Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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The tests in reviews that I've seen have been.... terrible. 16fps for Cyberpunk at RT settings...
Forza creeping around in the 20's also with RT....
I refuse to part ways with 1k for what will essentially just be an emulation machine.
Gutted, but hey. Saved money.
When I saw the 4k, RT initial gameplay vids I was absolutely gutted. Then obviously the price has
(rightly) put people off, and I went to bed satisfied I wouldn't need one.
However.
Having watching some new videos featuring 1080p/1440p gameplay that does match the ps5 base,
it gave me pause for thought. This is a console/pc hybrid. If i were so inclined, I could overpay for this and then not
spend another dime on games. I could do just about anything with it, and it isn't locked down.
The form factor is unique. Its small, quiet and fits in with living room aesthetic. Yes,
you can build your own (and better) for around the same price - but it will be double the size,
louder and just less visually appealing.
So yeah. I fully support people who wont buy one, because that was me yesterday.
But I see a lot of personal potential in owning one of these, and that makes me excited again.
Not the same excited as before, but different.
Thoughts after a few hours of playing with Steam Machine.
- 3D performance is just…meh.
- The system recommends to default to 1080p - am I going back to PS4 days?
- Some games take a looooooong time to boot, what is it doing?
- System UI is easy to use.
- Being able to boot up by pressing a button on Steam Controller is a killer feature.
- Changeable face plate is nice.
- Random boot up videos is a nice touch :)
- Sticks on Steam Controller is a bit looser than my taste.
- Having touch pad is nice, but it is very “touchy” and hard to use.
- It allows me to play Steam games on my living room TV, which is a reason enough to keep it.
- But the price was very unfriendly. Hard to recommend to people unless for research.
"6x better than a Steam Deck" which is roughly true. Not exactly and things arent going to look a flat 6 times better but with more
power and the effenciency of the build things look better in many ways that do blow the Steam Deck out of the water. The problem
is optimization.
Steam Deck auto configirutioans
Media server if you want to run plex on it or something
Mods work since it is a PC. Emuluation is amazing but setting it up does take time and can be weird trying to remember root menus
and installs and folders.
You can download other launchers so it can just as easily run Xbox Game Pass or even something like the Blizzard launcher to easily
boot up World of Warcraft or Diablo.
The point of a console is that its not a computre. This is supposed to have the ease of use of a console experience but again and again
it just screams DONT WORRY IM A COMPUTER
5 minutes to load elden ring. Over 6 minutes to get Baldurs Gate 3 to actually work and some even take multiple restarts to load
completely.
Some games pop up a warning saying they dont work on STEAMOS including GAMES MADE BY VALVE!! WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE
Follow me on social media:
Instagram: instagram.com/dreamcastguy
Patreon: patreon.com/DreamcastGuy
Twitch: twitch.tv/thedreamcastguy
The tests in reviews that I've seen have been.... terrible. 16fps for Cyberpunk at RT settings...
Forza creeping around in the 20's also with RT....
I refuse to part ways with 1k for what will essentially just be an emulation machine.
Gutted, but hey. Saved money.
When I saw the 4k, RT initial gameplay vids I was absolutely gutted. Then obviously the price has
(rightly) put people off, and I went to bed satisfied I wouldn't need one.
However.
Having watching some new videos featuring 1080p/1440p gameplay that does match the ps5 base,
it gave me pause for thought. This is a console/pc hybrid. If i were so inclined, I could overpay for this and then not
spend another dime on games. I could do just about anything with it, and it isn't locked down.
The form factor is unique. Its small, quiet and fits in with living room aesthetic. Yes,
you can build your own (and better) for around the same price - but it will be double the size,
louder and just less visually appealing.
So yeah. I fully support people who wont buy one, because that was me yesterday.
But I see a lot of personal potential in owning one of these, and that makes me excited again.
Not the same excited as before, but different.
Thoughts after a few hours of playing with Steam Machine.
- 3D performance is just…meh.
- The system recommends to default to 1080p - am I going back to PS4 days?
- Some games take a looooooong time to boot, what is it doing?
- System UI is easy to use.
- Being able to boot up by pressing a button on Steam Controller is a killer feature.
- Changeable face plate is nice.
- Random boot up videos is a nice touch :)
- Sticks on Steam Controller is a bit looser than my taste.
- Having touch pad is nice, but it is very “touchy” and hard to use.
- It allows me to play Steam games on my living room TV, which is a reason enough to keep it.
- But the price was very unfriendly. Hard to recommend to people unless for research.
"6x better than a Steam Deck" which is roughly true. Not exactly and things arent going to look a flat 6 times better but with more
power and the effenciency of the build things look better in many ways that do blow the Steam Deck out of the water. The problem
is optimization.
Steam Deck auto configirutioans
Media server if you want to run plex on it or something
Mods work since it is a PC. Emuluation is amazing but setting it up does take time and can be weird trying to remember root menus
and installs and folders.
You can download other launchers so it can just as easily run Xbox Game Pass or even something like the Blizzard launcher to easily
boot up World of Warcraft or Diablo.
The point of a console is that its not a computre. This is supposed to have the ease of use of a console experience but again and again
it just screams DONT WORRY IM A COMPUTER
5 minutes to load elden ring. Over 6 minutes to get Baldurs Gate 3 to actually work and some even take multiple restarts to load
completely.
Some games pop up a warning saying they dont work on STEAMOS including GAMES MADE BY VALVE!! WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE
