Again?
Ok. And how much will it cost?
And why not? That’s all consoles are, now. Do you want the blue AMD laptop, or the green AMD laptop?
I think I’m part of steam machine’s target market. Games are leisure time. I don’t want to be worrying about processor-graphics cards combos. I don’t want to worry about which game runs, or optimising settings. I want to turn it on and have fun.
Sadly, I’ve been in emulating recently just to get away from micro transactions so I have to spend a lot of time tinkering. First mini pc that flawlessly runs 360/PS3 and is less than £500 I’m getting it.
You should buy a console then
Xbone was my last console purchase and I considered it terrible value for money. AAA games aren’t generally worth looking at due to their monetisation strategies. Console wars are anti-consumer. Indy titles, what I mostly play don’t have the same availability. Steam workshop has no equivalent on console. Multilayer is a paid addition, not that multiplayer is worth it because the multiplayer games have the worst monetisation strategies. I could go on.
But you’re right, that’s what I want, a Steam Machine.
You’ll have a long way to go on the software side before worrying about hardware
Like you said though, just buy a prebuilt and you’re already there
Like you said though, just buy a prebuilt and you’re already there
As long as Microsoft doesn’t push an update that fucks up your machine, or you don’t boot for a few weeks and have to wait 2 hours for an update…
Even the biggest Steam update takes a fraction of the time of a ‘routine’ Windows update. SteamOS/DeckOS is a huge quality of life upgrade over a desktop.
Linux is the key there.
All your complaints revolve around Windows.
That being said, if you don’t want to fuck with computers any more than necessary, that route won’t be particularly pleasing until Valve can release their OS and Launcher updates, assuming they keep things user friendly.
Linux gaming is leagues better than it was 20 years ago. Still hard to beat a fresh Windows install (key: fresh) and most certainly a console when it comes to ease of use.
I’m a Debian guy but most of the people I know are stuck in the Windows ecosystem because it’s the only one most people know.
Why are you running Windows on any device prebuilt or otherwise?
I’m not but the majority is.
I know. The SER 8 is damn close hardware wise, it could be in budget given a sale/voucher/what not. RetroGameCorps - mini pc spreadsheet
I can start at ps1 to give emulators time to catch up.
Or maybe they could do Half-Life 3 please.
Half-Life 3
Steam Console Exclusive
Huge half life fan here.
I would wait to emulate that shit.
Steam Machine 3: This time it’s personal.
Instead of the Electric Boogalo, it’s the Steam Dreamaroo.
This could be nice for folks that want a console-like living room experience that “just works”.
Me? I built a Linux HTPC a dozen years ago and have periodically updated the graphics card (it gets the hand-me-downs from my main gaming PC) so I don’t need this. I’m far more interested in a Steam Controller 2 😄
This rumor has been going around for a few months now, mostly because of some commits targeting new unknown hardware to SteamOS afaik.
I hope the rumor is true, I love my steamdeck but something a bit more powerful that allows me to play Steam games in 4k on my TV would be awesome. If they run the same exact OS as on the steamdeck you could even do stuff like ad-free youtube using Firefox.
but something a bit more powerful that allows me to play Steam games in 4k on my TV would be awesome.
I got news for you! You can literally build a computer to do this right now, no need to wait for steam.
Do you want some eggs? I got news for you! You can literally build a chicken shed right now, no need to wait for farmers.
Seriously, the same captain obvious answer all the time when a Steam console is mentioned. It’s infuriating. Consoles exist for a reason, to provide a ready and verified environment for playing games without any fiddling.
Can I build a chicken? That’s the real question…
Please don’t fuck a chicken
Can you build computer parts from scratch?
Please don’t fuck a computer
Sure. First, you have to create a universe…
I know that. I want something ready to go with a dedicated controller and not fiddle around with components myself that may run too hot or are too noisy etc.
I know this isn’t exactly what you mean, but I use the Remote Play function to stream games from my PC to my living room TV, it works like a charm!
Yup I’ve been doing that as well using nvidia shield but it has become very unstable as of late. Network latency and input lag is also an issue in some games unfortunately.
Are you using Steam’s integrated streaming, or Moonlight/Sunshine? The latter has less lag and can handle higher resolutions, but is a pain to set up
I was using Moonlight yes. Might have to give it a go again some time.
Ah that’s unfortunate.
To clarify I use my Steam Deck in a third party dock with a LAN-port connected to my TV. I’ve had no issues at all and streamed FF7 Rebirth with 2k resolution and stable 120fps yesterday, no interruptions.
There’s also been some arm SoC work by valve, could be they’re gearing up for a new SteamStation, could be that they’re opening up SteamOS for 3rd party manufacturers like Lenovo. Only time will tell.
I’m not the target for such device, I play on my PC and on the Deck when on the couch. But I wish the rumor is true, it will boost PC gaming as a whole
What would make me happy is a way smoother experience with game streaming. With moonlight/sunshine I’ve found it works incredibly well - when it does. I always ran into issues with resolution setting, windows lock screen, power on power off etc. I mean, I’m sure I could figure it out over time but I’m way to lazy, I don’t have time to tinker with that. I just want it to work.
If I could sit on my couch and have a cool and quiet steam deck streaming off my PC in the other room, that would be sweet.
Playing games in 4k on your TV with surround sound is superior to playing on a steam deck
Agree, but when I playing like that i prefer on my PC, on the couch I prefer to play more chill games while my partner watches her favorites shows on the TV, that was kinda the reason for me to get the Deck in the first place.
I get that for sure
Didnt they already try this and it flopped? Is my memory playing tricks on me?
It would be a pretty dumb business move. It’s going to take a lot to unseat Sony and Microsoft, and the people familiar with Steam likely already have pretty powerful PCs. Case in point, the steam deck. Novelty product, it’s pretty cool, but it’s nowhere even close to unseating Nintendo Switch, let alone PS or Xbox.
They made the Steam Link, which was a local network game streaming machine, not a full blown console that ran steam games independently.
You are not misremembering. It did give us one of the most hilariously awful controller designs (though I applaud them swinging for the fences), and it it was the precursor to the steam deck, so it wasn’t completely worthless.
If they can take the lessons learned from their recent successes with the steam deck, I could see them making something that sticks around for a bit. There’s a market for people that want the steam ecosystem but are intimidated by PC builds or the toxic sub culture that sometimes permeates PC gamers. Having a pre-built PC with proper backing that just works out of the box with minimal tinkering could be an attractive option for some.
Something something steam link…
From reddit:
is this trust worthy?
Extasis mentions this guy handledeck as the source
https://xcancel.com/HandleDeck/status/1886501899832021224#m
which links to this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgKzbHIWDK4
which just mentions this article https://www.phoronix.com/news/Mesa-25.0-RADV-RDNA4-State
saying: “by reading this article carefully we can come up to the conclusion that…”
Seems all bullshit.
I’m not sure what would be the point. Isn’t it “just” a PC with Steam OS running on it? Would it be to help people just default to SteamOS?
Having a popular, standardized pc with fixed hardware and OS would enable game developers to aim that as minimum(or recommended) requirement and to optimize their games for that. And since it will be running linux, this means that gaming in linux would become even more mainstream and better supported too.
Also being theoretically not portable, it could be more powerful than the Steam Deck making emulation even easier.
Having a Valve made device that can run switch games that take up more resources would be amazing. Definitely hope they go for better specs that allow for emulation to become easier.
That is indeed a good argument reason. I wish them all the best!
When the first Steam Machines were announced years ago, I assumed they’d all be running the same hardware like consoles do, and I thought that was actually quite a good idea because it could give game devs a sort of “baseline” set of hardware to aim for, as opposed to the sort of “vaguely make it run on Windows” system we seem to have currently. So if the new ones are all more-or-less the same kit like the Steam Decks are, and they take off well enough, it could be handy in that way I guess.
Plus it’ll presumably run SteamOS so more Linux exposure which I always appreciate.
aren’t the other consoles just pcs with custom os?
Kinda, but not quite. The main difference, imo, is that consoles have several anti-tampering measures in place, often as exclusive hardware, to ensure owners don’t jailbreak. The PC is, by design, open and “unsafe”, without measures to stop owners from doing whatever.
Think of them like laptops, they have a lot of components that make them a pc but arent really able to be modified or changed
Kinda. They are not very customisable. They are locked down boxes. You can’t run your normal applications on it, control it with a mouse or keyboard, etc.
Optimization profiles for games to target the specific hardware. It would be for people that want a steam deck like device that isn’t portable. Which would probably sell more units than a steam deck now. If priced right I would put it in my living room. It just needs to have the QOL that comes with console for couch gaming.
Sure, which would be great for people who don’t want to build their own PC or buy an expensive prebuilt.
Do want.
Don’t they already have this? What is the Steam Deck, if not a rival to the PS5 and the Xbox ala the Switch? Shouldn’t the focus go into optimizing that space, as opposed to trying again at the home console market?
Yeah I have a Steam Deck with a dock and bluetooth mouse & keyboard, it’s basically just a desktop PC lol.
Although the Deck does struggle a bit with super high-end games, so a similar thing with beefier hardware could fill a niche there I guess?
I love my deck but it is absolutely not a rival to ps5 and xbsx. It can barely run new high end games at low settings.
