As someone who has spent the last five years slowly migrating from console to PC gaming, I’m incredibly excited for the Steam Machine. I still use my PS5 and Switch 2, but mostly out of convenience. If I want to kick back on the couch, I’ll use those systems, but if I want optimal performance, flexibility, variety, and choice, I’ll almost always go with my PC. Ideally, the Steam Machine will offer the best of both worlds.
Valve has already established its hardware competence with the Steam Deck, a handheld PC which, all things considered, is the best of its kind on the market. It also gives us a better idea of what to expect from the Steam Machine, particularly with respect to build quality and SteamOS, the Linux-based operating system developed by Valve. There’s also been the new Steam Controller, which is a further indication of Valve’s ability to output strong hardware. Indeed, the company has certainly come a long way since the critical and commercial failure of the original Steam Machine, but there are still a few improvements that its successor needs to be truly great.
A Reasonable Launch Price
This is the biggest question surrounding the Steam Machine’s imminent release, and perhaps a major reason why it hasn’t already been hailed as a PlayStation and Xbox destroyer. As gamers know all too well, console prices have been increasing at an alarming rate due in large part to the AI-fueled “RAMgeddon” that’s been wreaking havoc on memory and storage supplies; it was only a few weeks ago that Sony bumped the price of the PS5 Pro to an eye watering $899.99.
If the Steam Machine launches at a competitive price (say, $600 or less), then it could be positioned as an even more reasonable alternative to Sony’s and Microsoft’s offerings. The average consumer doesn’t care much about GPU clock speed, but they do care about pricing. Not to mention, the Steam Machine is entering this console generation very late (or the next generation very early, depending on how you look at it). If it launches at the same price as the current-gen Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo consoles, it might be a tough sell to those who already adopted those consoles before the price hike.
Easier Windows Integration (Or Native Game Pass)
You can technically use PC Game Pass on the Steam Deck, but since SteamOS is Linux-based and Game Pass is only natively compatible with Windows, game-streaming is the only option. This is less than ideal for several reasons, not the least of which being that you have to subscribe to the Ultimate tier of Game Pass for streaming access. And of course, you can’t stream without a strong internet connection, undermining the device’s portability.
The average consumer doesn’t care about GPU clock speed, but they do care about pricing.
It’s possible to load Windows onto the Steam Deck, but it’s a headache, and most users simply won’t bother with it. If Windows could run on the Steam Machine from the jump, or if Microsoft were to sign off on a Linux version of Game Pass, it would go a long way toward making the upcoming device more appealing and feature-complete as a PC hybrid. I admit this is rather unlikely, especially if Xbox’s Project Helix is going to be a PC hybrid itself, but a man can dream.
Better Compatibility with Non-Steam Apps
Along those same lines, the Steam Machine could greatly benefit from better non-Steam integration. Again, the Steam Deck is essentially a handheld Linux device, so any applications compatible with Linux will work on it. For instance, you can run emulators like EmuDeck and RetroArch, and launch them directly from the SteamOS interface. This is one of the greatest strengths of the handheld, and with luck, the Steam Machine will be a similarly powerful emulator.
But not every non-Steam application works so smoothly. For one thing, competitor launchers like GOG and Epic Games Store can only be accessed through the third-party app Heroic Launcher, which certainly detracts from the hybrid-PC aspect of devices like the Steam Deck. This is especially disappointing when looking at other handheld PCs (Asus Rog Ally, Lenovo Legion GO) that offer easy access to launchers like the Microsoft Store, GOG, and Epic. Also, you have to enter desktop mode to add non-Steam apps, a process which, while not especially difficult, can still be intimidating or frustrating for less PC-savvy users; ideally, the Steam Machine should let users add apps and extensions without having to access desktop mode, whenever that’s possible.
App compatibility is a broader Linux issue, though strides are being made in this respect all the time. However, the problem of adding apps from the main SteamOS interface could theoretically be solved by simply adding a native browser and making some UI changes.
A New Valve Game Before Too Long
This might sound like a pipe dream, but if Valve were ever to release Half-Life 3, Portal 3, or Team Fortress 3, then the Steam Machine’s launch window would be the perfect opportunity to do so. While these games would almost certainly be available on PC and console as well, the idea of a “Valve exclusive” after so many years of waiting would boost hype around the Steam Machine considerably. Hopes are already high for the device, but this would tip it over the edge—it could even soften the blow of a potentially disappointing Steam Machine MSRP.
Coming back down to Earth for a moment, Valve could sweeten the pot with a more realistic release: Deadlock. The 6v6 MOBA has been in closed beta for almost two years now, but it’s already amassed a sizable player base. As someone who was lucky enough to get a Deadlock invite a few months ago, I can personally attest to its quality: it’s extremely fun and not as intimidating for newcomers as it’s sometimes made out to be. I’m not The World’s Greatest MOBA Expert, so take this with a grain of salt, but I think it would definitely impress a lot of new adopters by way of the Steam Machine.
Honorable Mentions: What Would Take the Steam Machine Above and Beyond
I would consider the aforementioned features to be, for lack of a better term, must-haves for the Steam Machine, if not at launch, then at some point down the line. However, there are still a few smaller SteamOS improvements that I can think of that don’t seem too unreasonable to expect in the more powerful Steam Machine:
Ongoing Steam Community Engagement
Better CPU Scheduling
Game Suspension
Mod Loading in SteamOS
The first item isn’t exactly Valve’s sole responsibility, even if it could facilitate it; Steam’s community has always been one of its greatest strengths, from the forum posts to the Steam Workshop, but also with respect to unofficial plugins and expansions. For instance, you can add a number of themes to your Steam Deck thanks to a community-sourced plugin. Assuming this continues for the Steam Machine, it could be a boon for the device. The CPU scheduling on the Steam Deck was one of my first issues with it: downloading even a small handful of games can sometimes slow the device to a crawl. I hope that this issue doesn’t repeat itself in the Steam Deck’s less-mobile younger sibling.
Game suspension would also be a nice perk, especially for those who enjoy idle games like Cookie Clicker; with the Xbox Series X|S currently being the only mainstream console that has game suspension as an easily integrated option, this would definitely be a big green tick in the Pros column for the Steam Machine. Finally, we have mod loading and organization within SteamOS itself, which is part and parcel of the aforementioned point about non-Steam applications. Just like many other apps, mod managers can be added via desktop mode (although Vortex, the most popular mod manager, is not natively compatible with SteamOS), but this is, again, an unnecessarily convoluted process that could be simplified.
Image via Valve
Much like emulation, modding is a vital part of PC gaming culture. This isn’t necessarily because they are the objectively “best” parts of PC gaming, but because they’re the parts you can’t get anywhere else. PlayStation and Xbox might return to the exclusives battlefield, and Nintendo’s first-party games are the very definition of system sellers, but Valve will likely not ever enter the exclusivity arms race. Doing so would undercut its place in the PC ecosystem, which is far more important than any single device like the Steam Machine. But likewise, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo will probably never allow unfettered emulation or modding on their platforms. These are the strengths the Steam Machine has as a PC-console hybrid, and they should be leveraged.
Many gamers have declared the console industry dead, and while such bombastic statements can often be chalked up to melodrama, they are rooted in some truth. Sentiment about current-gen consoles leans strikingly negative, as obvious technical progress appears much more modest than in previous generations. But maybe the Steam Machine will prove that, rather than dying, the console industry is metamorphosing, developing into a more complex space, one that’s less defined by rigid concepts like exclusives and brand loyalty. After a lifetime of the “console wars,” I’ll happily take that deal.
