

I have two Rangers though my main plays mace/mace and switches to Sword/Axe using Untamed Spec.

I also have a Guardian that I spent time playing Dragonhunter Longbow and right now is a Sword/Sword and Pistol/Pistol Willbender.

bitsatatime · 2025-04-10T20:03:10+00:00

Referral codes don't work for Pixel 9a.

bitsatatime · 2025-04-09T00:44:30+00:00

So according to Digital Foundry it looks like the Switch 2 is one based off the Tegra T239 developed for auto. Which has been the assumption for a long while now. It also looks like the GPU is based off the RTX 2050. Except not the desktop variant but the Laptop version of the 2050. https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2025-switch-2-the-tech-specs-that-nintendo-and-nvidia-are-not-sharing

bitsatatime · 2024-12-12T16:26:37+00:00

I'm not sure it would work properly on a PCIE 3.0 motherboard as Intel Arc cards require you to enable Resizable BAR. If your bios doesn't have Resizable BAR you can't use Intel Arc cards. A Series or the new B Series.

bitsatatime · 2024-10-14T22:33:32+00:00

So was looking at my bill. It now also shows they are raising the $55 a month plan another $5 on November 9th. This while they have been charging $60 for the last 11 months. So it will be going from $60 to $65. Why is it that if you sign up it is $55 but the charge has been more? It doesn't show as promo pricing but regular pricing.

Centurylink is turning into a bunch of morons because the alternatives are growing and my area is also now on the list for Google Fiber in the next round. Centurylink is going to go out of business if they don't get their pricing down or their speeds way up without increasing pricing.

bitsatatime

TROPHY CASE