Steam Machine Hardware Has Me Worried About the PS5’s Long-Term Future

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I’m really excited about the Steam Machine, which is supposedly coming out in early 2026! Valve’s first try at a console didn’t really take off, but after how amazing the Steam Deck has been, a Steam Machine actually feels like a really smart move now. It could seriously change things up in the gaming world!

Valve claims the Steam Machine is six times more powerful than the Steam Deck, and while that’s likely an oversimplification – ‘power’ in gaming is complicated – there’s some truth to it. The Steam Machine boasts significantly better processing capabilities, a more recent CPU, and more advanced RAM compared to the Deck, despite sharing a similar underlying design. The Steam Deck has eight processing units, while the Steam Machine has twenty-eight, putting its performance on par with the latest consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

The PlayStation 5 Is King, but Perhaps Not for Long

For the last thirty years, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have been the dominant forces in the gaming console market. Initially, these three companies directly competed with each other, offering diverse game libraries and constantly pushing the boundaries of technology. However, things shifted with the release of the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii. Nintendo started taking more risks with its console designs, a strategy that ultimately led to the success of the Switch. Meanwhile, Xbox and PlayStation increasingly focused on offering games you couldn’t find anywhere else.

Xbox has gradually stopped focusing on games you can only play on their consoles, and now appears to have stopped altogether. This leaves the PlayStation 5 as the leading console, offering the widest selection of top-quality games with the fewest drawbacks. While PlayStation has effectively won the competition with Xbox, the methods used are becoming outdated. Meanwhile, PC gaming, particularly through platforms like Steam, is rapidly gaining dominance.

Sony Can’t Possibly Be Ready for the Steam Machine If It Meets Expectations

While PC gaming offers benefits over consoles, these are often missed by most people. This might be because PC gaming feels different or more complicated – consoles are simple to set up, while even ready-made PCs require some adjustments. PC gaming also doesn’t have the same strong traditions or brand loyalty as console gaming. However, the Steam Machine has the potential to overcome these challenges, either by eliminating them completely or turning them into advantages.

Gaming on consoles and PCs differs in several ways, but the biggest difference is how much control users have. With PlayStation, Sony largely controls what players experience. If someone dislikes the PlayStation Store, they have limited options. PC gamers, however, can easily choose a different platform like Steam. Steam became popular precisely because it prioritizes what players want – it’s a great example of a successful, consumer-focused marketplace.

When it comes to playing older games, PCs and platforms like Steam easily beat out consoles, particularly PlayStation. Support for games released before the PS4 on the PS5 is often poor and unreliable, with many only available through a subscription streaming service. However, if a game was released on PC, it’s likely to work on the Steam Machine, as Valve’s platform supports Linux-compatible games. The Steam Deck is also great for playing games from much older consoles like PlayStation 1, 2, and 3, and even the Xbox 360 through emulation, offering a much wider range of playable titles than a traditional console like the PS5. We can expect the Steam Machine to offer a similar experience.

Steam boasts the biggest and most varied game collection available. This is due to a combination of factors: its extensive library of older titles, the presence of many indie games not yet released on consoles, and the fact that both Xbox and PlayStation have been increasingly releasing their exclusive games on PC. Generally, if you can play a game on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, you can also find it on PC, with only a few exceptions.

Valve emphasizes that the Steam Machine is a complete Linux computer, offering more than just gaming capabilities. In contrast, the PlayStation 5 has even removed its web browser app.

Beyond these benefits, the Steam Machine offers free online multiplayer and avoids costly upgrades common in the console world – but these are advantages of PC gaming in general. The key question is whether the Steam Machine can be as simple and convenient to use as a traditional console. Given the excellent, console-like experience of SteamOS on the Steam Deck, it’s likely it can. However, the Steam Machine still faces challenges to overcome.

Pricing Will Make or Break the Steam Machine

One of the biggest unknowns about the Steam Machine is how much it will cost, and Valve hasn’t revealed that information yet. Price is crucial because gaming hardware and games themselves are becoming more expensive. Currently, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X offer a lot of power for their price – building a comparable PC would be significantly more expensive. Sony often sells its consoles at a loss to attract more players to its platform, and the Steam Machine might follow a similar strategy. Valve already earns a 20-30% cut from many game sales on Steam, so it could afford to do so.

The Steam Machine will truly be judged on how easy and convenient it is to use, compared to regular gaming consoles.

Okay, so if Valve is actually trying to make a profit on each Steam Machine they sell, things could get pricey – some people are saying we’re looking at around $1000! I mean, they could try to justify a higher price with things like free online play, but if it’s too expensive, most gamers will probably just stick with a PlayStation or Xbox, no matter how you look at the costs. It might be able to get away with being a little more expensive than a PS5 with the disc drive, but not by much. Honestly, from what I’ve seen, the Steam Machine looks like it could seriously outperform the PS5 in almost every way, which is a little scary if you’re a Sony fan like me.

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2026-01-31 23:05