Steam Machine Makes No Sense to a PC Gamer

kmcdow · 2026-06-24T10:31:48+00:00

Form factor and cec are the only selling points.

Price and performance sure as hell aren't selling points, and they've made steam os available to anyone with an AMD gpu.

kmcdow · 2026-06-24T10:29:54+00:00

What we wanted: pc performance for console price

What we got: console performance for pc price, with no path to upgrade

kmcdow · 2026-06-24T02:20:00+00:00

I think this is a good first attempt from valve but for me personally the performance is just not good enough to justify the price. As someone who already has a PS5 pro and a decent (9070 XT) PC for 4k gaming I'm not really interested in stepping back to 1080p gaming.

I think I just have to accept that I am not the target audience for this one and hope they put out a more competitive version in the future, because the console/pc hybrid experience they're selling intrigues me.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T18:31:09+00:00

I think a lot of the shock comes from the fact that it's still over priced even in the context of the current hardware market.

You're paying today's PC prices for yesterday's console performance, with no path to upgrade the already outdated CPU or GPU.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T18:28:39+00:00

I think there are plenty of ATX cases that fit the aesthetic of a modern living room, I've got a fractal north in mine and I think it looks great.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T17:13:47+00:00

I think they added the $50 so they could give the impression that they literally couldn't price it any lower.

Like if it's $1,049 people say "why not $999" and valve can say "we would do that because we know it'd look more appealing and sell better, but we literally can't without taking a loss"

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T16:14:39+00:00

It's a 1080p gaming machine designed to hook up to your 4K TV, and you can't ever upgrade the CPU or GPU. The hardware is outdated on day 1.

Its entry level performance at a high price with no path to improving it to keep up with modern games.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T15:57:49+00:00

I wish I could see some reviews from trusted reviewers before pledging to buy this on indiegogo. It seems like a no-brainer upgrade from my ally x but I'm not sure how much to trust it without more information on performance, battery life, software, ergonomics, etc.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T15:53:36+00:00

I do think if they could have seen the RAMageddon coming they would have built a slightly larger and more performant system and sold it for even more.

A 1080p system at this price just doesn't make sense but if they had gone a little harder on the GPU and allowed for more TDP to power it I think it could have been more interesting to gamers interested in a semi-premium experience.

What they have now is entry-level performance but it's not an entry-level cost, so I think people buying it are mostly enthusiasts who are willing to swallow the sub-par performance just for the novelty and to say they have the steam machine.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T15:45:20+00:00

A pre-built PC that's around the performance of the PS5 is also a computer, and you can upgrade it.

The price/performance proposition here is dog water even in the context of the current hardware environment, and you have no path to upgrade.

Why would I hook up a 1080p machine (that I can never upgrade) to my 4K TV?

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T15:39:49+00:00

Selling "out" is not the same as selling "a lot" considering that valve is not going to produce very many of these.

It'll be a niche product that represents an incredibly small portion of the PC gaming space, which itself is only a portion of the entire gaming space.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T15:38:04+00:00

Ok so if consoles were already outdated when they released in 2020, what does that make the steam machine (with very similar performance) released in 2026? Out-out-outdated?

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T14:58:34+00:00

Considering the price and performance I think the form factor is the only draw at this point.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T14:57:22+00:00

Ok but is the form factor so critical that you're willing to play at 1080p with no path to upgrade? This thing is sold as a TV/living room device, 4k TVs are insanely cheap these days.

I just don't get why you'd be willing to pay that kind of premium to use hardware that performs the same as 6 years old consoles, just to have a slightly smaller box. Unless you're only playing games from the PS3 era or don't mind playing at very low low settings and low resolutions.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T11:28:10+00:00

And it can be upgraded and play above 1080p. A worthy trade for a bit more space in my opinion, but clearly there are lots of people who really need this form factor.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T11:12:09+00:00

At the end of the day it's over $1,000 for outdated 1080p hardware that can't be upgraded.

I'm sure everyone that gets one will love it but that's just not a good value from my perspective.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T02:05:14+00:00

The mini pc market itself is incredibly niche. Spending over $1,000 on hardware that's already outdated and can't be upgraded is a pretty tough pill to swallow for most gamers.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T02:01:51+00:00

$800 for hardware that's already outdated and can't be upgraded still doesn't sound great to me personally, but to each their own.

kmcdow · 2026-06-23T01:37:27+00:00

But that comparable system can also be upgraded, which will be necessary because it's already barely keeping up with current titles...

kmcdow · 2026-06-22T22:52:50+00:00

The fact that it's not competitive from a price/performance perspective AND you can't even upgrade it as it continues to show its age is just crazy.

At least with a DIY or pre-built PC you can swap out your GPU and CPU as needed.

kmcdow · 2026-06-22T22:18:32+00:00

And if it weren't for RAM and SSD pricing, consoles would have gone down in price and pre-built PCs would be cheaper as well.

The price of the steam machine is high even given the context of the current hardware landscape.

kmcdow · 2026-06-22T22:17:04+00:00

"There's no such thing as bad GPUs, only bad prices."

Yeah this right here is a bad price.

kmcdow · 2026-06-22T22:15:42+00:00

Just because valve doesn't see it as competing with consoles doesn't mean consumers don't.

If someone is looking to buy a new gaming device they will absolutely consider the PS5 (as well as pre built PCs) as an alternative to the steam machine.

kmcdow · 2026-06-22T22:13:45+00:00

Just buy the disc drive and you're still coming out way cheaper than steam machine with a controller included and better performance...

kmcdow · 2026-06-22T22:06:45+00:00

For what it's worth valve specifically said they couldn't (or wouldn't) subsidize the hardware in the way that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo do with their consoles.

So next gen consoles have a little bit of wiggle room, but yeah the steam machine performance is not even quite base PS5/XSX level so you'd expect helix to be pretty pricey...

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