{"id":10865,"date":"2026-06-22T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/?p=10865"},"modified":"2026-06-22T23:28:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:58:56","slug":"steam-machine-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/2026\/06\/22\/steam-machine-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Steam Machine Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Steam Machine is finally here after looming on the horizon for the last eight months or so. And while Valve has been adamant that the Steam Machine is an entry-level gaming PC, rather than a new, fourth player in the console space, this little box has captured the attention of console and PC gamers alike.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">At $1,049, the Steam Machine is unlikely to win over the hearts and minds of PlayStation and Xbox faithfuls, but it is easily the best living room PC I\u2019ve ever used, despite being a bit weaker than either of the base consoles. But what\u2019s truly impressive is that it\u2019s able to do that while also being one of the best ways to just get into PC gaming in the first place. PC gaming has always been expensive, and the Steam Machine is certainly no different, but Valve was able to cut away most of the tinkering and just get new players into the game. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The RAM crisis may have caused Valve to raise the price, but $1049 for a gaming PC is certainly not unheard of, especially for a rig as small as this. So, yeah, the Steam Machine isn\u2019t going to be for everyone, but if you have the budget, it\u2019s an incredible device to hook up to your TV. <\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">Steam Machine \u2013 Hands On Photos<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/steam-machine-review.gif\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<section class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\">mini gaming PC in the eyes of many console faithfuls, but it makes a lot more sense for its intended purpose as an entry-level gaming PC. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Because as much as that $1049 price tag is shocking at first glance, Valve is still keeping its word about keeping the price competitive. I took a moment to price out a similarly-specced gaming PC on PCPartPicker, and it ended up being around $1050, and that\u2019s with a full-sized ATX PC case, rather than the Steam Machine\u2019s tiny little cube. <\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"poll-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<section class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\"><\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Whether you\u2019re just getting into PC gaming and need a low-effort starting point, or if you already have a huge Steam library and you need a mini gaming PC for your living room, the Steam Machine is arguably a pretty good deal. Especially because unlike most gaming PCs, the Steam Machine is ready to play games as soon as it boots up for the first time. And, well, time is money. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"null\" class=\"progressive-image article-image article-image-full-size jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/steam-machine-review.gif\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"title2\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-3735650234\"><strong>Design and Features<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Right out of the box, the Steam Machine doesn\u2019t look like much. It\u2019s a little cube, about 6-inches on each side, with an RGB light bar across the bottom. And that\u2019s one of the main appeals about this little PC. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">At the beginning of this console generation, the PS5 and the Xbox Series X both had out-of-this-world designs. The PS5 looked like some fancy space-age building in a gentrified neighborhood, while the Xbox Series X looked like a mini-fridge with green accents in the vents. Depending on your sensibilities, the Steam Machine is so small and unassuming that it might be the first console-that\u2019s-not-a-console that actually blends in with the rest of your entertainment center. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Everything about the Steam Machine\u2019s design seems purpose-built to blend into your living room, down to the cooling. There\u2019s only a single fan on this thing, located in the rear of the device. That doesn\u2019t sound like enough, but most of this cube is a giant heatsink that takes cold air from the front of the device and passes it directly out of the back. Just take off the magnetic faceplate and peek inside, and you\u2019ll see just a block of aluminum fins to that effect. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">This is such a simple cooling solution in theory, but it immediately solves the overheating problems of anyone that just wants to shove their console on a shelf and forget about it. You don\u2019t have to worry about keeping the sides of the Steam Machine free to \u2018let it breathe\u2019 because the only air intake is in the front of the console, which then spits hot air out of the back. And, you\u2019re going to want both the front and the back of the device clear anyway to access the ports. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"null\" class=\"progressive-image article-image article-image-full-size jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/steam-machine-review.gif\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">There are three ports on the front of the Steam Machine, two USB-A ports to connect controllers or other peripherals and a MicroSD card reader. I love that the card reader is in the front here, because if you already have a Steam Deck, you can easily swap the SD card carrying your game library between the two, and have immediate access to whatever you\u2019re playing. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Just like any desktop PC, there are way more ports \u2018round the back. There\u2019s an HDMI and a DisplayPort for displays, along with a power connector, an ethernet port, two USB-A ports and a USB-C port. That\u2019s admittedly less than a lot of full-sized PCs, but with the size of the Steam Machine, it\u2019s hard to expect anything more. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It\u2019s important to note, though, that the power connector is the same as what\u2019s found on other game consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. That certainly helped a lot in my testing, because it kind of just slotted right into my setup, but it also just means that the power connector will be super easy to replace, as there are a ton of cheap power connectors you can buy online for this thing.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">If you don\u2019t necessarily want the Steam Machine to blend into the background, the faceplate is swappable. It\u2019s attached by magnets on each of the four corners, and the Machine comes with a plain black one preinstalled. If you have the cash for the 2TB model, it\u2019ll come with two extra faceplates, but because the attachment is so simple, I expect there will be a little cottage industry that springs up selling 3D-printed faceplates with all kinds of wild designs. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">There\u2019s also the RGB light strip at the bottom of the device. By default, this acts as a sort of status indicator, glowing blue when the PC is on and blinking white when it\u2019s trying to go to sleep. But you can go into the \u2018Customization\u2019 menu and either turn the light off entirely, or change it to any color or effect you want. <\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"title2\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-3735650234\"><strong>More Than Just a Console<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It would be easy to dismiss the Steam Machine as an overpriced console, but it is so much more than that. There\u2019s a reason that Valve repeatedly hammered home the idea that this is intended to be a gaming PC \u2013 it can do so much more than just play games. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">While it\u2019s true that the PS5 and Xbox have a slew of different apps that extend their utility, a lot of those boil down to watching Netflix or something similar. The Steam Machine, on the other hand, is just a Linux PC that launches in Steam Big Picture mode, so the possibilities are basically endless. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">You\u2019re not going to find much in the way of ready-to-install entertainment apps, but even without swapping the operating system over to Windows \u2013 which you can do \u2013 you can install a bevy of different programs. Yeah, you can just use it to watch Netflix through the Chrome browser if you want, but you can also plug in a keyboard and mouse and code on this thing. Try doing that on a PS5 without jailbreaking it. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"null\" class=\"progressive-image article-image article-image-full-size jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/steam-machine-review.gif\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Admittedly, that narrows down the appeal of the Steam Machine a bit. People who just want a little entertainment box might be better served with a traditional console, but I don\u2019t think that necessarily matters. One of the beautiful things about PC gaming, and one of the reasons PC gamers are so attached to their machines, is because a great gaming PC becomes a sort of appliance in their home. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">I already mentioned how well the Steam Machine fits into an entertainment center, but the small size and unassuming aesthetics also makes it a great fit on any desk. Simply plug in a keyboard and mouse, and the Steam Machine is powerful enough to be a little mini workstation, especially for lighter tasks like coding or writing. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">That\u2019s probably a big reason why Valve wasn\u2019t able to use sales from the Steam Store to subsidize the cost of the Steam Machine. Even without playing games, the Steam Machine is just a great little mini gaming PC, and in that world the $1049 price that is so high compared to a game console actually starts looking like a bit of a bargain. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"null\" class=\"progressive-image article-image article-image-full-size jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/steam-machine-review.gif\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"title2\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-3735650234\"><strong>The Big Picture<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Being more of a gaming PC than a game console doesn\u2019t mean that the Steam Machine carries the same kind of baggage as Windows 11 devices. Just like the Steam Deck before it, Valve\u2019s mini PC is basically plug-and-play. As soon as you boot it up, it\u2019ll pull up a log-in screen that you can get past simply by scanning a QR code with the Steam Mobile app. And, then you\u2019re just in Steam Big Picture mode, where you can just start downloading and playing games. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">For a lot of people, that\u2019s as deep as you\u2019re going to need to go. And, even if you do need to tweak some settings, it\u2019s super easy to just hit the Steam Button on the Steam Controller, or the equivalent menu button on whichever controller you\u2019re using to bring up the Steam menu. From there, you can go into settings and tweak everything from default game resolution to the RGB lighting. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">You can also use the Quick Access menu \u2013 brought up by the 3-dots-button \u2013 to tweak system settings like refresh rate and even how much power is being pumped into the GPU. It is surprisingly easier to tweak settings on the Steam Machine than it is to tweak things on an Xbox or PS5. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Of course, you can go into the Linux desktop and really get into the weeds. But unless you really want to add your Epic Games or other games libraries, you probably never have to even look at the desktop if you don\u2019t want to. Although, being able to go to the desktop and just use the Steam Machine as an actual computer is what makes this thing one of my favorite PCs in years. There\u2019s just something incredible about a gaming PC that\u2019s connected to my TV that I can push a button and turn into an actual workspace, when typically it\u2019s the other way around on Windows machines.<\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"title2\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-3735650234\"><strong>Performance and Gaming<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Steam Machine is packing a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 processor, paired with a RDNA 3 GPU with 28 CUs, the equivalent of a Ryzen 5 7600 and a Radeon RX 7600, respectively. That\u2019s not exactly a recipe for a high-end gaming PC, but it is more than enough to run most modern games, although you will have to tweak settings to play at 4K. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Unfortunately, Valve came out the gate claiming the Steam Machine would be able to play games at 4K60 with FSR. The Steam Machine absolutely can do that, but not with all the eye candy enabled. And, it just so happens that when I\u2019m testing a gaming PC, I benchmark with all of that eye candy enabled. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">If my testing process was limited just to my regular benchmarks, the Steam Machine wouldn\u2019t look too great. In Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing Ultra preset at 4K, and with FSR set to \u2018Performance\u2019, the Steam Machine only managed to get 14 fps. That\u2019s pretty dismal, but once I turned down ray tracing, that number skyrocketed up to 42 fps at the same resolution. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Then, in Forza Horizon 6, with the Extreme preset without ray tracing, the Steam Machine got 30 fps with FSR set to \u2018Performance\u2019. And in Total War, Warhammer 3, on the Ultra preset at 4K, the Steam Machine gets 23 fps. These numbers don\u2019t exactly bode well for Valve\u2019s \u20184K60\u2019 frames, at least until you remember that, at its core, the Steam Machine is a gaming PC. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">All it really takes to hit those 4K60 numbers is to tweak with the settings. Once I turned those games down to their respective medium presets, Forza Horizon 6 was able to get 57 fps, and Cyberpunk 2077 was able to get up to 64 fps. And that\u2019s exactly where I\u2019d want the Steam Machine to be, if I\u2019m just connected to a TV in the living room. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The same was true across all the games I played in my time with the Steam Machine: I had no problem hitting averages between 50-60 fps in pretty much every game I tried. There are some games, like Death Stranding 2, which averaged around 45 fps with its medium preset, but even that is still <em>very<\/em> playable. It\u2019s important to keep in mind too, that the image quality that comes with \u2018Medium\u2019 presets on PC, is typically about the same as what you\u2019d get from the base PS5 and Xbox Series X. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">For instance, in 007 First Light, I set most of the settings at around medium or high, and managed to get around 55-60 fps. That\u2019s not quite the same locked 60 fps that the PS5 or Xbox Series X gets, but those consoles typically use dynamic resolution in games, which means the resolution will scale up or down in order to maintain a locked frame rate. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">That option will certainly be available in some games on PC, but for the most part, you\u2019re going to have to tweak games until they run at the frame rate you\u2019re comfortable with. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It\u2019s also worth noting that a driver update came out after this review went into edits, which may improve performance. We\u2019ll be testing that soon and will have those results in a performance deep dive in the coming days.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her <\/em>@Jackiecobra<\/p>\n<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/steam-machine-review.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/steam-machine-review.webp\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/steam-machine-review.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/steam-machine-review.webp\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[63,51],"class_list":["post-10865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-49","tag-fps","tag-51"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10865"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10867,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10865\/revisions\/10867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}