r/steammachine

We've heard/talked a lot about Valve's claim that Steam Machine can do 4K/60 fps (with upscaling) for all current games.

Benchmarks of similarly specced PCs show that in reality this means doing pretty heavy upscaling (Performance/Ultra Performance) at low graphics settings. Not an ideal situation.

FSR 4.1 might help out in terms of output quality of that upscaling. But you're still going to be limited to lower graphics settings. Because the performance impact of upscaling all the way up to 2160p is just that high.

So I was thinking, if you have a 4K screen and 4K is out of reach what do we then do? Native 1080p and 1440p might be much easier to get 60 fps on but might not look as good on that 4K screen. Is there an alternative?

What if we didn't focus on 4K/60 fps upscaled, but if we instead went to *1800p with upscaling* as a base?

* 4K output is pretty hard to discern from 1800p so it's a good target.

* FSR Quality you'd get good visual clarity as the input res of 1200p is pretty high.

* FSR Balanced would use an input res of 1026p. Useful if you need more power. You'd get almost the same clarity as if you were upscaling from 1080p.

I could imagine that FSR Quality from 1800p could get you Medium graphics if 4K means Low graphics. And FSR Balanced might get slightly higher settings.

Do you think 1800p with upscaling would be a better option than 4K with upscaling?

I'm really curious to how people would customize the Steam Machine (if they get one). As someone with no creative skill, I'm leaning towards getting the Companion Cube. But, there should be other cool designs, like the iconic Minecraft Grass Block, CRT TV and even a Whiteboard.

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I'm excited to see if I can quickly get the Steam Controller working for non-Steam games, so I'll probably be doing Minecraft first. What game are you planning on getting on your Gabe Cube ASAP?

Would an Asus Nuc be a good steam machine alternative? I was looking for something that would offer console like experiences with plug and play and some minor upgradability, but the ability to mod games. Plus the existence of steam sales is next level. I mean RDR2 is still 70 on PS5, is 15 on steam right now, and has things like mods, unlocked frame rate, intently more replayability because you can mod in cut content (I mean PlayStation extra and Microsoft GamePass are cool, but they have nothing on steam sales)

“Initial support for upcoming Steam Machine hardware.”

For those who remember, this is starting to feel very similar to the Steam Deck leak cycle before Valve finally announced it.

With the Deck it started with:

• backend and codename leaks
• SteamDB references
• AMD handheld rumours
• manufacturing/shipping rumours

Then once media outlets started confidently reporting on it and Valve infrastructure started leaking publicly, the official announcement wasn’t far behind at all. Valve announced the Deck on July 15th 2021 and reservations opened basically immediately after.

Right now with Steam Machine we’ve got:

• reservation package IDs reportedly showing up in Steam’s backend
• public Steam Machine store page already live
• massive “game console” imports into US warehouses
• Valve having JUST stress-tested the updated reservation queue system with the new controller launch

Feels like we’ve moved beyond random rumours and into actual rollout prep.

I know this isn’t a steam deck and the machine has a lot more riding on it given that it’s going to be held against consoles like the PS5 - but with the controller hype and major media outlets talking about the steam machine, I doubt that Valve will let momentum plateau for long

My guess:

Announcement either May 26th or May 28th.

Reservations shortly after.

Shipping late summer if supply holds up

I only play fortnite

Bro... some of you guys genuinely hate Valve hardware and it’s getting weird at this point.

I’m not even a “GABE IS GOD” or “GABECUBE SAVED GAMING” type of person, but every Steam Machine discussion turns into people arguing against it by linking YouTube videos of PCs that are “equivalent” or “more powerful.”

That’s not the point.

The Steam Machine isn’t just “a PC plugged into a TV.” Valve is clearly trying to build its own ecosystem around it, software optimization, settings, UI experience, hardware integration, simplicity. People watch gameplay from some random TV PC setup and instantly go: “Is it me or does this look bad? 🫠 I’m seriously considering building my own.”

Then go build it. Seriously. Nobody is stopping you. You didn't even want a PC plugged into a TV until Valve dropped that trailer. Let's keep it HONEST here.

Every single thread gets flooded with:

- “My PC is already plugged into my TV.”

- “My ultra gaming rig destroys this.”

- “Why is Valve using laptop-level hardware?”

Brooooo. We get it.

Some of us are excited because we actually like Valve hardware. I love my Steam Deck. Valve trying new hardware ideas is a good thing. It feels like Valve fans constantly undermine Valve hardware because of this weird “My PC is superior 🤓” mindset instead of trying to see the picture that Valve is trying to target the mainstream consumer into a simple gaming box to just... Game.

The original Steam Machines struggled partly because the experience was fragmented and confusing. Valve seems like they’re trying to simplify things now, and somehow the community is doing the same thing all over again. Trying to spook and confuse the average consumer.

PlayStation players stay because of their ecosystem. Xbox players stay because of theirs. Nintendo players stay because of theirs. Steam players? Half the community acts like Valve hardware existing is offensive because they built a stronger PC.

Not everyone wants to optimize settings for 45 minutes to HOURS or build a machine from scratch.

We just want to game as easy as possible and as simple as possible. We don't want to play with our mouse and keyboard on a big screen TV.

I’d love some form of Picture in Picture mode or a floating browser that I can move around and resize using the touchpad on the controller.

Maybe I can slide it outside the screen to focus on gaming and swipe it back in to mindlessly grind.

Just wondering if when paired with a Steam Machine if the guide button could wake up a Steam Machine like it can an Xbox?

also would steam input work with an Xbox controller?

I see lots of posts of alleged containers of Steam Machines being shipped to the US, but wouldn't the release of these devices come after also being stocked in (for example) European warehouses as it will not exclusively release in the US?

Afaik, Steam Controllers were shipped in EU from the Netherlands, I assume this would also be the case for Steam Machine.

Hello everyone,

I’ve seen a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of the Gabecube, but there’s one thing I haven’t seen mentioned much: the cooling system seems to have a pretty major single point of failure, which is the fan.

From what I understand, the entire system is cooled by one large fan paired with a massive heatsink. If that fan dies, the whole system could end up unable to properly run games. Fans failing over time isn’t exactly rare either.

I’m not a huge fan (pun) of having the entire system effectively crippled by a single failing component. I’m also wondering whether the fan uses a standardized size. If it doesn’t, replacing it years down the line could become problem if Valve eventually stops supplying parts.

On a related note, I’m also curious about the warranty duration for this thing. Since the CPU and GPU are soldered, they can’t really be serviced or replaced, so if either fails after the warranty expires, you’re basically out of luck.

A lot of people focus on the lack of upgradeability, but honestly, repairability seems more important to me.

The Steam Controller only has a one-year warranty, so I’m a bit concerned about how long the warranty for the machine will last.

While we are waiting on the C U B E, does anyone know if there will be official customization covers for it.

I have seen several Compassion Cubes, but I am curious how people would go about getting something like this.

If you plan to customize yours, what is your plan?