It is set to offer two internal storage capacities with either 512GB or 2TB SSDs, with the storage being further expanded via microSD. It looks like Valve is approaching the external storage format as a glorified game cartridge, as players will be able to move the same card between the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Deck. This also indicates that current generation SDXC format cards will be usable, rather than requiring the newer, faster microSD Express format that the Switch 2 uses to run games.
It also includes 16GB DDR5 RAM, 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, multiple input/output options – DisplayPort 1.4. HDMI 2.0. One USB-C and four USB-A ports – and also turns its power supply into a “roughly 6-inch cube.” That’s about half the size of Nintendo’s classic GameCube or Xbox Series This is lovely! If you want to make it fancier, you can replace the front face plate (not unlike the range of cosmetic PS5 shells, hmmm…).
All this is a far cry from the original Steam Machines, which appeared separately No Having a specific form factor. In 2015 Valve instead set a minimum specification that any manufacturer could meet to label a device as a Steam Machine, a degree of confusion that undoubtedly harmed its widespread adoption. The new generation is 100 percent valve product.
The only similarity is that both generations are designed using SteamOS to navigate your game library (it’s set to run KDE Plasma for its desktop environment). Valve says it is expanding its “Deck Verified” program, which certifies games as being compatible with handheld Steam decks, “to include a rating for the Steam Machine, so customers can understand how their games will run.”
so. It seems that a gaming PC offers only minimal hardware customization options in a certain form factor, is produced by a manufacturer, and has games designed to run on it. Do you know what it looks like? A to console. And this should be celebrated.
convenience wins
It’s easy to understand why Valve wouldn’t want to adopt the “console” label for the Steam Machine. As arguably the biggest driving force in PC gaming, it would practically destroy its own street credibility to do so.
However, consoles remain popular due to their comparative limitations – for many players, plugging a box into their TV and enjoying games on the couch is a good way to play. It’s also more sociable, especially for local co-op games. Even connecting your gaming laptop to a TV to play PC games with friends is more difficult than turning on a console. Plus, given the extraordinary amount of games released on Steam – more than 18,500 in 2024 – why wouldn’t you want to make them more comfortable and accessible?