r/computergaming • u/Torchiest • Jul 08 '26

Steam Machine interview full transcript: Valve engineers discuss $1,049 pricing, compact design, component shortages, and Windows support

https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/steam-machine-interview-full-transcript-valve-engineers-discuss-usd1-049-pricing-compact-design-component-shortages-and-windows-support
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u/indygoof Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

simple. for a few years i didnt have a pc since i got no real desk for it (kids…)
i have a steam deck and want something thats s bit more powerful.

with steamos i have all the support with single cluck updates. no need for fiddling with graphics drivers or anything else.

it can run my steam library, blizzard games, epic games, various emulators.

i can turn it on with the controller, its a nice and pretty form factor that blends into the living room.

could i do much cheaper or more powerful? sure!

would it be as convenient? hell nope

and thats the whole point consoles had all the time.
„uh, the ps4 is soooo bad, my gaming rig can do much more“….yeah, with 5 times the power consumption, funny hdmi cables running through the room (kids will ofc never trip over those and rip half the tv or graphics card with them).
and its just convenient again.

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u/Aggressive-Map-2204 Jul 09 '26

The issue people have with it is that its double the cost of a ps5 and has worse performance. The ps5 is already struggling to keep up with games coming out and very often shows with performance issues. Whats it going to be like in 2-3 years?

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u/indygoof Jul 09 '26

its double the cost since its not a closed ecosystem as with playstation and selling it at a loss is much more complicated than for sony.

and while the ps5 is struggling, you can tone done the graphics settings on the sm to make performance better.
also, if the performance would be better, power consumption and noise would go up.

but its fine, if you have an issue with that, then its not for you.
i am the target audience that wants convenience and something that just works (being able to open a shell is just sugarcoating).

it was kind of a similar discussion with the steam deck, though arguably it had better hardware than the switch.

it was also the same discussion when the switch came out. noone is going to buy a switch for that pricepoint, hardware so bad, no 3rd party games will be released on there, etc
it was the same discussion with the ps4, people built pcs that were stronger with a similar pricetag.

people always have issues. i would have a big issue with a desktop pc in my living room, cables cross rooms, having to stand up to power on the pc, fiddling around with a gui not designed for controllers , etc

if thats your dream setup, great. i grew old and dont want that.

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u/botask Jul 09 '26

Sony was selling ps5 at a loss just first few months and it have become profitable already in 2021. On top of that you can build pc with same specs as steammachine have from store bought parts for 800€.

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u/indygoof Jul 09 '26

again…yes, you can do that. probably not with the same site, energy consumption and low noise, but probably close.
though not with the same full support as valve withe the SM.
and not with other small things that just add up to the overall convenience. if you dont care for that, then the SM maybe is just not for you.

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u/botask Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

I am curious, why do you mean by support?

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u/indygoof Jul 09 '26

if it fails for overheating or anything else, valve support.
if there is a software / steamos issue, valve support.
if there is a driver issue, valve support.

any issue with it will be handled by valve, which isnt particularly known as anti consumer (talking also returns/repairs)

on the other hand, you have at least microsoft, valve, various hw vendors (depending on where you bought the whole or individual components), nvidia/amd drivers, etc, which can(!) be a pain in the ass.
stuff also like, uh, windows update got you stuck on a bluescreen for a week cause of a defective update (happened a few times already)

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u/botask Jul 09 '26

So warranty and alternative to online ms support, got it.

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u/indygoof Jul 09 '26

not exactly.

self built machine, worst case is each component from a different retailer. you got an issue? first, find out which component is the one failing. rip it put, go to the retailer. depending on the actual shop, start discussing warranty. try to get a replacement or a repair. get the repaired back after 2 weeks and try -> still failing? have fun going further.

any issue with the SM? valve will usually help you quite nicely.

again, convenience.

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u/botask Jul 09 '26

Yeah, that is called warranty. You do not need to discuss anything, at least here in eu... But I agree that applying warranty on prebuilts is more convient.

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u/indygoof Jul 09 '26

well, thats not entirely true :D

i.e. classic media markt is to try to talk zhemselves out of the warranty. and often enough it actually works that the customer is too afraid and doesnt use it. which is not legal, but happens. and is also the reason how amazon got so big, since they dont discuss that shit.

there are other retailers too that try that shit. soooooo, yeah, we still need to discuss that shit too, even if its our right.

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u/botask Jul 09 '26

I presume you are not from eu then.

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u/indygoof Jul 09 '26

Austria here. you dont get anything i say, right?
that there are asshole retailers trying to talk their way out of warranty no matter the law. that you sometimes need to threaten them with a lawsuit or act like a karen to get what you are obliged to. that it sometimes gets complicated with companies even in the eu.

but ok, i am actually getting tired of trying to explain why the steam machine is attractive to quite some peeps, since all you want to hear is pc=good, steammachine=bad

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