Could A New Valve Console Challenge Sony More Than Xbox Does?

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[@ChimpRiot]

Valve aren’t building up a large compatibility with Linux for nothing..

[@The-One-and-Only]

after the Deck, I’m optimistic.

[@Alice.Nyan.S]

Yep, great piece of hardware\software combined. Can't wait to see Steam Deck 2 and get rid of my gaming laptop.

[@Boss_Fight_Wiki_muki_twitch]

Having more competitors is good for the market

[@shto4782]

Yes, now valve need to make some sort of home console for a good price equivalent to rtx3070 power and boom success

[@vitordelima]

@@shto4782 They may have enough firepower to sell something like this at a lower cost than an equivalent PC, and it could be also smaller, less noisy, more stable and durable, ... maybe even invest in game-specific third party hacks to the graphics API to improve performance and image quality.

[@mravg79]

@@shto4782they tried with Steam Machines and failed. But the time have changed the Xbox and PS are just custom build PC (same as Steam Deck). So In my option it would be enough for valve to release a box which AMD APU but let’s say twice as powerful as in consoles. And this would be the best of two worlds a console like experience (still it will be a pc with more freedom for settings) and a Linux PC which well can be used as PC. I started back in ‘92 as PC player, I play on consoles for like 12 years. But I can imagine going back to PC with MS and Sony releasing their games on this platform. Currently I own: ps3, ps4, ps5, xsx, an old laptop with gtx970m, and a steam deck (which replaced my laptop as a pc).

[@KingVulpes]

I'd definitely buy a Valve console

[@paulszki]

You can now.

[@DragonOfTheMortalKombat]

It needs to be like steam deck. If it is, it might be a great option. But if it locked down then trash.

[@KingVulpes]

@@paulszki I already have the Steam Deck, and I will admit I do connect it to my TV to use as a console, but I would like something with more power for a smoother experience at high resolutions

[@KingVulpes]

@@DragonOfTheMortalKombat I don't think Valve would be the type to lock down their things

[@aboveaveragebayleaf9216]

A steam deck is good, but pretty limited power. Also they havent made a steam controller 2.

[@ZaberfangX]

One of the bigger problem with Valve need to overcome is selling it more places around the world. But I would buy it day one if they drop it on us.

[@DTD963]

You really missed the mark on that, Alex. Good for Rich stepping in and redirecting. As someone who has a gaming PC but enjoys the console experience, a refined Steam console for TV is an attractive proposition for me and my wife.

[@lorddrifter7296]

Id buy it.

[@ricepony33]

100% I’ve been saying this for years. Windows is the issue

[@davnez05]

@@ricepony33I hate windows blue screen : (

[@BradsSpace2]

I think he was thinking more about the average person, "complete with Sony" means selling tens of millions of consoles, and they wouldn't have as much of a USP as they do with the steamdeck

[@AbysmalEnd]

I own the PS5 and High end PC. I would buy 3 valve consoles for me and my daughters instantly because they would get the console experience along with my entire gaming library. they already enjoy my Steam deck so it would be a no brainer for us.

[@ZTrigger85]

I want to play my Steam library on my TV without having to stream. That alone sells me. Pairing this with a Steam Deck and my PC sounds like a dream. Same games and same progress wherever I go.

[@horrorjunkie96]

yuck. talk about inefficient. more like pair it was a PS5 and you're good to go, library wise. access to anything. if I invested in a gaming PC myself that'd literally be it. don't need it copy + pasted into every room and circumstance.

[@TheWeinerWarrior]

@@horrorjunkie96 Options are always a good thing for those who want it. Not to mention a PS5 doesn't exactly play nice with a gaming PC in this use case, unless you're only playing a small handful of games with cross-save. Personally I'd replace my downstairs PS5 with this theoretical Valve set-top box if it matched it in specs. The Deck is already enjoyable enough to use while docked, and having that convenience with the full horsepower of a plugged-in home console would be exactly what I'm looking for.

[@EarthB00]

Get an Optical HDMI 2.1 cable and plug your main gaming PC into your TV.

[@kerm7657]

This is one of the few benefits of laptop gaming over desktop, easier to move around and therefore easier to just plug into the TV (I do it with my Oled downstairs) throw on steam BPM and just forget about it

[@ZTrigger85]

@@EarthB00 I tried this for a bit, but constantly changing the main display and fighting with mismatched resolutions proved too much of a headache to be worth it for me. Also, I ended up still needing a Bluetooth keyboard by my couch at all times, which wasn’t the greatest.

[@BomimoDK]

Precompiled shaders on steam is actually a linux-wide thing. not just steam deck. I believe it's P2P as well.

[@Fusion05]

I believe you're correct on the p2p aspect. It's actually a pretty good system if you ask me, certainly for games with compilation issues

[@richardhunter9779]

Not even Linux-exclusive, technically, it is supported for all Vulkan games.

[@WeencieRants]

Can confirm. My HTPC runs on Linux and gets shader updates everytime I turn it on. My windows PC never gets shader updates.

[@BomimoDK]

@@WeencieRants I'm actually gonna run a Radeon HD 7950 on Bazzite. They don't get driver updates on windows anymore, but on Linux with the Mesa drivers, it's fully supported and should do pretty well on my 1080p TV with FSR/XESS. Wild to me that devices AMD abandoned just work for linux gaming.

[@Lock2002ful]

Basically anyone is challenging Sony more than Xbox these days.

[@willbyrn5920]

What are you talking about? There are not any other consoles lmao? Handhelds are just about it. Which aren’t really meant to compete with consoles. They kind of have their own niche. The switch 2 maybe? But as of right now I can only imagine that thing using hardware just about as dated as the first gen.

[@DragonOfTheMortalKombat]

lmao 🤣

[@moshethehebrew8328]

Gay

[@Tombstonecross]

True

[@Sladey1601]

Same active monthly users, near same amount of revenue, their games dominating the PSN store ahead of Sonys own exclusives. Game Pass doing far better than PS+ Extra/Premium, and doing far better in cloud gaming and PC than Sony. All whilst their consoles are 2:1 behind. Xbox is no challenge to Sony...

[@divinitymode9364]

What would be compelling is an easily upgradable (modular) under the TV ‘PC console’ removing the awful Windows layer and all the driver hassle with a controller operated console-style OS. Valve could do it. And I would buy one.

[@parz1pane772]

atp just build a sff pc and install chimeraos or whatever other steamos fork that's out there. As for me I'd love for steam to release steam os 3 to all users and not just steam deck

[@bogstandardash3751]

Is the steam deck os available online? If so can you set a resolution other than the steam decks native one? If there is you can do this now.

[@HTHAMMACK1]

Valve already tried that and failed terrible with the Steam Machine. Why make that mistake again? Valve also doesn't make games anymore. So what reason should people want a console with no exclusive games? The people who want Steam already have it.

[@pian-0g445]

@@HTHAMMACK1they failed at executing it. The idea is not a failure though. People like the deck because it bridges the gap between the freedom of PC, and the ease of use of console. However, it held back in terms of power due to it being a handheld. So imagine a ‘home console’ version. Already the Steam OS is much better than with that old attempt, and there’s seeming to be one less competitor in the field in the future. A lot of people want the options that PC provide but with a console experience.

[@Dr_Hax]

@@HTHAMMACK1 but that was a decade ago more or less, now they have Proton, Vulkan matured and so did SteamOS, and the fact that they don't make games anymore is not even true, they released one game last year (online only yes and limited, but a new one nonetheless), 2 years prior they released a new half life game, and they are working on a new one as we speak: (now i probably can't put the link but just search for the id 1422450 on steamDB to track the development) , plus they got more in the works like a new VR headset and a Brain-computer interface althouth idk if those things are connected anyway, but these things would be very important blocks for giving an identity to a console that couldn't have one a decade ago

[@paparoxo3606]

A new Steam Machine, with Portal 3, Dota 3, left 4 dead 3 and Half-Life 3 as exclusives.

[@charliealders3344]

Now that would just be too good to be true 🤩

[@megamanx1291]

I'm not sure if that'd sell, many fans of these games are PC gamers atp. Not to mention millenials are familliar with these games, idk if a half life 3 would push gen z/a to buy a valve console. But the idea is fucking cool and I could be 100% wrong I'm not a consumer guru

[@DrDoomFate]

A valve box would be a day one buy for me.

[@Ice_2192]

You own your saves on pc and thus you can back it up to another storage device or if steam allows it, cloud backup which is free. With consoles now, they put that behind a paywall which is their paid online service. I’m saying this as someone who has been with consoles their entire life and just started pc gaming 4 years ago. So much discounts on games that are frequent on pc and have a lot of online features that you would have buy a subscription for on consoles.

[@GForceIntel]

This is a huge benefit on pc. To be able to backup saves alone is a huge advantage for your games and progress as well as messing with items plus mods free online and like you huge discount on games all throughout the year. Although you would have to pay a bigger considerable amount compared to consoles I think its worth it in the long run

[@daviddelgado5553]

Cloud backup is a per-game basis on the developer side of things. Some fully support it, some separate platform based saves.

[@doublevendetta]

Steam already has cloud backups. And specifically actually Implement a way to work around developers that HAVEN'T default enabled that particular API call in their game, by using a VDF file, on SteamOS. Selling point is already here, and yes is free like you guessed

[@magica_ch_]

I have a gaming pc and primarily use controller, but would love to play my pc games on a tv sometimes without having to worry drivers or tinkering around with things. So a powerful steam box I could use just like a console sounds amazing

[@KnightMD]

I've been saying this for years. Proton has reached a level where it could drive a Valve microconsole comfortably. Valve makes money off of games and can subsidize hardware so that's a big reason versus splurging on an expensive PC. The console-like software is more user friendly than PC for most gamers. Finally, a SteamOS console would support streaming to the Deck with suspend-resume which is a big deal compared to streaming from a Windows PC. Valve have already discussed their willingness to do a microconsole in the same interview where they discussed their desire to upgrade the Deck's screen. I think they are 100% looking into it, because it would drive high end game sales on Steam.

[@ricepony33]

The hardware NEEDS the Red Valve on the side to turn it on.

[@aaronogden9900]

And it should be the shape of a big bald head.

[@ricepony33]

Valve is building a Standalone VR headset, the Deck and a Steam Box. All complimentary products

[@user-ds8rj2vc4v]

I want to see integration with each other though. So a Steam Deck 2 with USB5. Then a Dock with an integrated eGPU that has a wireless connection to the VR headset.

[@564d3]

I don't think the VR headset will really be standalone like a Quest or Vision Pro. It would be like a fat fireball strapped to the head or unable to play many steam games properly. It should require a mobile Steam Box or PC nearby. At least that's what I understood of R&D leaks and patents analysis. We'll see if it turns into a product. HMD: optimized for streaming, tracking, reprojection. More lightweight and cost effective than a Quest, though with added eye tracking and Valve level of quality it will be costly. Steam Box: Design like recent compact/mobile RX 7600M XT eGPU, a kind of smaller/fatter laptop with maybe limited input and screen (for setup), with a level of performance not far from a PS5 and more efficient (but costly) architecture. Drop it anywhere nearby, next to a power source (wall or battery). Automatic pairing to known devices, with Steam Link stream to any VR headset, also any phone/tablet/handheld/chromebook/laptop/PC. Or plug it directly into a desktop USB-C dock or TV. Like Steam Deck, it's something we already see in niche markets (mini PC, compute modules for desktop docks or VR). With recent technology advance and Steam OS polish, it's becoming a good potential product.

[@christianr.5868]

Assuming they actually sell it in stores and in more countries than the steam deck

[@EastyyBlogspot]

A steam deck in a set top box is compelling as steam os will be getting better and better and to have a well priced machine with more power, perhaps even comes with a games bundle to

[@HTHAMMACK1]

No it's not. Steam Deck is only successful because it sold a lot more than anyone thought, but it's still a tiny amount compared to any console or Switch. It's success is relative.

[@kennypowers1945]

@@HTHAMMACK1takes time to get the ball rolling

[@fafski1199]

A much easier, simpler and better solution would be to just release Steam OS to PC. I guarantee within just a few months several companies will be releasing PC Consoles that are running Steam OS. More competition in PC like consoles would be far better than having Valve control it and become another Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo, with a ecosystem that's locked to them.

[@kuricosmos]

Pipe Dream, Alex was right on this one. The appeal for Steam is people can build what they can afford when they can afford. No 'console' will be able to do that in the wider markets Steam has access to. Meanwhile people's interest in having this specific limited boxes that will miss certain releases, dwindles still.

[@omgbutterbee7978]

The only real market to go after would be for people with low end hardware who need an upgrade. The vast majority of pc gamers run with low to mid range gfx cards that are previous generation or older. If you can make a steam console that works out of the box as well as the competing consoles and for less money than building up an entire pc it would be appealing.

[@KoolAidManOG]

A Steam console would probably much cheaper than an HTPC build, I know because my own HTPC build comes out to around $1600. It smokes a PS5 or Xbox Series but it should at over triple the price. Then there's the need to build it, the fact that even a tiny 10L SFF build is larger than a console, etc. Valve in the future could presumably get a Zen 5 RDNA 5 APU into a little console sized box with excellent performance. Even as a builder I'd be interested to have something like this in the living room.

[@user-ds8rj2vc4v]

Say it has PS5 performance for £600. That's RTX 2070 Super / RTX 3060Ti performance or so. Most gamers won't have that. And that ignores the CPU, RAM, SSD etc too. Probably in a fairly good form factor too.

[@doublevendetta]

​@@user-ds8rj2vc4v I don't even think it would be priced THAT high. In a world where they're actually going through with this they understand why the console model sells well. So if I had to guess they probably MAYBE mark it up 10% over the competing console at release. Because they already exist is basically the only PC gaming company that can DO the same thing a console does: bleed some money on the front end, and then take your money on the back.

[@doublevendetta]

​​​@@KoolAidManOG right there with you, mine was 13. As a result yeah, like you said it smokes the consoles. Call me when the PS5 can run games at 240 FPS 1440. But again, like you said, it SHOULD at that price point. Mine is also much LARGER than any traditional console, by a significant margin because I wanted to do things that no console can bother doing. e.g. the fact that I have support for three hot swappable hard drives, two mounted m.2 SSDs, multiple OTHER 5.25" devices if I'm so inclined later down the road, and more pcie expansion cards than any person really SANELY needs in 2024. The case capable of doing all of this while also still being home theater appropriate in both appearance and at least _some_ degree, size? Was $195.00 US, BY ITSELF.

[@0515dem]

I think the value of a "Steam Machine" is to expand the Steam user base to the console audience. I used to build gaming PCs in the early 2000s. I have kids now, and my patience for managing the extra effort necessary to maintain a gaming PC (ok, maybe it was my fault I kept upgrading my internals every 9 months) has subsided. I have a steamdeck, I love the plug and play reliability and light customization options it offers. I'd absolutely line up for a Steam Machine

[@makoto5280]

PlaySation and Switch / 2 is the way to go for the best console & couch experience. It is mainly for steam users. But the funny thing is, they would buy it because of the plug and play feeling and couch gaming... ironic :D

[@GerardoPerez]

Honestly a steam console would be amazing. I have a pretty beefy computer myself but I would love to have the option to own a console connected to my big screen OLED which would allow me to play a lot of my more casual/couch games and emulators I own on steam and play them casually on my couch. I think theres a good chunk of the steam user base who have their PC connected to their tvs already and play most their games that way. Honestly to just have the option would be awesome. Im sure theres a good percentage of steam users who would love to own a steam console thats just plug and play and boom, all your steam library is ready to be played on your tv.

[@mipha5262]

you already can do that with consoles these days (faster and better). steam is not the same, because not all games will run with gamepad without issues. Also no fast loading where you can jump in some seconds into a game. PC is way behind console experience and will be 4ever. Sad but true

[@GerardoPerez]

@@mipha5262 I whole heartedly disagree. Steam is BEYOND being behind consoles. Current gen consoles are already super outdated. PS5 can barely run dragons dogma at 30 fps. My m.2 and gpu in my current pc runs laps around the ps5 and series x in terms of speed and power so the consoles being faster and better is just not true at all. Also every third party game works with controllers just fine. And with pc exclusive titles that dont, you can always plug in a wireless mouse and kb so thats not even an issue.

[@zbigniew2628]

Just buy optical hdmi cable and active USB cable to plug TV and wireless adapter... Steambox is not going to be more than 1000$ or probably even not more than 700$.

[@mipha5262]

@@GerardoPerez It is a fact that you can start a game way faster than on PC (and also loading times are faster in many cases because of optimization and using the compressed method on PS5 for example). And it is not the same experience overall. Way cleaner, smoother and easier in terms of UI. Every game work perfectly and 100% with GamePad out of the box. You turn it on and you are in the game in some seconds with activity feature. Means directly (skipping most of the logos)! Believe it or not. PC is slower here. You can´t compare it with PC having an identic M2... (or faster). Because it was not used with full potential (many PC Gamer on HDD would not be able to play it). You have some bad examples, but most games have a fps mode. Even bad optimized games like Rise of the Ronin run with raytracing at 60 fps most of the time with fps limit off (beside the city and some critical areas). I actually play it and was suprised about 60 FPS with raytracing. But Persona 3 Reload was running at native 4k with 60 and raytracing, so it looks like rt gets better performance over the years. So i wouldn´t jude on bad examples. :)

[@beowulf848]

Honestly, the one thing I love about consoles over PCs is the convenience factor. I can sit in a chair, turn on my TV and my console remotely and just play without all the other stuff and required mouse and keyboard.

[@G360LIVE]

I have a gaming laptop. I plug an HDMI cable into it, and I can play my PC games on my TV. Oh, and I never play with a mouse and keyboard. I actually own two Xbox Series controllers, both wireless.

[@beowulf848]

@G360LIVE yes I do this too :-) but I can't turn on my laptop remotely nor can I log in and start games without a mouse or keyboard. Again, only a matter of convenience.

[@treunda6041]

Valve Console it’s time

[@0M0rty]

Alex's point is valid for sure, however I think simplicity and optimisation for TV play could be great selling points. The console would control better on a controller, it should stutter less, like Steam Deck they might introduce presets specifically for the device, cross platform saves, lower price than a comparable PC. Building a SFF PC for couch play, or connecting an existing on to TV might be too cumbersome or outright not viable solution for some.

[@AlwaysVotingMAGA]

We should get a steady stream of Steam Consoles every 5 years or something. It would sell less than PlayStation but it's very important that Steam Consoles exist.

[@The_Primary_Axiom]

I canceled my PSN after 10 years when they censored stellar blade. I will not be signing back up. I’ll stick to my PC. That rubbed me the wrong way. Selling a game uncensored then censoring it after they got your money is evil when it comes to gaming.

[@pokeshark]

it would give a really solid target for developers to optimize for. so as a consumer you would get a more streamlined experience as far as OS and UI go + more certitude that the game will work as intended without unforeseen issues (provided the devs would test their games thoroughly on this Steam "console").

[@CargoShorts7]

Probably a newbie question cause I just received my Steam Deck OLED and am a newbie with it still lol but - wouldn't a Steam Deck + the dock accessory basically turn it into this "Valve console"? I actually don't have the dock accessory to be able to say one way or another, but it seems like the SD effectively becomes a stationary console experience, similar to the Switch, when used with the dock. Personally, I've decided to double down on investing into my Steam library. I mostly game on PC and having access to my entire Steam library on the Steam Deck is a major win and I could see it being a real competitor in the console space, particularly for gamers who play on both PC and console/handheld

[@doublevendetta]

You're correct in the sense that you're assessing that it makes the Deck very "Switch-like" in that it CAN be plugged into a TV. By that same token however, it is also very Switch-like in the fact that that comes with limitations. Namely, that the hardware is still extremely power limited even when it is not battery limited, and as a result of that is compute and therefore visual fidelity/performance limited. A dedicated box with much more performance oriented hardware, and a total power budget of MUCH more than 15 Watts solves both of these things.

[@Spacey_space]

Steam deck is definitely my main platform now. I have ps5,4,3,2,X. Xb360,xbone,seriesx . Etc Steam may have entirely made windows irrelevant for me and my use cases. Going through all my old favorite games on it has been a dream. Ff13 runs better then on my pc, ff15 ran great, multiple star ocean games ran great including the current gen, Elden ring, ff7 remake, streets of rage 4. Point being it’s where I go to play almost all of my games and it’s been great.

[@sergeysiminyuk]

A Steam Machine with the amd stryx point 40cu apu and running steam OS can work, so long as they price it well.

[@doublevendetta]

Would have to be a semi-custom version of that running gddr unified memory like the consoles, in my opinion but yeah. Something like that. Maybe even a more custom chip running MORE than 40.

[@bradtravuk]

Feel like the strix halo at it's max tdp would be a perfect fit for a steam gaming console.

[@kpsk8031]

Valveboxx and Switch 2: That's all I need.

[@kennypowers1945]

Dude same. Thats all I’d need

[@Da-iken]

Imo PS5 + Switch is best combo you can get. You can play all other games + exclusives on PS5 and on Switch all RPGs, Nintendo Stuff and other smaller titles. Xbox is available on my Smart TV as App, but i don´t like the digital aspect and also not gamepass. I like to play my games when and how i want.

[@RyzenZegend]

Not true at all .......If your a PC gamer you already love what you have and will not settle for a Valve System. Steam already has too much competition from Rog, legion, etc....Now they would have to compete with their own fan base who will continue to build PCs and Buy laptops. Steam system dead on arrival!

[@filmnmusic1]

Same here. I have had it with Sony and Microsoft, and their bizarre anti consumer practices. I hope they both fade into irrelevance.

[@Gator159]

Give me a Nintendo console that doesn't have the portable feature I'm not paying for then I'm in. Maybe to make up for the lack of portability let me have some damn storage space when I purchased the console

[@rometherevenant8749]

Its crazy how we were here many years ago and it didnt work out, but I highly commend Valve for not throwing in the towel on their own console and cooking up Proton to what it is today. I would probably buy a Valve console just because I love my Oled deck so much.

[@winlover37]

I was thinking about this quite a bit the past week. Honestly after the steamdeck and all the work they've done for proton, I could absolutely see them pulling a debut off.

[@888YouCantHandle]

The price and having windows would kill it.

[@Marcn1973]

That Setupbox with the 40CU APU from AMD, is a possibility.

[@vincevirtua]

Less competition, more like complimentary at the moment. If Valve made a console and it was just the steam store, and games needed to be able to compatible to work on the console (a console is not a PC) then they would be competing.

[@pixels_per_minute]

They won't remove the PC aspect from Steam OS. Doing so locks down the system so that no one can do the same stuff that they could with the Steam Deck. This includes using non-steam mods, emulators, web browsing, and pretty much anything you could do with a Steam Deck. Those features are also optional, and a user can go the entire lifespan of a Steam Deck never switching to desktop. Having options is best

[@doublevendetta]

That's not the suggestion being made here. The suggestion being made here is making essentially a console box in terms of HARDWARE, and by extension nearby performance, with all of the things that make the steam deck what IT is. Valve is a PC company, and one that importantly is privately owned, and understands its customer base. They're not going to do dumb shit like take out all of the PC-isms that people LIKE about the Steam Deck, from any hypothetical set top box they make

[@vincevirtua]

@@doublevendetta so more complimentary then, as it would then not really be a console.

[@doublevendetta]

@@vincevirtua if you want to arbitrarily say in your opinion that makes it not a console, sure I guess. But point-blank the Steam Deck is a console, you can _treat_ it like a console, and have no idea if you're not a PC-head THAT it's a PC. I know people who OWN Steam Decks, don't understand that it's not a dedicated games console just running Steam games, call it a console, and have NO idea that desktop mode exists. They bought the item on the recommendation of people like myself, we did our best to NOT make them have to do any setup by simply saying "Hey it's a little complicated to set up initially, but let us handle that for you." The setup tweaks were as simple as running GE Proton into the system options, showing them that, and how to pick that if a game crashes/doesn't work when you boot it up the first time, and they haven't had to talk to me more than like twice, since, about issues. The Steam Deck, AS IS, today, is both a game console, and a PC, based on whatever you want to treat it as. The ability to outright IGNORE the fact that it's a PC *completely* is only going to get better as we move along.

[@SkywardKing]

If it had my existing library, starting price at PS5 Disk price and matched the power of the current consoles, id be interested. Console convenience with a full desktop OS (that isn't windows) in the background sounds awesome.

[@ImmortalRimas]

I would be game as I prefer to play games on a TV or in Handheld. I’m already thinking about getting the Valve Steamdeck OLED

[@HullRupture]

I'm a console gamer but also own a steam deck. No PC. I know you can set a PC up to almost run like a console environment these days but there is still aspects around how PC gaming functions compared to a console that puts me off just dropping £2000 on a decent gaming rig to hook up to my lounge tv. The way steam deck works and almost looks after itself like a console does so you can just hook it up how you want in portable or with a controller docked into your TV really bridges those differences in the console vs PC space. I'd love to see steam release a powerful console that functions like the steam deck does. I'd buy it if they were serious about it and wanted to push something quite powerful in a good form factor

[@bigginsd1]

If it has VR support I’d consider it. Considering PlayStation is on their second generation of PSVR and Xbox has no VR. Games like MS Flight Simulator would be transformatively better in VR, and having a simple entry level way of playing PCVR in a console format would be very appealing.

[@fruitcake4910]

I wonder if it would need another level of compatibility check where a game needs absolutely no configuration to run

[@zionm5335]

They can if they can get full big 3rd party support and a lot of exclusive big games.

[@TarlWar-sf8yr]

Hell yeah, steam box redux! The steam controller was awesome. Bring it on. Hopefully it's tiered so you could spend 400 , 600 or 800 to get low mid and high tier performance. I'd shell out 800 bucks if I could play something like dragons dogma 2 with 1440p with 60fps . Or even gta 6 1440p/60fps, we already know ps5 pro won't be able to do 60fps on gta6 but a high end steam box could!. Bring it on Gaben.

[@doublevendetta]

I think the tiering idea is unlikely. At the very least they're extremely unlikely to go for THREE different models, when one of the largest complaints from developers in the last couple of generations has been this shift from the console makers toward having at least two, in some cases very DIFFERENT performance profiles, thereby massively inflating development timelines, esp. if you're multiplat. If anything, trying to think like Valve, I would MAYBE consider building with AMD's help, ANOTHER semi custom single SoC, with the big sticker point being finding a way to deploy 3dvcache on that soc. Stick with Zen 3 because at that point you can probably get it fairly cheap, or skip 7xxx and go straight to 8xxx PRESUMING it mitigates some of the die size requirement its predecessors both have while giving significant PPW gains, because once we're talking about this sort of design and form factor that shit starts to matter again. From THERE, I would set up a GPU die to be upper mid-tier performance from whatever is the best cost to Performance benefit we can get from AMD at that time, and then integrate something like Thunderbolt 4 support, so that we can integrate an essentially over spec CPU, with a good enough GPU and potentially forward looking license deals with the AMD GPU manufacturers. They don't even have to go through any Custom Manufacturing there at that point, the GPU makers would just be able to slap a "Steam Machine Compatible" badge on their existing GPU packaging, and then even little Timmy can understand that if he buys this card in this box, he makes his Steam Machine better.

[@doublevendetta]

Barring THAT approach I outlined above though, I think the only thing that Valve bothers to do is say, "Here's the Steam Box. Big, powerful, stuck being tethered to a screen. We also still sell the Deck. Weaker, but portable, and possibly to at least some degree cheaper." And then they continue on about their business

[@af4396]

Hell yes, I'd definitely get one for my Steam library to have a nice little dedicated machine that can play those, and upcoming, games.

[@DH-tt6gc]

A set top box with FSR and can use your own controller and that is compatible with an eGPU and all plug play

[@fadercreek]

Valve, sega, blaze entertainment and atari need to all make a up to date system with exclusive games for each

[@MrChadLedford]

I would say yes. That was a long time PlayStation user, but I've recently swept over to PC. I really enjoy the steam system as a whole. Also can't wait to add a steam deck to the lineup as soon as they release a more powerful version.

[@vogonp4287]

Given recent leaks regarding new AMD APUs, I could see a modern Steam Machine being pretty powerful.

[@bdizzle9586]

But not cheap. There’s the rub

[@doublevendetta]

​@@bdizzle9586 on what grounds? There's no reason to suspect that Valve wouldn't do the same thing they're doing with the Steam Deck with this hypothetical box running the same OS and using the same sort of hardware design approach

[@newyorktechworld6492]

A steam pc console with an RDNA5 9700 XT gpu would be an amazing value.

[@southsidetherealest2860]

I still have the alieware alpha from the ps4 days because I wanted 60fps back then and wasnt happy with the ps3.5 and xbox 360.5

[@ContraWars]

They need to make a compelling gimmick. Subsidized pricing, Steam Controller 2.0 (2 sticks, shrink the Deck), and maybe simplify a console that streams multiple sessions to multiple screens at the same time across a household.

[@MechaPig227]

I'd love a steam living room console style pc. My brother isnt vary tech savvy and has gotten a lot out of the deck, and he'd love to play pc games on his tv. Plus, It would solve some niche issues for me as well.

[@olivierpayette4284]

You can play pc on a tv

[@MechaPig227]

@@olivierpayette4284 with a LOT of small annoyances. I've tried, but it needs a keyboard and a mouse and driver updates and launchers and more.

[@inamorta47-playertwist]

People really overestimates the Steam Deck and its market. Last time Valve announced the sales, its around 2m. Lets say its 15m now. In comparison, the wiiu sold 14m and regarded as a failure. The steam deck was not a runaway sales juggernaut. Its a good complimentary device but It cant compete vs the others.

[@-Down-D-Stairs-]

You're getting people like me into the Steam ecosystem. I'll never become a PC gamer because I want simplicity. Just want a box I can hook up to the TV ane don't have to think about anything else.

[@steviebhoy25]

Strange thing is from my perspective the STEAM MACHINE was succesful, I bought the Alienware Alpha R2 GTX 960 4GB , it was a little powerhouse in comparison to XB1 and PS4 at the time , I loved the form factor and capability ,XB1/PS4 games @1080P 60fps ,it had it's flaws but they were on the right track, I added a 3330w power brick and an i7 6700K, I always thought if they just committed to a GTX970/980/Ti they would have had a runnaway sucesss, All that was missing was proton

[@volkanblabla4941]

Imagine Valve brings new console with Half-Life 3! (Like xbox 1 Halo CE times) :))

[@dr.sivavignesh664]

Interesting take. This could actually be great for valve. They already have a great handheld device. If they launch a steam console to take use of steam library then it becomes a shared ecosystem that's better than consoles. No fee for online, shared library for pc , steam console and steam deck; great store with competitive pricing , region based prices , early access games etc.

[@photonboy999]

*Steam Machine V2* VERY good idea as a standalone GAMING console. Basically, just build a more POWERFUL version of the Steam Deck, no screen etc, and keep the EXACT same software. Get that a bit more ROCK SOLID before moving on to the desktop. Put in some OPTIMIZED per-game settings defaults aimed at the higher resolution and more powerful hardware (they do that already with the Steam Deck?) so it "just works" as much as possible. DESKTOP? Obviously we want that, but I'd love if Valve waited and worked with the Linux community to aim at some super easy PORTING solution for people with existing Windows machines to make the transition as flawless as possible for those who think "sudo" is sleepy-time medication. Desktop side note: Having the SAME hardware solution in a "Steam Machine" simplifies driver support a little bit. But not for EXTERNAL hardware. So that's another reason to hold off on adding support for a desktop that's official. VALVE might be smart just to build a console that only BREAKS EVEN and support that ONLY as a console. Maybe work peripherally with the Valve community to get Steam working more easily in other distros. It's almost like Valve exploits poor decisions Microsoft makes. Almost... build THREE different console and/or desktop versions to complement the Steam Deck based on the same core architecture of Steam Deck version 2? Maybe an $800, $1100 and $1500 machine or whatever makes sense? (x86? ARM? Hybrid? SoC? Shared 32GB+ unified memory?)

[@ShadowTheLight]

having a Steam console would be great, there are so many PC exclusives especially from indie devs

[@dirkwood4544]

My Rog Ally is my Steam Machine. Just set Big Picture Mode to launch on boot and grab a controller.. I haven't touched my Desktop in quite some time

[@Videogamer96_]

Do you dock yours with the XG mobile? I like how the Ally has support for eGPUs, would be cool if Valve did something similar for a SD 2 for an even better docked experience.

[@dirkwood4544]

Nope. I just use AFMF on everything I play to from 720p to 4k.. AMD is on another level

[@dirkwood4544]

​@@Videogamer96_ love ASUS but that external GPU of theirs is a blatant money grab

[@frogfarmer3551]

Steam deck was such a W purchase for me man, playing gta 4 with randomizers and roman turned into scarface

[@fredowizard2848]

I would totally get a Valve Console, I just hope they expand their market because right now you can't officially get a Steam Deck in places such as Mexico.

[@diffusion-ai]

I think the problem would ultimately be price, plus we need to wait for better chips for this to be viable. But the more the merrier!

[@eddiecoker4808]

If anything they need to become one! I need those vr games on my psvr2

[@GeoChild]

Steam Deck is my primary gaming device. I haven’t used a PC at home since 2016.

[@dandiaz19934]

I would buy a Valve machine in an instant but only after they make proton and compatibility w their games better. A true console experience has a "just works" experience that Valve is close to achieving but not quite yet. Some games need tinkering to run, and it'd be nice if they could make it so they don't need any tinkering at all

[@danny3120]

The only problem i see with that is optimization. 0% chance that existing STEAM games would work consistently across the board.

[@kieranczyzniejewski2178]

The steam deck is my primary method of gaming for 2 reasons: 1. My roommate uses the PS5 to watch KZbin and it is his console 2. Steam Deck has a much bigger selection of games and has easy access to Indie games

[@BradsSpace2]

I wonder how many people that already have a pc library of games would want to buy a steam console to play it on the TV, especially when we already have steam link options for streaming from the pc. On top of that, peoples demands for playing on a TV are much higher, this thing would need to do 4k60 and probably still need to be significantly cheaper than a PS5

[@eugkra33]

The RDNA4 GPU coming out soon seems to actually be almost identical to what the PS5 Pro has. Same CU count, if they didn't disable 4 CUs on it. PS5 Pro will have 60/64 enabled. Would not be shocked if it's a chiplet design with the identical GPU die shared between desktop and PS5. Consoles historically have 4 CUs disabled. PS5 has 36/40 on, and Xbox has 52/56.

[@Alienisolati0nist]

Depends on how they market it but yea its potential for existing libraries & compatible VR with a Steam console would probablly surpass xbox abysmal sales. The advantage would be make it 500 bucks and plug and play, no extra tinkering. Press power, start playing, thats it

[@real_Pinoy]

Valve has already tried it's hand in Consoles but nothing never came out of it

[@boommush4403]

How to remove the platform like rockstar ？

[@haylonix]

Xbox like UI/experiance with access to Steam sounds like pure magic. But if Xbox allowed side loading Steam, how would the 30% sale commission work?

[@8Paul7]

I have been using living room PC for over a decade. Hell I am typing this from couch on TV with logitech K400. Windows is fine for living room when you have a tiny keyboard like this. Play all games with controller. Drivers and updates are complete non-issue. I would like to see Valve living room PC, sure, but let's not act like Windows is impossible to use from a couch.

[@thedigitaljedi3243]

A Valve console? The Force is strong with this.

[@Kiwi-Ahh-Nah]

I would absolutely be interested in a Steam gaming console.

[@user-oz9tn2td3q]

I reeeeally want valve to do this...not so much because I would wanna buy them but because it would hopefully mean Steam Controller 2 and them officially releasing SteamOS as a regular iso

[@naturalfitness23]

That would be a great idea. They could make a high end console and maybe work with xbox to build their controller

[@rorynolan2322]

Be cool if they properly release there steam deck os for desktop use

[@chris42069]

You can make a Steam console that runs windows today and its basically flawless. Only drawback, all games MUST have full controller support. Just set Steam to launch into big Picture mode on Windows start. You're welcome 🙏

[@adrianwilliams6577]

NVidia pulled their finger out so Geforce Now finally works on the Steam Deck, a Valve console could do well now, Valve learned through Steam machines that a vast amount of SKU's is a bad thing.

[@Potato_n_Tomato]

I wonder how that'll affect Sony ports if Valve directly competes in the console market

[@tomoprime217]

This can all change if Microsoft succeeds to run a Xbox virtualization layer inside Windows, when the so-called Future Compatibility gimmick rings true. Being able to load up old console purchases on a Windows PC may sway some gamers.

[@PaulCleverly]

32gb strix point steam box yes please with multiple nvme slots

[@phawxhunter]

It would be interesting if Microsoft partners with Valve to build a custom Windows, XBOX like, for Steam Machines, since what prevents the Steam Deck from being a big contender in the console market is having to depend on Proton and Anti-Cheat software compatibility with Linux.

[@doublevendetta]

I think Hell would have to freeze over for this to happen. Specifically because Gabe wouldn't partner with Microsoft. The whole REASON the original steamos to steam controller to deck and steam os3 even HAPPENED, is because Gabe doesn't like the absolute Stranglehold that Microsoft had on PC gaming

[@doublevendetta]

Secondly, the first half of your "having to depend on" quibble is silly? Proton is objectively BETTER in many cases than not only native Linux builds that previously existed, but often WINDOWS as well. Proton is SO GOOD at this point, a growing percentage of devs that HAD Linux builds have discarded them in favor of ensuring Proton works as intended because it was just better in every meaningful way to do so. Even on the AC front, THAT'S not a Valve problem, OR a Linux problem, but at this point, a developer, or far more frequently, publisher problem. Every popular off the shelf Anti Cheat works on Linux now, with allowing it to run with your game being a trivial matter of single digit lines of code being added to essentially tick a flag saying "Yes, allow the Linux runtime for [our chosen anti cheat] to hook in where the Windows version does." That is literally it.

[@Jengalese]

I'd be all over that. MS and Sony have underwhelmed this gen so it's definitely left a window open for a potential competitor to get in with an alternative. My experience with the deck makes me think that Valve could pull it off.

[@darksparda4]

I’d love a new steam machine type console from valve. I have so many games on steam I don’t play just because I primarily play on my tv with a controller

[@liublanka3925]

I love my oled steam deck, but its compatibility isn’t amazing. I use moonlight to play a bunch of pc games on my oled deck. When it comes to emulation it’s awesome but even doom og isn’t verified on it.

[@MacVerick]

If Valve did in fact make a console of some sort, there would be 1 Major benefit, being PC optimized AAA Games (Hopefully lol)

[@npaladin2000]

I'd say Valve already made a console, in the sense that the Switch is a console, so is the Deck (as long as you dock it).

[@SAKEWCW]

I don't think Valve is interested to release a "console" as we know, with an closed system and games develop specifically for it. I think they will release some kind of "Steambox second gen" basically a PC in a small case "console like" with their Steam OS for run PC games, like Steam Deck does, but at the end of the day it will be only a budget PC compacted into a nice case, it cannot be called console.

[@TheEvinB]

The biggest difference I see between a potential Valve console and Sony/Microsoft comes down to the development ecosystem. Xbox and PS have singular hardware configurations that developers are specifically targeting. The Valve console will likely also have a singular hardware config, however I think it's quite unlikely that they will have developers specifically targeting the Valve hardware in the same way (unless the Valve console becomes a massive success). So at the same price point as Xbox and PS, this console will probably perform worse. Xbox and PS are also sold as a no-hassle way to play games. I think Valve would have to match the ease of use of those platforms in order to capture the crowd not interested in getting technical and having to deal with their device.

[@brendaneicholtz3678]

I would be a day one purchase on a next generation steam machine. Console gamer who loves his steam deck here. Tried windows pc on TV and don’t like the keyboard and mouse requirement

[@biIl]

I think valve would sell a budget gaming pc at a loss as part of their long-term goal to get people off windows and onto linux. its not like they dont have the money to do it.