Didn’t Valve already make a series of consoles, mini-PCs called “Steam Machines” and they failed?
Yes.
So why am I geeking out about Valve announcing new hardware named the Steam Machine (2)? Actually, I’m more excited about the Steam Frame. Additionally, after finishing the draft for this piece, I realized I buried the lede by focusing more on why I’m a Valve fanboy instead of discussing the company’s newly announced hardware suite.
So instead of scrapping most of the fine words I had conjured, I’ll just save the fanboying for another time.
Back to the question: why am I excited about Valve’s new hardware suite considering Valve’s previous failure with the OG Steam Machines? User/Author Gamer Studio succinctly outlines Valve’s original shortcomings. Even I was distrustful of Linux (1). Valve learned from the mistake of developers refusing to develop for Linux by creating Proton, essentially a Linux-based emulator for games designed for Windows. I slightly disagree that the OG Steam Machines offered confusing hardware options (2) while agreeing with competition being more affordable (4). PC enthusiasts are fickle. If we buy a prebuilt PC, it better have all the bells and whistles. If we go mid-tier, we’ll buy the components and build our rig ourselves or purchase a gaming laptop. Only the insane would have paid $6k for the flagship Steam Machine, while the entry-level $500 version was inadequate for the price. There were just too many SKUs! Valve corrected this with only three SKUs at launch for the Steam Deck. Of course enthusiasts like me purchased the $649 512 GB SSD version! I passed on the OLED, but would have waited for it had Valve announced that it would be released a year later. As with the Steam Deck, the new Steam Machine (2) will release with two flavors: 512GB SSD or 2TB SSD.
Whether I purchase the Steam Machine (2) will depend on if it can run The Witcher 4 at 60 fps (120 to be safe) and at least 2K. Perhaps if the initial launch of the Steam Machine 2, Valve might update with an SKU that aligns with 2027 performance-for-price expectations.
I am especially excited for the Steam Frame. I my wife won an Oculus Rift for free in 2018. It has served its purpose, and I now can’t be bothered with setting up the sensors and plugging in the headset into the back of my PC, wasting about two feet of length. I’ve been eyeballing untethered options VR options for a few years so I can finally play games like Half-Life: Alyx, Alien: Isolation, and even older VR games like Lone Echo and Arizona Sunshine but without being anchored to Zukbot/Meta or some other sociopath’s ecosystem. I’m sold on streaming directly from my PC to the Steam Frame and don’t care too much about Valve’s “The Steam Frame is a PC first” approach. I have a gaming PC and a gaming laptop to stream from, so I could use the Steam Frame anywhere.
Now we just need Valve to quit beating around the bush about pricing. The entire Vavle Index kit is still $1,000. With most outlets claiming that the Steam Frame’s chief competition is the Meta Quest 3 at $500, while enthusiasts might aim for the HTC Vive Pro 2 at $700. Valve could undercut them both at $600.
Pretty pretty please?
Blerd Beats 