• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

The Problem With The Steam Machine: Its Current Gen

The responses to this thread have become 1000x entertaining with todays news and I am loving reading every page 😂 😂

I just want to take a step back and ask:
Is videogaming even worth $1000?

Think about this through the eyes of the general consumer a company needs to make their business profitable. ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. And thats before you buy any games to play on it.
 
TikiLagoonSam said:
The responses to this thread have become 1000x entertaining with todays news and I am loving reading every page 😂 😂

I just want to take a step back and ask:
Is videogaming even worth $1000?

Think about this through the eyes of the general consumer a company needs to make their business profitable. ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. And thats before you buy any games to play on it.
Click to expand...

For 90% of the planet, the answer would be no.
 
TikiLagoonSam said:
The responses to this thread have become 1000x entertaining with todays news and I am loving reading every page 😂 😂

I just want to take a step back and ask:
Is videogaming even worth $1000?

Think about this through the eyes of the general consumer a company needs to make their business profitable. ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. And thats before you buy any games to play on it.
Click to expand...
It is also a pc. All my laptops cost more. Just the way the cookie crumbles.
 
Danjin44 said:
This aged well.
200.gif
Click to expand...

To be fair, this was in November and before the AI crisis really got into full swing.

Also, I was technically correct about it not being a four figure sum as the cost of the base model is £879 in the UK.

It might be below a grand, but that's still an insane price that makes it DOA.
 
IDKFA said:
It might be below a grand, but that's still an insane price that makes it DOA.
Click to expand...

I wonder why people act as if rest of the pc market prices were significantly below that. Like people have this weird idea that they want to buy their pcs now with pre-crisis prices and judge everything based on that.

430$ is a cost of 32gb of ddr5 sticks where i live. Nearly HALF the price of valve cube. 16gb is half of that at around 215$. VRAM on gpus is even more expensive. So before you go to the drawing board you end up with 500-600$ in just memory prices of ram and VRAM. Then there is SSD.
Actual cost of this thing before crisis would be like 500 top, maybe 600 and that would include controller too.
 
Rentahamster said:
Most of us here are enthusiasts. According to this Valve engineer, the Steam Machine is equal or greater to 70% of the stuff Steam users are playing currently. They would know. It appears they're attempting to target the market they think wants a device like the Steam Machine the most. Mostly casuals.

The Gabecube might not be "next gen", but if it's good enough with features and quality of life people want, then it'll sell.

Click to expand...

And many of them spent less that $1000 and especially $1400 on their setups. Doesn't take away the fact its over priced. You can actually build an AM5 SFF PC with a better CPU, 2tb storage AND a 9700 XT for less than the 2tb Steam machine with or without a controller. It's just not good enough.
 
Poor timing to develop and launch this product, but some of that isn't on them. It's just unfortunate.

These specs at $750-$800 would have been more competitive.

As it is now, it's DOA. Only the Steam/Newell deep-throaters will be gobbling this up.
 
Last edited:
I think the Steam Machine is a good buy for casual PC owners who want the convenience of a console experience without being tied to one store and don't want to pay for MP. For me, the combination of PS5 Pro and Steamdeck still works the best.
 
Last edited:
Aurelius said:
I think the Steam Machine is a good buy for casual PC owners who want the convenience of a console experience without being tied to one store and don't want to pay for MP.
Click to expand...

And the prices. On Steam you could buy almost all capcom games for like $80 sans latest re. Try that with PS or MS.
 
CraZed said:
And many of them spent less that $1000 and especially $1400 on their setups. Doesn't take away the fact its over priced. You can actually build an AM5 SFF PC with a better CPU, 2tb storage AND a 9700 XT for less than the 2tb Steam machine with or without a controller. It's just not good enough.
Click to expand...
You can build for cheaper. Always been this way. But WILL you build?

Clearly Steam Machine is not for builders.
 
TikiLagoonSam said:
The responses to this thread have become 1000x entertaining with todays news and I am loving reading every page 😂 😂

I just want to take a step back and ask:
Is videogaming even worth $1000?

Think about this through the eyes of the general consumer a company needs to make their business profitable. ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. And thats before you buy any games to play on it.
Click to expand...
Why do you think mobile phone gaming got big? Because everyone already has a smartphone and the games are free.
 
TikiLagoonSam said:
If you have an Xbox Series X or PS5, you can already play everything the Steam Machine will play in HIGHER FIDELITY (except really old pc games that any old pc can already play). The Steam Machine is CURRENT GEN but still not as powerful. Why would anyone who owns an XBOX Series X, a gaming PC, or a PS5 buy this? This would have been a contender 5 years ago if priced competitively and people didn't own current gen yet. It is 5 years too late AND will be more expensive than the current gen consoles.

Sure it'll have free multiplayer and the Steam Sales, but will you pay $800-$1000 to buy this thing if you already have a XBX or PS5?

Next gen begins the very next year after this is released. So this won't be able to play next gen unless compromises are made, which means you can play those on PS5 and XBX too. It just doesn't make sense to me for this purchase. Am I missing something here??


When I first heard the announcement for this my first thoughts were "XBOX is cooked" and I was hyped for a new hardware in the console space that can play everything! I have't played pc games since Sim City 2000 30 years ago. I'm strictly a console gamer. Never had a powerful PC. Then I realized, this isn't an option for next gen. This will just play what I already can in lower fidelity. So my hype has pretty much died for this thing.

Is this just for collectors and the few people that don't own any current gen systems? Maybe pc gamers that don't own a console?
Click to expand...
I plan to buy a steam machine. My reasons are:

- small form factor
- steam Os
- I plan to play smaller indie games that only release on steam and not on PS5
 
TikiLagoonSam said:
The responses to this thread have become 1000x entertaining with todays news and I am loving reading every page 😂 😂

I just want to take a step back and ask:
Is videogaming even worth $1000?

Think about this through the eyes of the general consumer a company needs to make their business profitable. ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. And thats before you buy any games to play on it.
Click to expand...
Yes.
So many hobbies that cost around or more than a 1000$.
 
Last edited:
TikiLagoonSam said:
The responses to this thread have become 1000x entertaining with todays news and I am loving reading every page 😂 😂

I just want to take a step back and ask:
Is videogaming even worth $1000?

Think about this through the eyes of the general consumer a company needs to make their business profitable. ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. And thats before you buy any games to play on it.
Click to expand...


PC has always been more expansive than console. in the beginning of the 90's, a decent config to play doom was easily $3000 with inflation adjusted . The truth is that pc gaming was always a luxury except for a little period around the 2010's.
 
TikiLagoonSam said:
The responses to this thread have become 1000x entertaining with todays news and I am loving reading every page 😂 😂

I just want to take a step back and ask:
Is videogaming even worth $1000?

Think about this through the eyes of the general consumer a company needs to make their business profitable. ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. And thats before you buy any games to play on it.
Click to expand...
Whats the point of making fun of predictions done before the AI bubble? The price was originally set to be 750 (which was much closer to the 699 people were throwing) then everything went to shit and everyone is losing, including console users.
 
RCX said:
Great if you're into indies (and are willing to ignore the ridiculous price) but it's not even close to being a AAA machine.

Valve going with their 4K/60fps****** marketing is fucking retarded. The only thing more retarded are the people who will buy it expecting its capable of that kind of performance.
Click to expand...
99% of games will be able to run at 4k/60fps. Unlike the PS5 were only a few reach that. Is Valve retarded or people like you that don't know how a gaming PC works??
 
rodrigolfp said:
99% of games will be able to run at 4k/60fps. Unlike the PS5 were only a few reach that. Is Valve retarded or people like you that don't know how a gaming PC works??
Click to expand...
You mean the 99% of indies that I already included that anyone could run on a $400 laptop, which can be plugged into a tv with an hdmi cord? Its the AAA space where its going to be judged and its already obvious that its struggling mightily in that area.

People are being asked to pay an insane premium for a SFF box. End of story. Feel free to burn that money if you want to but dont kid yourself that its something that its not.
 
Last edited:
RCX said:
You mean the 99% of indies that I already included that anyone could run on a $400 laptop, which can be plugged into a tv with an hdmi cord? Its the AAA space where its going to be judged and its already obvious that its struggling mightily in that area.

People are being asked to pay an insane premium for a SFF box. End of story. Feel free to burn that money if you want to but dont kid yourself that its something that its not.
Click to expand...
Indies like WoW Midnight, Skyrim, Doom's, HL Alyx, yeah... /s

🤡
 
Last edited:
rodrigolfp said:
Indies like WoW Midnight, Skyrim, Doom's, yeah... /s

🤡
Click to expand...
So....old games?

You're just being willfully ignorant now. You know exactly what I mean when I say AAA but I'll make it crystal clear for you: big budget games from the last couple of years. They're the benchmark and it cant compete with a base PS5 on that level while costing nearly twice as much (with no controller :messenger_tears_of_joy: ). I get it, you like the idea of the machine and want to help yourself justify a possible purchase by overlooking its significant problems. Price being the real one that all of its other issues stem from.

I cant overlook it. I have no need for it as my PC is already a living room rig and I'm very happy with it that way. The reason I'm so annoyed at what they've done is that I hoped the Steam Machine would be able to spread the field beyond Valve fans and make a real dent in turning the living room PC into something mainstream. But at this price its only going to sell to a select few Valve die-hards and once again the chance to bring PC gaming, and linux gaming, has ended before it even began. They've failed, again. And it'll be another 10 years at least before we get another crack at it.
 
Last edited:
RCX said:
So....old games?

You're just being willfully ignorant now. You know exactly what I mean when I say AAA but I'll make it crystal clear for you: big budget games from the last couple of years. They're the benchmark and it cant compete with a base PS5 on that level while costing nearly twice as much (with no controller :messenger_tears_of_joy: ). I get it, you like the idea of the machine and want to help yourself justify a possible purchase by overlooking its significant problems. Price being the real one that all of its other issues stem from.

I cant overlook it. I have no need for it as my PC is already a living room rig and I'm very happy with it that way. The reason I'm so annoyed at what they've done is that I hoped the Steam Machine would be able to spread the field beyond Valve fans and make a real dent in turning the living room PC into something mainstream. But at this price its only going to sell to a select few Valve die-hards and once again the chance to bring PC gaming, and linux gaming, has ended before it even began. They've failed, again. And it'll be another 10 years at least before we get another crack at it.
Click to expand...
So the entirely library of PC + emulation don't count, only the most heavy to render games, because reasons. Got it.

Price of PS5 doesn't matter as it is not a PC. Only other PC prices matter.

You can use any controller on this thing as it is a PC, even the most cheap ones.

I don't like this machine, you got that notion out of yours ass. I am just point some facts.
 
rodrigolfp said:
So the entirely library of PC + emulation don't count, only the most heavy to render games, because reasons. Got it.

Price of PS5 doesn't matter as it is not a PC. Only other PC prices matter.

You can use any controller on this thing as it is a PC, even the most cheap ones.

I don't like this machine, you got that notion out of yours ass. I am just point some facts.
Click to expand...
The PC library certainly counts, I'm suggesting that nobody needs a thousand dollar box to play these. A 4 year old laptop will probably do the job in 95% of cases.

Its intended for the living room, like it or not, PS5 is its competition. Thats the point. It was supposed to expand the PC market to a new location and bring in new customers. At this price it has zero chance of doing that.
 
RCX said:
The PC library certainly counts, I'm suggesting that nobody needs a thousand dollar box to play these. A 4 year old laptop will probably do the job in 95% of cases.

Its intended for the living room, like it or not, PS5 is its competition. Thats the point. It was supposed to expand the PC market to a new location and bring in new customers. At this price it has zero chance of doing that.
Click to expand...
People that wants a "Steam PC" doesn't want a PS5 or already have one. And people that thinks this is a console are delusional.
 
squidilix said:
- 8GB of VRAM in 2026
- 512 Gb SSD (and people laugth for XSX or PS5 825GB)
- RDNA 3 (no FSR4 or at least, the best way)
- HDMI 2.0 (4K 60Hz RGB HDR 10 bit not working)

It's just a scam
Click to expand...
Pretty much this yeah, not even including HDMI 2.1 is so strange I couldn't believed it. At least try these quick and cheap updates, given that VRR is not going to work probably on most TVs due to HDMI 2.0, etc... weird as fuck, did they prototyped it 6 years ago or something?
 
KU_ said:
Except the Switch 2 is less than half the price of the GabeCube, and still features modern architecture and features.
Click to expand...
The Gabecube is more powerful and can play hundreds of thousands of games and 3rd parties will support it for years even without needing to. Switch 2 will have 3rd party support, but like previous nintendo consoles, that support will fall off or not look as good when then new generation hits.
 
If we were just now getting the release of PS5/Series X this would be a slightly easier pill to swallow (but still too expensive). I know this is probably aimed more towards a gamer who doesn't want to do any of the tinkering many PC gamers would do to optimize, but when you go to PC gaming you try to future proof your build at least a little bit. This thing has little to no future.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Steam Machine Reviews
2 3
125
126
Tallahassee replied
Valve launches the Steam Controller without the Steam Machine - It’ll cost $99 on May 4th.
4 5 6 7 8
393
3K
Soodanim replied
  • Poll
Will the Steam Machine Sell Out on Day 1?
Poll  2
51
52
mindfreak191 replied
  • Poll
Will a new Half-Life game be announced alongside the Steam Machine?
2
83
211
BooseGumps replied
  • Poll
Are You Getting a Steam Machine? (Poll)
2 3 4 5
204
205
Sabejita replied
Top Bottom