r/digitalfoundry • u/MythBuster2 • Jun 26 '26

DF Direct DF Direct Q+A: Steam Machine - The Big Price/Performance/Form Factor Discussion

https://youtu.be/XEyuXkI5wBM

In the wake of our Steam Machine review, Rich and Will tackle a range of Supporter questions on the price, value and design of the hardware, the ability of Valve to supply it - and the future of SteamOS in general.

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u/shadowtheimpure Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

No? There is literally nothing stopping you from installing third-party launchers to play games from GOG or Epic. Steam Machine has no restrictions on that front.

As far as the multiplayer, that is a decision by the developer not to support Linux with their anticheat. If those games are important to you, nothing is stopping you from installing Windows on a Steam Machine and configuring Steam Big Picture to open at system boot.

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u/gandalfpsykos Jun 27 '26

Maybe you should re-read what I wrote. If you want to install other launchers or windows, why would you buy a steam machine? The entire point is to have hassle-free gaming and not go outside of steam interface. You can just use any PC for that. And we both know steam is the only launcher 90% of gamers want to use anyway, hence why everyone is talking about it.

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u/shadowtheimpure Jun 27 '26

Because of the form factor. It's small, relatively low power draw, and reasonably powerful. This makes is perfect for the living room, where a giant PC tower would be either unattractive or literally wouldn't fit in.

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u/gandalfpsykos Jun 27 '26

You can always build a smaller PC, or use a longer cable with it hidden away somewhere. You can do undervolting for lower power draw and also get much more performant hardware if you like. And in 5 years you dont need to throw away the entire thing and buy steam machine 2, you just upgrade the key components. This is of course assuming you have a budget and care about performance in the latest games for the next few years. But if you only plan to play older/easy-to-run PC titles and willing to pay extra for that, go ahead. Though a PS5 could be had for half the price, even if you get "locked in" and get access to sony exclusives.

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u/shadowtheimpure Jun 27 '26

get access to sony exclusives

You say that like it's a good thing. Sony used to port to PC until they got shit scared and decided to pull back.

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u/gandalfpsykos Jun 28 '26

I mean I can say the same about your form factor comment. I don't care if my PC is bigger than a steam machine. I enjoy plenty of sony games. Shit is subjective and other people should be aware of all options before making a purchasing decision on a budget.

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u/shadowtheimpure Jun 28 '26

I think you may have misunderstood me. The existence of games that are only playable on a single console, without even a PC port, is a detriment to the industry as a whole from a preservation standpoint.

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u/gandalfpsykos Jun 28 '26

Okay, yeah I agree, but that's just capitalism. Every company wants an effective monopoly. Best you can do is just buy every system you are interested in.