The new Steam console has been widely mocked across the internet, but Valve might end up reaping massive rewards.
Throughout June, the game console circle has been in a state of constant upheaval. The reputations of major manufacturers have been fluctuating wildly, with each one coming up with all sorts of unexpected moves.
First, Valve launched a console with an outrageous starting price of $1049 without a controller. Then, Sony had a sudden idea and officially announced that it would discontinue physical game discs in 2028. Not to be outdone, Microsoft joined in the self - sabotage act. Media reports revealed that Microsoft's next - generation console will remove the optical drive.
Don't think that Nintendo fans are calm. At the end of June, it was announced that the price of the NS2 would be increased starting from September 1st. They're just putting on a brave face. This is the current state of the console circle, stabbing every gamer in the back equally.
However, few people may have noticed that in the chaotic war of the console circle, gamers have dug out a hidden plot.
Valve and Gabe Newell, whose reputations have gone from being the saints of the game circle to being seen as having lost their integrity, are experiencing another wave of reputation reversal - at the cost of giving the Steam Machine a grand burial.
Although we mentioned earlier that the Steam Machine has some outrageous aspects, most people don't have a clear understanding of just how outrageous it is. Many probably only know that its pricing is extremely high: the starting price is $1049 (approximately 7121 yuan), and the top - end model costs $1428 (approximately 9700 yuan).
In fact, the price is just one aspect that annoys gamers. What really makes people uncomfortable is the device's cost - performance ratio.
On the sales page, it lists the hardware configuration. You don't need to be an expert. Any gamer who plays 3A games on Steam can easily tell why people are criticizing it at a glance.
Without going into other details, I'll just ask: with a 512GB hard drive, 16GB of memory, and 8GB of video memory, in an era when game sizes are expanding and optimization is poor, what can it really do? When GTA6 is released in a few days, one game alone could take up one - third to half of the storage space. Whether it can maintain a stable 60 frames per second is anyone's guess.
Since our physical unit is still on the way, it's hard to say what level the so - called semi - custom AMD Zen 4 6 - core 12 - thread processor and semi - custom AMD RDNA3 architecture graphics card are. But based on the review data released by other media, it's really hard to be optimistic.
To put it simply, it's like spending 7000 yuan on a base - model Steam Machine without a controller, which has a Ryzen 5 7540U CPU and an RTX 3060 graphics card...
At this point, the conversation pretty much hits a dead end. Would an ordinary gamer with a budget of 7000 yuan really skip options like the NS, Xbox, PS5, laptops, and desktops and spend all their money on the Steam Machine? I don't think so.
Of course, if we analyze it objectively, the Steam Machine does have its advantages. For example, it has the Steam OS system and an excellent Steam ecosystem. It also has a compact size of 152mm (height) × 156mm (width) × 162.4mm (depth), runs quietly, and can be connected to a keyboard and mouse to perform some daily PC - related tasks. It has a different positioning compared to other consoles.
But still, it's really too expensive. Anyone who still wants to buy it blindly must be a die - hard fan of Valve.
Even former SIE executive Shuhei Yoshida couldn't stand its cost - performance ratio. He directly said on X that the price is very unfriendly and that it's hard to recommend it to others unless it's for research purposes.
For most people who want to buy it, apart from the Steam ecosystem, the biggest highlight of the Steam Machine might be its small size.
The small black box, which is about half the size of the XSX console, is indeed convenient for hardcore gamers to carry around. However, not many people are likely to do this because it always needs an external monitor, right?
So, in Xiaofa's opinion, the Steam Machine is, to some extent, like a "Mac mini" for gamers.
And that's exactly the problem. Gamers, who are highly sensitive to the cost - performance ratio of devices, aren't as easy to take advantage of as Apple fans.
Normally, at this point, Gabe Newell's reputation would be in tatters, and he might have to issue a self - reproach statement.
But, as mentioned at the beginning, unconsciously, the reputations of Gabe Newell and Valve have had a major reversal.
A few days ago, someone noticed that the last question in the QA section at the bottom of the Steam Machine's official page was, "If I can't buy the Steam Machine right away, is there another way?"
The answer is quite interesting. Valve said that they are working hard to make Steam OS available on more hardware.
Only then did people notice that Steam OS, which previously only supported the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go S, improved its compatibility with other (handheld and desktop) PCs using AMD chips in the 3.8 version released on June 18th. The price announcement of the Steam Machine came four days later.
In other words, Valve anticipated our expectations and is telling everyone that your Steam Machine doesn't have to be the official Steam Machine.
If you're not satisfied with the product, you can completely build your own computer and install Steam OS to create your own version of the Steam Machine.
From this moment on, people have once again placed Valve and Gabe Newell back on the pedestal, at least for now.
However, the cost might be that the Steam Machine will take a nosedive and will most likely fail.
But has Valve really lost? I don't think so.
Maybe many people don't know that the Steam Machine has died once before, more than a decade ago.
Around 2012, as Valve began to emphasize Linux and the Steam Big Picture Mode emerged, news of Valve's entry into the hardware market began to spread in the industry.
Three years later, in 2015, people finally got to see the new console called the Steam Machine, along with a new controller, Steam OS, and Steam Link.
After that, as we all know, the actual experience of the Steam Machine and the Steam controller wasn't very good. A few years later, their related pages were removed from the Steam homepage, and they became failures.
But have you noticed that the related software ecosystems have had a completely different outcome compared to these obsolete Steam hardware products.
Steam OS, which was born in 2014, is an operating system based on Linux. Its design goal is to allow gamers to start and play games as easily as on a console, without the various problems that come with Windows.
But if it only had this ability, it would have no chance against Windows.
However, Valve has a secret weapon: Proton. It allows software that runs on Windows to run on Linux, avoiding the awkward situation where developers are reluctant to optimize and adapt their software for the niche Linux system.
Ordinary gamers may not feel it clearly, but since its birth, Steam OS + Proton has become the focus of Valve's work for the next decade and beyond.
It gives Valve the confidence to bypass Windows and build its own ecosystem, further consolidating its leading position in the PC - game market, which it already almost monopolizes. With its existing technology, they can provide PC gamers with a console - level experience.
The Steam Deck, released in 2022, is a perfect embodiment of Valve's goals. This handheld console has been selling like hotcakes, with sales exceeding 3.7 million units in three years on the market, surpassing the total sales of its Windows - based handheld competitors.
Influenced by the Steam Deck, many major manufacturers have started to launch handheld consoles in recent years, such as the Lenovo Legion Go and ROG Xbox Ally.
Steam OS has also taken advantage of the handheld - console boom. From the announcement of the Steam OS 3.8 version, it can be seen that the Steam ecosystem is breaking away from fixed environments like homes and internet cafes and entering new entertainment spaces.
Many people in the game community believe that Steam OS performs better than Windows. Different people have different views on this, but when people are no longer surprised when comparing the two, Steam OS has already won.
The same goes for the new - version Steam Machine. You can't just see it as an ordinary console. It has a similar mission to its predecessor, the Steam Deck, which is to expand the market and liberate the Steam ecosystem from your bedroom and study and into your living room.
It would be great if it sells well. If not, as stated in the official Steam Machine QA, getting Steam OS into your living room is also a form of success.
It doesn't need to catch up with Sony, Microsoft, or surpass Nintendo. As long as it can make a name for itself in the console circle, attract manufacturers, computer - building shops, and DIY gamers to follow the trend and build a console device with the Steam OS system, its mission is accomplished.
At first glance, it seems quite absurd, but if you think about it carefully, it's not impossible.
After all, although console gamers pay relatively less for consoles, the service is far from satisfactory. The already high game prices, the gradually disappearing game discs, the increasing membership fees, and the need to pay for online multiplayer with friends. In comparison, Steam has truly outperformed console manufacturers in these aspects.
If Steam can really break into the console market, the situation might really change. When the Steam Machine makes its third comeback, it could be a whole new ball game.
Source of images and materials:
komodostation.com/?lang=zh-hans
www.ithome.com/0/967/305.htm
x.com/yosp/status/2072582164898787363?s=20
store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/view/697641379212298072
Microsoft finally realizes the threat SteamOS poses — but its promises to fix Windows 11 for PC gaming are too little, too late【www.techradar.com】
What is Proton? 【www.techradar.com】
"It's true Steam Machines aren't exactly flying off the shelves"【www.eurogamer.net】
Valve Is Bringing Steam To Your TV Today. Watch Out, Consoles. 【kotaku.com】