The Steam Machine is probably the most anticipated piece of gaming hardware of this decade. Valve’s semi-custom PC-console hybrid has been the talk of the community for a while now, and despite multiple delays due to the ongoing RAMpocalypse, the Steam Machine is finally here. Valve today has unveiled the Steam Machine’s price, and it’s truly the worst-case scenario for gamers.
The base Steam Machine box is priced at a whopping $1,050, and that is WITHOUT a Steam Controller, and with just a 512GB SSD. Upgrade that to a 2TB SSD, and you’re looking at an eye-watering $1,349. Want a Steam Controller with your “Gabe-cube?” That’ll be an additional $69, pushing the price of the top model all the way to $1,428. That is painful, and Valve knows it.
What’s even worse, however, is the performance. Review embargoes of the Steam Machine have been lifted as of June 22nd, and performance benchmarks of various media outlets are already out. In general, the Steam Machine performs roughly the same as a Radeon RX 5700 or an RX 7600. You can expect GPU performance similar to the NVIDIA RTX 3060 or the Intel Arc B570.
This level of performance is not at all impressive, especially given the nearly $ 1,500 price tag of the top model. As a reminder, the Steam Machine features a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C/12T CPU, paired with a semi-custom RDNA 3 GPU with 28 CUs. The system also has 16GB of DDR5 memory and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. On the CPU side, we recently covered leaked Geekbench entries for the Steam Machine’s CPU, which put it roughly on par with a Ryzen 5 7540U.
And then we get to the massive elephant in the room: the PlayStation 5. Even after recent price hikes, the base PS5 costs $649 ($600 for the digital one), and the PS5 Pro costs $900. Benchmarks from Linus Tech Tips show that in God of War Ragnarok, the base PS5 hovered around 75 to 78 FPS at 4K, while the Steam Machine on Medium settings, with FSR set to Quality, could only achieve 60 to 63 FPS at 4K. At 1440p, the latter jumped to 70 FPS, but it still couldn’t beat the PS5.
Now, it is important to note that this is just one scenario, and performance testing the PS5 is a tricky thing. Consoles have incredible optimization, and they can’t really be compared 1-to-1 with PCs just by looking at raw FPS, but this test is enough to provide a broad reference point. Valve can further polish the Steam Machine’s performance through updates to SteamOS, but currently, its not looking so good.
Therein lies the problem for Valve. The PlayStation 5 is at the end of its console cycle, has a 2-generation-old CPU, and less overall memory, and still manages to outperform Valve’s new console. Not to mention, it comes with a controller, more storage, and it still costs nearly $400 less than your base model. That is a brutal comparison.
Valve set the bar so unbelievably high by promising 4K, 60 FPS gaming earlier that current performance looks underwhelming by comparison. Moreover, the RAMpocalypse and global supply chain problems caused Valve to raise prices multiple times, ultimately landing at a figure that is not attractive to any segment of gamers. Console gamers have the PS5 to lean back on, while PC gamers can just build a better, more modern system for a similar price.
Pre-orders for the Steam Machine are starting on Thursday, June 25. Customers can sign up in advance to enter a lottery system in order to reserve their Steam Machine. Frankly, it’s a lot of hassle to buy a console that is looking for a target audience. The Steam Machine had a lot of potential, but early benchmarks and pricing have put a pin in that hype balloon.
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[PC Hardware Specialist]
Usman Saleem brings 8+ years of comprehensive PC hardware expertise to the table. His journey in the tech world has involved in-depth tech analysis and insightful PC hardware reviews, perfecting over 6+ years of dedicated work. Usman’s commitment to staying authentic and relevant in the field is underscored by many professional certifications, including a recent one in Google IT Support Specialization.
8+ years of specialized PC hardware coverage
6+ years of in-depth PC hardware analysis and reviews
Lead PC hardware expert across multiple tech journalism platforms
Certified in Google IT Support Specialization
Get In Touch: usman@tech4gamers.com
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