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Steam Machine may get full HDMI 2.1 support, AMD confirms plans for full AMDGPU implementation
- Thread starter OverHeat
- Start date
crazyriddler
Member
Good, VRR is essential with such limited specs. It gives you an extra 5 or 6 fps below 60 without the drop being hardly noticeable
J Required
Banned
What year is this again?
Tobimacoss
Member
Does this mean Netflix, Apple TV could create streaming apps or will there still be a DRM issue that's separate?
Bojji
Gold Member
2025 SW2 has HDMI 2.0
kevboard
Member
you don't need HDMi 2.1 for VRR. freesync is better than HDMI VRR anyway, and unless you have a Sony TV, you'll have no issue using Freesync. and if you have a Sony TV you shouldn't expect good gaming features anyway lol
the main features HDMI 2.1 would actually bring to the table is 4k 120hz, although they could do that with chroma subsampling even with HDMI 2.0, which would look slightly worse, but it's not like you'll get a good image quality out of this system anyway given its spec... so honestly it would be a very small difference in the end.
crazyriddler
Member
I have a Sony A80J
it supports g-sync when connected to my PC via HDMI 2.1, so I guess it would also support freesync via HDMI 2.1. In any case, consoles released six years ago support 120Hz at 4K for full-range VRR with HDR via HDMI, and the Steam Machine should support it as well.
Astray
Member
HDMI forum has not allowed AMD to create HDMI 2.1 Linux drivers for a while now.
This is changing now because some Linux devs have replicated a lot of the functionality and they might reach it with or without the HDMI Forum's say.
Astray
Member
You are talking about HDCP and that's an entirely different thing (it's also the reason Netflix doesn't work properly on Brave browser without certain tweaks).
J Required
Banned
Its Nintendo dude, they are still living in early 2010s
kevboard
Member
I have a Sony A80J
nope, Sony doesn't support Freesync. Gsync over HDMI is just an HDMI VRR fallback mode in the Nvidia driver, which is why basically all HDMI VRR TVs are Gsync compatible.
so if they don't get HDMI VRR working on the Steam Machine, you'll get no VRR support on your TV with it.
you could also get issues trying to run 1440p 120hz should they not support 4k 120hz. you could be forced to go all the way down to 1080p 120hz, as many Sony TVs do not support 1440p signals
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Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
crazyriddler
Member
I just ran the PS5's 1440p test, and sure enough, it said that my TV doesn't support that resolution. Hopefully, Valve will be able to find a solution, as I would like to have a Steam Machine in the living room. I only occasionally connect my PC to the TV and I have no intention of replacing my TV any time soon.
kevboard
Member
Some Sony TVs do support 1440p in PC mode, but not in gaming mode. could be worth a try.
Sony TVs not supporting 1440p was the main reason the PS5's 1440p mode came out only after they offered PC monitors with that resolution.
they didn't want to make Samsung and LG TVs from 2018 look superior to their 2018 TVs, as LG and Samsung supported 1440p 120hz and Freesync, Samsung even HDMI VRR, on their old HDMI 2.0 TVs.
so your Sony PS5 would be better supported on competing TVs compared to their own.
same reason the PS5 launched without VRR support, because their TVs were still in Beta for VRR with multiple issues that needed to be patched out.
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willothedog
Member
Why throw shade at just Nintendo? It took Sony 2 years to figure out how to add VRR to the PS5.
This is incorrect, S2 has ALLM support which is a HDMI 2.1 feature. The dock itself supports HDMI 2.1, the issue here is likely tied to the Nvidia chip in the S2 limiting the USB-C DP bandwidth to something inbetween HDMI 2.0 and 2.1 speeds. Iirc its DP 1.4a which is 32Gbps , which is higher than HDMI 2.0's limit. So its in this weird funky not-2.0-but-not-2.1-either setup.
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Dirk Benedict
Gold Member
I can see people modding higher ram.
That will be interesting to witness, despite not being interested, myself.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Thankfully gaming hides the limitations of 4K 120 8-bit 420 better than you would think unless you knew exactly what to look for and even then it isn't offensive.
kevboard
Member
indeed. you can get HDMI 2.1 verification without supporting the full 2.1 bandwidth.
you can in fact supported exactly 2.0 bandwidth and still be 2.1 verified.
you can support only 2.0 bandwidth, and no 2.1 features, and still be a 2.1 verified device.
the same is true for the new 2.2 verification.
in short, HDMI 2.1 doesn't really mean anything, other than you are allowed to use certain features...
crazyriddler
Member
The funny thing is that when I bought this TV in 2021, it was sold to me as the perfect TV for the PS5, one that would detect the console and configure itself to provide the best possible picture quality.
To be honest, I didn't even check the specifications at the time. I was really annoyed to find out that only two of its inputs were 2.1, one of which was the ARC port, when the LG C1 which was cheaper had four 2.1 ports.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Sony TVs are horribly gamer unfriendly, and it's shameful and embarrassing.
kevboard
Member
Sony has been lacking behind on terms of gaming features for the last 8 years or so.
I wonder if their partnership with TCL will improve this, because their TVs are usually ok in terms of features.
riko
Member
1440p on a 4k TV looks awful regardless of the TV. It's non linear scaling.
kevboard
Member
it looks fine. 4k is a high enough pixel density that uneven scaling isn't much of an issue anymore.
almost every single current gen game runs at a resolution that unevenly scales to 4k.
1440p, 1800p, 1260p, and everything in-between, with dynamic scaling up and down.
you'll easily see the improved fidelity of 1440p over 1080p on a 4K screen tho.
and if you have a Switch 2 for example, and your TV doesn't support 1440p 120hz, some games will look worse on your TV than if it did.
like, say, a game comes out, and it has a 40fps mode, and that mode runs at 1440p. on a Sony TV you'll not get that additional fidelity and instead have to output 1080p. this will then mean uneven downscaling from 1440p to 1080p, and then the TV upscaling to 4k, which is far less optimal than actually running at 1440p.
Magic Carpet
Gold Member
1440 Looks all fuzzy on my Samsusung Q70. If My setup can't play at 4k. I prefer dropping it all the way to 1080p as everything is sharper than that 1440 look.
Kuranghi
Member
Yeah I love Sonys but their gaming situation is not bad, but embarrassing vs LG when they make the console.
Do not use the "perfect for PS5" auto HDR calibration on your TV btw, its broken and limits peak brightness below the optimal and also just makes some games look terrible in HDR mode.
To make it look best turn the tonemapping to Off (or Gradation Preferred if thats not an option) in the TV and then do the first two PS5 HDR calibration screens as instructed, then go 1 click higher (so make it disappear, not just faint) and simply set the 3rd screen to minimum.
I couldn't believe it when I saw the results of that "perfect for PS5" feature, a lot of people just trust it because why wouldn't you. Its still broken in the latest models afaik and even if it got better the above method still gives better results.
Kuranghi
Member
Almost all high end Sony TVs since 2016 support 1440p@120hz resolution, it just has to be forced so won't work with consoles.
The XF90 actually supported 1440p@120hz natively but had to have 1080p@120hz forced, bizarre stuff.
Some also unofficially support 1080p and 1440p @ 144hz if you force it. I only found out my ZD9 does this very recently. No idea if its truly a 144hz panel HW-wise or if its doing some trickery since theres no documentation on it anywhere outside of the guy who discovered it.
Thats weird, something else at play there I reckon, maybe the chipset Samsung is using has the best scaling disabled for non-standard (outside gaming) resolutions, because even if its an non-optimal scaling it would be so many more pixels than 1080p that it should definitely look better.
As Kevboard says many recent games are using very non-standard resolutions and the console is scaling it to 2160p before it gets to the TV. Or the TV scales it if you have the console outputting lower than 2160p.
If you want advice on upgrading the TV you could get a lot lot better image than what you have, its not a bad TV or anything but it has no local dimming and very low peak brightness, I'd probably turn HDR off if I was using it.
The XF90 actually supported 1440p@120hz natively but had to have 1080p@120hz forced, bizarre stuff.
Some also unofficially support 1080p and 1440p @ 144hz if you force it. I only found out my ZD9 does this very recently. No idea if its truly a 144hz panel HW-wise or if its doing some trickery since theres no documentation on it anywhere outside of the guy who discovered it.
Thats weird, something else at play there I reckon, maybe the chipset Samsung is using has the best scaling disabled for non-standard (outside gaming) resolutions, because even if its an non-optimal scaling it would be so many more pixels than 1080p that it should definitely look better.
As Kevboard says many recent games are using very non-standard resolutions and the console is scaling it to 2160p before it gets to the TV. Or the TV scales it if you have the console outputting lower than 2160p.
If you want advice on upgrading the TV you could get a lot lot better image than what you have, its not a bad TV or anything but it has no local dimming and very low peak brightness, I'd probably turn HDR off if I was using it.
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Magic Carpet
Gold Member
It's poor processing from Samsung. The picture itself is very good but its HDMI features are lacking. But I think that generally 1440p blown up to 4k is not a good result on even high end equipment. It would be better to drive only the pixels and shrink the image with black borders than fuzzy it up to fullscreen.
Edit-also I'm dealing with an 82" screen. The fuzzy become more noticeable at that size. Smaller screens might not be such an issue.
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skit_data
Member
I was all aboard the hype train when they announced the box and if it launched right then and there I'd get one.
But those specs at whatever price it will have morphed into come launch just won't cut it for me personally (or rather I just can't see how they could even if they sold them at a marginal loss which seems completely unrealistic). I could see some find a use case but I'm not one of them.
Hopefully they still keep at it and bring the next iteration not too far into the future. Some real bad luck timing-wise with this one.
But those specs at whatever price it will have morphed into come launch just won't cut it for me personally (or rather I just can't see how they could even if they sold them at a marginal loss which seems completely unrealistic). I could see some find a use case but I'm not one of them.
Hopefully they still keep at it and bring the next iteration not too far into the future. Some real bad luck timing-wise with this one.
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MisterXDTV
Member
What's even the point of HDMI 2.1 on a 1080p machine???
Just for VRR compatibility?
Freesync doesn't need HDMI 2.1 anyway
Just for VRR compatibility?
Freesync doesn't need HDMI 2.1 anyway
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Bojji
Gold Member
Remember that unlike consoles, Steam machine will play all PS1/PS2/PS3 and PS4 era games, most of them will be able to run in native 4k. For newer games you still have FSR3.1 and XeSS support.
SM will only (potentially) have problems with the heaviest software.
vaibhavpisal
Member
Valve, just work on next gen version.
Launch a nice zen6 rdna5 machine (entry level) alongside next gen consoles.
Launch a nice zen6 rdna5 machine (entry level) alongside next gen consoles.
Radical_3d
Member
So we're putting the bar on a Nintendo console now? You should consider a base PS5, then. 10TF HDMI 2.1 support. It's an absolute beast!
Bojji
Gold Member
They will release it for sure... few years from now when (maybe) components will be cheaper.
PS5 launched with no VRR support for more than 1 year (and it still it bad implementation compared to PC/Xbox). And that chip is 32Gb/s, it has limitations in 120Hz output.
But yeah, outside of this nitpicking, it's 100x better than SW2 situation. My comment was about "we get hardware without X in the year Y?!", there is no guarantee for certain features no matter the year...
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MisterXDTV
Member
Sure, a lot of demand to emulate PS2 games on a Steam Machine for around $1500
LOL
LOL
Bojji
Gold Member
You are making shit up.
riko
Member
The thing is this is within the rendering pipeline. The final scale to 4K is a lot more computationally expensive than any TV is going to do for non-linear scaling and maintain reasonable latency. Games doing internal resolution scaling is going to look fine in ways TV scaling wont.
Having said that, I generally kind of hate the inherent softness of in-game dynamic res scaling too, and wherever I can turn this off I do. (PC gamer predominantly) Things like DLSS / XeSS / etc do improve the situation.
I am just a soft picture hater though. If folks are happy driving their monitors / TVs at non linear resolution that is fine
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
This is great fucking news.
Eventhough HDMI Forum VRR isn't yet working, I am sure Freesync would work just fine on my LG C1 or C4
Right?!
Eventhough HDMI Forum VRR isn't yet working, I am sure Freesync would work just fine on my LG C1 or C4
Right?!
thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
That might be warranty-voiding if the VRAM is soddered to the board an' all. Curious if that will be the case for the main RAM though; ideally they are probably using laptop-style sticks or something like that allowing for higher capacities if the user wants them. Install enough and that kind of gets around the VRAM "limitation" (8 GB is plenty fine for most games, especially if they're optimized. If they aren't that's a skill issue on the devs).
Anyway, good to hear this news. Steam Machine continues looking better & better for anyone with realistic expectations.
It won't be anywhere near that price and if anything I'd be concerned of Project Helix or even PS6 coming in closer to that price considering what those systems want to offer specs-wise, if I were you.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
"may" ?
It should go without question at this point...
It should go without question at this point...
Bojji
Gold Member
kevboard
Member
it's 2026, the fact that we even still use HDMI instead of Display Port is honestly sad...
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Exactly! It would be a surprise if it DIDN'T have it.
rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
_oni_
Member
It looks way better than 1080p to me even if it's non integer scaling. Just like 1080p looks better than 720p on a 1440p screen.
I think integer scaling is overrated.
noob smokes
Member
I just wanna know how much it cost if its gonna be anything over a rack thats gonna be a problem
S0ULZB0URNE
Member
Xbox doesn't use 48GB's for it's 2.1 either.