this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2025
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If Valve creates an "entry point" for living room PCs, the console-beating Steam Machines will follow, argues Baldur's Gate 3's publishing director (www.rockpapershotgun.com)
submitted 5 months ago by ZippyBot@lemmy.zip to c/gaming@lemmy.zip
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[–] magic_lobster_party@fedia.io 66 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Relevant part of the article.

Larian Studio's Publishing Director Michael Douse took to Twitter to argue Valve aren't looking to make a device that exceeds the power of the consoles, they're making a baseline. "They're probably betting on the fact that anyone who wants more demanding PC hardware on their TV is part of the audience who know how to turn any PC into a Steam Machine," Douse argues.

[…] Douse says, Valve are setting a baseline. "If Valve can once again normalise and thus create that entry point there is potential for big growth in that new market". Once Gabe and his kin establish a baseline, other companies, such as ASUS and Lenovo, can roll in with their more powerful machines.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 32 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I think he's absolutely right, and I hope Valve has considered this (and they probably have). This needs to be a door-opener, not a powerhouse.

[–] fonix232@fedia.io 19 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Most definitely.

Valve's main success here will be establishing SteamOS as a de facto replacement for some 60-70% of PCs. Hell, I've built a gaming PC a little over a year ago, and am still running Windows on it, but only for one reason: no first party support from SteamOS.

Once that's sorted... My need for Windows will disappear basically, aside from the very occasional ancient Windows utility I might need to use (old Rockchip flashing tools come to mind), but those usually run quite well enough in a VM.

Make a baseline Steam Machine, let people adapt their PCs to it easily, and you won over the gaming market. Expand that with support for third party launcher integration and you've literally got every single fanboy, gamer, etc., on your platform.

[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

am still running Windows on it, but only for one reason: no first party support from SteamOS.

For the most part, it SteamOS isn't really necessary to get a serviceable desktop gaming experience. Pick a well-supported rolling release distro or a derivative, install Steam and Proton, and games mostly just work.

It's not perfect, but it's usable. The only real pain point around gaming is getting HDR working properly.

Closed-source software is a different story, however. Discord's Wayland support is basically nonexistent and the AFK detection thinks you're always in front of the computer, suppressing mobile notifications.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Actually, you can get most of Valve's work without SteamOS. I'm running Mint and it works great.

[–] fonix232@fedia.io 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Actually, that's not what I want or need.

First party support here needs to include system drivers (including GPU) from primary sources (aka no "just add this repo and install this DKMS and run that installer", it should work OOTB for the most common hardware).

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That's what has happened to me. I haven't installed a single driver yet, in about a year.

But I dunno. Maybe I just won the lottery.

[–] fonix232@fedia.io 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I'll give it a go sometimes, but the AMD CPU + Nvidia GPU combo wasn't exactly winner the last time I tried.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

Yeah, that might not work as well. I'm on a Framework laptop that hasn't been modified much.

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[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 5 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Of course they have considered it. It is literally their model for handheld form factor gaming laptops (aka "Steam Deck"). And it is what they tried with round 1 of Steam Machines.

The real problem is going to be... all the problems that those of us with a Linux HTPC have. Streaming of media won't be a thing since most services have DRM that relies on HDCP handshakes these days. Also people are going to learn the fun way why that AMD setup only supports "HDMI 2.0" (although there are workarounds to get most 2.1 functionality out of a display port adapter). Let alone just general weirdness that tends to not come up when everything is one integrated device.

Consoles have gone a LONG way towards ruining "it just works". But I spent an hour or so yesterday finally flashing my display port dongle and it involved a second device to SSH into my HTPC and, in the process, I ended up needing to re-pair my xbox controller afterwards. I am used to that kind of bullshit and think it is fun. The first time that happens to someone you can expect all of social media to start caring that GabeN is a weird rich lunatic and insisting that Kojima-san and Sony will fix everything with the PS6 or whatever bullshit.

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[–] neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 months ago

Larian proving again and again, that they get it.

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[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 26 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think the goal is providing an alternate path for people migrating from windows 10 as much as it is a living room pc.

[–] Sludgeyy@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Ehh

I feel like most people that really care about their operating system are more than likely going to build a PC

Most people buying a pre-built device are like Apple users "It just works"

I have an expensive PC I built but I'm a console gamer

I enjoy a comfy couch, big TV, and controller.

It's the ease of just hitting a couple buttons and getting to play a game.

Could I hook my PC to my TV? Yes, but that would require me to move my PC from my desk.

Also things like controllers. If I hooked my PC to my TV to play something like Overwatch I'd have to play with m/kb people which I would be at a severe disadvantage if I played with a controller.

Like if Xbox overwatch allowed m/kb (yeah I know people cheat) I'd probably stop playing it.

It's the PC gamers that always want consoles to support m/kb. Console gamers do not want to play on m/kb.

In my mind lack of m/kb is why consoles exist

People aren't buying PS/Xbox for a living room PC. They want a console gaming experience

[–] offspec@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Most people locked out of upgrading from W10 to W11 have never built a computer and will never build a computer. They are liable to throw away their existing computer and purchase a new one. W10 is EOL and W11 has a restrictive list of prerequisites.

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[–] network_switch@lemmy.ml 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Emudeck person is working on this

https://shop.playnix.io/products/playnix-console

RX 9060xt and Ryzen 5600

Don't need it. At least it's RDNA4. Good bump up in performance compared to the Steam Machine and still fairly compact

[–] Velypso@sh.itjust.works 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Id bet this will end up like the steam deck competitors. More powerful, but DOA because the price point is wrong and ultimately misses the reason why it's a product in the first place.

Valve isn't targeting the PC market with this. They are trying to persuade console users to make the switch.

Based on the limited specs we have, the steam machine is a more powerful PS5

[–] TheObviousSolution@lemmy.ca 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

With SSD, memory prices, and GPU prices still going up, releasing console-beating Steam Machines still seems way over the horizon to plan for. Once the AI bubble "pops", maybe .. but with so much going on in the world in terms of geopolitics also threatening to affect markets, I wouldn't dare to look into the future.

[–] bollybing@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

They're coming, they'll just be third party and expensive.

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[–] LifeOfChance@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago (7 children)

Ive wanted to get into PC gaming for awhile but I just don't have the room or the care to set something up its why I use consoles. Every time I mention this ill get a billion messages about ways to make it work. I'm a simple person I want to plug it in and turn it on which is why I use consoles. I dont play enough games to justify a full set up. I plan to plug my PS5 controller into this (I think its able?) And enjoy.

[–] TheObviousSolution@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 months ago

Unless you are going for console exclusives, a PC is upgradable and can be just about as plug and play, specially now with SteamOS. The SteamDeck has really helped normalized control schemes into their gamepad.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 months ago

I plan to plug my PS5 controller into this (I think its able?)

Yes, because everything runs through Steam, which support the DS5.

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[–] zr0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Valve has amazing hardware engineering skills and I have no idea, why companies like ASUS struggle to compete. They struggled with the Steam Deck, they will struggle with the Steam Machine.

[–] Gladaed@feddit.org 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Because valve does not need to profit,since they get money from people buying games.

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 1 points 4 months ago (2 children)

They don't need to worry about shareholders demanding maximum profit. They are still going to be looking to profit but they can do things for purposes beyond just extracting as much as possible in the short term.

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[–] nyankas@lemmy.ml 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I‘d like to think that Asus and Lenovo would build „console-beating“ Steam Machines, but they‘ve also tried building more powerful Steam Deck alternatives and those were meh at best and terrible at worst.

Steam Machines are probably easier to design, as they‘re just PCs. But seeing how much thought and care Valve puts into their hardware designs and how little of both Lenovo and Asus have put into theirs in the past, I‘m not going to expect great products from them.

I’d be very happy to be wrong, though.

[–] Soleos@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

The reason why Valve has a chance whereas Asus and Lenovo do not is that the latter two have to make a profit off of the hardware, whereas Nintendo/Microsoft/Sony can sell at a loss/cost because they earn it back and more through game sales. Valve is in the same position so can price competitively against the big 3.

[–] myspecialpurpose@lemmy.ca 5 points 5 months ago (5 children)

If this thing is $499, I will buy it, as I’ve wanted to get into PC gaming for a while and I will probably spend more in games. If it is more than $499, I will buy a used PS5 and continue to think about building a cool gaming PC and getting into PC gaming.

[–] magic_lobster_party@fedia.io 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think $700-$800 is a more realistic range unfortunately. It depends on how thin margins Valve is willing to accept, but I don’t think they want to sell at a loss like the typical console manufacturer.

[–] myspecialpurpose@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I don’t know why they wouldn’t consider selling at a loss if it means bringing a massive user base over to their gaming ecosystem where they take a 30% cut of game sales. 700-800 is probably a good price point for what you get. I’m just not a big enough gamer to justify dropping that kind of money on a setup to try out PC gaming.

[–] missingno@fedia.io 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Console manufacturers sell at a loss because they have to sell the hardware first before they can sell anything else. They know they'll get that money back on software you couldn't have bought without the console.

While I'm sure Valve hopes to bring some new customers to Steam this way, I'll bet that the majority of Steam Machines sold will be to users who are already invested in Steam and have an existing library of games to play. If they take a loss on hardware, they can't be certain they're actually making up for it elsewhere.

It's not practical for the Machine to be a loss leader because it's a supplementary product, not one the rest of their business is dependent on.

[–] myspecialpurpose@lemmy.ca 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They used the same strategy for the steam deck. Valve acknowledged that it was sold at a loss or near loss and it was incredibly successful because it broke into the handheld market. Don’t know why they wouldn’t do the same for this console like system. I’m hoping they do.

[–] missingno@fedia.io 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Do you have a source for that? All I can find are conflicting rumors and speculation.

[–] myspecialpurpose@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] missingno@fedia.io 2 points 5 months ago (10 children)

The only actual quote here is

Price point was secondary and painful. But that was pretty clearly a critical aspect to it.

But Newell didn't actually say it was at a loss, did he? Seems like they're just speculating.

[–] LuigiMaoFrance@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 months ago

To Newell "painful" probably means one less annual yacht's worth of profit.

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[–] Eyck_of_denesle@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 months ago (5 children)

You have to consider that this is a pc and can be mass purchased by industries other than gaming.

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[–] artyom@piefed.social 6 points 5 months ago

Probably slightly more than that, but it's worth considering the long-term costs. Steam does not have a monthly subscription (minimum $160/yr with PS), they often have massive price cuts in their seasonal sales, and even many games can be had completely for free. Epic gives them away every week. GOG gives them away on occasion. And if you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, that includes several games a week as well.

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[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If other hardware vendors are going to follow, they have to be using SteamOS or something similar out of the box. Handhelds can somewhat get away with using Windows because of the touch screen, but a "console" experience that occasionally requires plugging in a keyboard and mouse to get past some controller-unfriendly menu or pop-up is just going to annoy users.

[–] elvith@feddit.org 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Any other Distribution and even Windows would work fine, as long as you set up passwordless autologon as a default user and then put Steam in Big Picture Mode as autostart.

[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Respectfully, I'm going to have to disagree about stock Windows working fine. There are multiple places where it necessitates having a keyboard and/or mouse connected.

  • Interacting with UAC prompts and other elevated-permission windows that block synthetic input events.
  • When a popup hijacks focus away from the game window.
  • When Steam (or other controller to mouse software) is not open, such as during the logoff screen where you sometimes have to click "Close Anyways".
  • After a BIOS update, when the TPM refuses to unlock and you need to enter the BitLocker recovery key within the pre-boot environment.
[–] elvith@feddit.org 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

You can disable UAC (thinking practical, not necessarily security minded - but for an auto login w/o password, what’s security?)

Popups: yes. But then you’d need to actively use other software besides steam. Why would you do that, if using only a controller? Also that can happen in Linux, too. If you mean those desktop notifications - those should be silenced automagically when running games.

For the logoff or shutdown: Set or createHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\AutoEndTasks to 1 to auto kill hanging/not ending processes automagically. Also you can use WaitToKillAppTimeout there to define how long windows should wait before killing the processes (in milliseconds).

And regarding bitlocker after a bios update: why would you use bitlocker on such a machine (auto login on boot which would allow access to all files anyways)? Anyways, set or create HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BitLocker\PreventDeviceEncryption to 1 to prevent bitlocker from running after an upgrade. With Pro, you could also leverage GPOs for that.

At least for the new Steam Gamepad they announced trackpads to be able to control the mouse with the gamepad, so clicking away a popup or sich shouldn’t be a problem.

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[–] Fedegenerate@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 5 months ago

I'm waiting for the price then checking the specs of the nearest comparable mini pc. I'll lean valve over beelink/minisforim and then over everyone else. But I think that's the closest comparison.

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