Comment: The Steam Machine for 1040 Euros is simply not a good deal
The Steam Machine is compact, chic, and at least 1040 Euros too expensive. There are better alternatives for every use case, says Daniel Herbig.
(Image: Valve)
“400 Euros? 600 Euros? Even more?” Looking back, the speculations about the price of the Steam Machine from last fall already have a certain comedic element. The fact that the cube PC with the Linux-based SteamOS now costs at least 1040 euros without a controller is market-appropriate. But it also means that this device would be a bad buy for pretty much every use case.
The Steam Machine is small, chic, and reportedly well-built – heise online has not yet received a test sample. What it is not: a good gaming computer. Hardware specifications and benchmark results are sobering. In the hardware analysis by Digital Foundry, the Steam Machine performs at the level of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Sometimes even a little worse, because its custom RDNA3 GPU can't quite keep up. These are consoles almost six years old, which, despite several price increases, actually cost only half as much as the Steam Machine. Anyone looking for an affordable entry into the gaming hobby is better off buying a console.
Better PC Alternatives
Sure, the PC is the superior gaming platform. Many gamers already have large Steam libraries and benefit from open ecosystems and cheaper game prices on their computers. However, you can also buy complete PCs with comparable performance for under 1000 euros elsewhere. If you build it yourself, you get even more out of your budget. SteamOS can be installed anywhere anyway. Normal PCs can also be easily upgraded at any time; on the Steam Machine, the graphics card and processor are permanently installed, which severely limits its longevity.
At least it's small! The Steam Machine looks better in the living room than most tower PCs. But a PlayStation 5 doesn't fit in your pocket either and is still in millions of living rooms. If you absolutely want a console PC, you can surely arrange yourself with an mATX computer. The lack of HDMI-CEC can be tolerated.
On the other hand, those who want maximum mobility and want to take their Steam library to the couch, on the train, or on vacation will find more flexible options with the Steam Deck and other handheld PCs. For the price of the smallest Steam machine, you can get a well-equipped Steam Deck OLED and still have money left over, which you can spend on a docking station, for example.
The market is Broken
This is not to say that the Steam Machine is a complete fiasco. Many will buy the cube PC simply because it is built by Valve. It will be sold out for months, perhaps years. It's okay to spend a little more on a particularly beautiful device. But objectively, it cannot be recommended.
Valve knows this too. You have to give the Steam operator credit for the openness with which he writes about the pricing of the Steam Machine. It is and remains unthinkable for Sony or Nintendo to publicly discuss their sales strategies and hardware subsidies. However, honesty doesn't change the math: Because Valve doesn't sell the hardware below manufacturing costs, the Steam Machine is only conditionally competitive.
High prices for memory and graphics have made it unaffordable to build a PC for years. Many had hoped that Valve's Steam Machine would shake up the market and offer a good entry point into PC gaming for 400, maybe 600 Euros. The hoped-for breakthrough has not materialized with the Steam Machine – just another symptom of a broken market.
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