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[simpatico]

I am primarily a single player gamer. I do not pay for PS+. If I was a multiplayer guy, I would stay far away from the steam machines as they do not run most popular multiplayer titles. What difference does the PS+ fees make to a prospective consumer choosing between a PS5 and Steam machine? If he wanted to play online games, the Steam box and the Steam deck would not even be in contention.

There is no meaningful difference in sales prices between Steam and PSN.

What about assurances of backwards compatibility? The guys who built massive PS3 libraries are coaster collecting.

 

[LordOcidax]

Nothing, the Steam machines are going to be niche products like the Steamdeck.

 

[iamvin22]

People just think its a foregon conclusion that Sony will continue porting games to Pc, but things always change. People have said console sales are failing, or that Sony needs to make more money by porting some of their games to Steam, but PSN made 3x as much in revenue than Steam last year. It would affect Valve more than it would affect Sony if they choose to go back to full exclusivity for the PS6.

I agree. If they do decide to go back to exclusivity (which they will I believe) it will be for the single player games.

 

[jmiller180]

Until they resolve the lack of support for games with certain anti-cheat (e.g. COD, Battlefield, etc.) this product will not be able to compete in the broader console market.

 

[Sethbacca]

I still think Sony should drop some SteamOS versions of their games and fund some Bazzite development that way they're not dependent on Windows access.

 

[Fake]

Means nothing, unless you are talking about Steam Deck, if Sony really want to move foward their supost handheld, will be against both Nintedo Switch and Steam Deck.


But the Steam Machine is there to fight against Windows Desktop and Apple Desktop, aka Windows vs SteamOS.

 

[Sooner]

The thing will struggle to sell half of what the Wii U sold. Sony will likely continue as if it doesn't exist, because it barely will.

 

[londontko]

The game is changing so quickly and it's fascinating. Sony sees where the game is going and needs to fight a war on two fronts and release a portable option to counter Xbox play anywhere strategy, which is in it's infancy with the ROG Ally. I think Microsoft may have had some actually good long term thinking here, but it will be awhile before it all plays out to know for sure. By getting out of the console business and opening it up to companies it's going create a wild environment where companies like Asus and MSI battle it out to create the latest and greatest box that scales the experience and takes advantage of the new hardware. Meanwhile cloud gaming is looming in the background waiting for it's turn to deliver that experience on a $100 box that connects to the internet.

You better buckle up and up your dose GAF...

 

[lastmessiah]

The game is changing so quickly and it's fascinating. Sony sees where the game is going and needs to fight a war on two fronts and release a portable option to counter Xbox play anywhere strategy, which is in it's infancy with the ROG Ally. I think Microsoft may have had some actually good long term thinking here, but it will be awhile before it all plays out to know for sure. By getting out of the console business and opening it up to companies it's going create a wild environment where companies like Asus and MSI battle it out to create the latest and greatest box that scales the experience and takes advantage of the new hardware. Meanwhile cloud gaming is looming in the background waiting for it's turn to deliver that experience on a $100 box that connects to the internet.

You better buckle up and up your dose GAF...

That game has already arrived, and we are in the middle innings. The only people engaging in console wars are fat 40something dudes who only play single player games.

 

[Perrott]

That they're both going to be getting my money going forward

 

[mayham2199]

It will do nothing in the market. Strange how everyone is ignoring how a lot of the most popular games don't even work on SteamOS. Until Steam resolves the issue with MP games not working it's nothing to worry about. I assume they hope to push their SteamOS to enough people that it forces the devs to concede and start supporting SteamOS but there's no guarantee that happens.

 

[londontko]

That game has already arrived, and we are in the middle innings. The only people engaging in console wars are fat 40something dudes who only play single player games.

 

[xenosys]

Is it going to eat into Sony's share of the console market? Perhaps a little, but this isn't going to be selling any more than 5-10m units over the next 3-4 years. That's being generous as well.

Casuals are going to be disappointed when they hook this up to their 4K OLED expecting a satisfactory 4K experience, only to realise that they can't run modern games at more than 1080p/60FPS without an inferior upscaler like FSR3.

 

[Gamezone]

Nothing. It's a PC with Steam OS. You can make it today.

 

[Humdinger]

I don't think it'll bother Sony in the short term (meaning through the PS6 generation), but if Valve are able to get a foothold, they could gradually expand their slice of the pie until it does start to become an actual competitor. That's pretty far down the road, though, and hard to foresee clearly.

But at this point, it's no threat. It might steal away a few PS players (like me), but most Sony players will stick with Sony.

 

[Ceadeus]

It'll be a drop in the ocean more likely than not.

If, like me, you have hundreds of digital PS games, then a Steambox is going to seem like a poor investment.

What about the millions of steam user and their hundreds of digital steam games? And how cool does it sounds to have that library straight to your living room or bedroom?

 

[simpatico]

Is it going to eat into Sony's share of the console market? Perhaps a little, but this isn't going to be selling any more than 5-10m units over the next 3-4 years. That's being generous as well.

Casuals are going to be disappointed when they hook this up to their 4K OLED expecting a satisfactory 4K experience, only to realise that they can't run modern games at more than 1080p/60FPS without an inferior upscaler like FSR3.

Some people still think young casual gamers give one single succulent shit about "4K OLEF image quality" and "up scaling technology". It was laughable even typing it.

What makes you think these young casual gamers are going to take a vested interest into a niche area of a dying technology?

 

[Markio128]

What about the millions of steam user and their hundreds of digital steam games? And how cool does it sounds to have that library straight to your living room or bedroom?

So what effect will that have on Sony? Very little, because the only folk doing that will already be heavily invested in Steam on PC. That's the whole point of the thread.

 

[Ebrietas]

I've been warning about this for some time now. PC gaming today looks a lot different than when Sony ported the first horizon, to the point where there can be very little difference compared to consoles for the end user. I could easily get a steam machine instead of a ps5, and I'm someone who would have never touched PC gaming or a windows computer with a 100 foot pole.

These are not separate markets anymore. If Sony still doesn't realize this, their entire executive team needs to be fired.

 

[PeteBull]

0 danger for sony thats gonna be only highend stationary console next gen.
Depending on the price SM could compete with very cheap laptops and thats it, not even against prebuilds it stands a chance coz of its 8gigs vram below base ps5 grade gpu, and lets remember its not early 2021 when 12gigs 3060 launched, SM gonna launch sometime in 2026, about year/year and a half before ps6/xbox pc

 

[Det]

The main competitor, and the one that will be most harmed by the Steam Machine, is the Xbox, especially with Steam OS threatening Windows and competing with the "Xbox PC".

But there are threads about PlayStation regarding the "competition" with the Steam Machine.

Who would have imagined that Phil's hysterical screaming strategy would repeat itself?

Before, it was the PS5 with last-minute overclocking that would be "problematic," and in the end it was a smokescreen for the Xbox Series S being garbage.

Now it's not Xbox vs. Steam Machine and Windows vs. Steam OS; it's all about PlayStation to create a smokescreen for Microsoft's incompetence with Windows and Xbox, which are BOTH being threatened by Valve.

These people never learn and won't learn anything by reading what I wrote above.
Phil the Clown and his Astroturfing really think that flooding video game forums will change reality... they've been trying this since 2013.

 

[Danjin44]

When Steam Deck coming out people saying it would "Switch killer" and in the end it did nothing......same thing here.

 

[Plague Doctor]

I love Steam. Seriously. Haven't picked up a Sony game in 3 years. Use Steam daily.

With that said, means nothing.

Unless Valve gets aggressive as hell with marketing and then the market itself wants this hyrbid pc/console gaming thing, things will remain the same.

Now this could happen but very unlikely.

 

[Ceadeus]

So what effect will that have on Sony? Very little, because the only folk doing that will already be heavily invested in Steam on PC. That's the whole point of the thread.

We'll see. In the long run, I could see more and more people becoming interested in what Steam is aiming for — an easy, console-like experience that still offers the full freedom of the open PC ecosystem.

With Sony releasing almost all of its exclusives on Steam and keeping multiplayer behind a paywall, people might start wondering why they should keep investing in such a limiting platform.

Maybe you'll keep buying the same brand until you die, but the new generation of gamers who want to play in the living room now have a new option — and they'll eventually move toward whatever offers the best value, affordability, and access to games. You can play almost all the content from both Microsoft and Sony, and also play online for free. If the pricing and marketing are done right, the Steam Machine could start to turn the tide in the long run. They've definitely put their finger on something really interesting here, I believe.

 

[TGO]

Sony needs to start focusing on the PS5..

The hype train has seen any action in years

 

[bender]

Since the GabeCube is so weak, PCMR will no longer be able to say that consoles are holding the industry back with their weak hardware.

 

[Fbh]

It's really hard to have an opinion about the Gabecube in most contexts without knowing the price.
But assuming it will be more expensive than the Ps5, while offering worse performance and not working out of the box with many popular games like COD, Battlefield, Fortnite, Roblox, etc. I doubt it will be a significant threat for Sony.

 

[Markio128]

We'll see. In the long run, I could see more and more people becoming interested in what Steam is aiming for — an easy, console-like experience that still offers the full freedom of the open PC ecosystem.

With Sony releasing almost all of its exclusives on Steam and keeping multiplayer behind a paywall, people might start wondering why they should keep investing in such a limiting platform.

Maybe you'll keep buying the same brand until you die, but the new generation of gamers who want to play in the living room now have a new option — and they'll eventually move toward whatever offers the best value, affordability, and access to games. You can play almost all the content from both Microsoft and Sony, and also play online for free. If the pricing and marketing are done right, the Steam Machine could start to turn the tide in the long run. They've definitely put their finger on something really interesting here, I believe.

PCs that look like the steam machine and have all the features that you mentioned have been around for a good while and Sony are doing fine. I'm not sure how this alters things to the degree that you think it will.

 

[mckmas8808]

The more time passes, the more it seems that everyone is eating off the same plates. I don't think the Steam Machines will be a threat to the PlayStation any more than the Steam Deck is a threat to the Switch. However, the top brass at Sony has to be looking at this. If the Steam Machines are even half as convenient as consoles and can just be placed in the living room, what incentives will there be to get a PlayStation? Not only do you get Microsoft Studios games day 1, you get a lot of PC games that don't come to consoles, and you get PlayStation games later down the line. This seems dangerously close to stepping on the toes of Sony's console business. Sony is also seemingly planning to release a handheld that will ostensibly play in a similar market to the Steam Deck, but I expect the PS6 portable to be a lot more popular. Still, another market where they overlap.

So, will Sony even give a thought about those machines or are they so irrelevant they won't factor into their strategy in the future?

Both are coming closer to doing what the other was doing before. It's odd.

 

[Kurimao]

Sony at the moment

 

[Famipan]

It depends on how much effort Valve will put on marketing it.

Will Steam Machine be sold in same channels as PS5, or mostly only through online order from Steam?

 

[Iced Arcade]

it's hard to say without knowing the price.

if it comparable gaming, sold at a decent price while Sony and MS keep jacking prices of hardware and doesn't have PS multiplayer paywalls... shittt i'm in

 

[Ceadeus]

PCs that look like the steam machine and have all the features that you mentioned have been around for a good while and Sony are doing fine. I'm not sure how this alters things to the degree that you think it will.

Well, I was thinking about how Steam has been building trust with its customer base worldwide because of the Steam Deck. Now, people not only trust Steam when it comes to game availability, endless sales, and affordable prices, but also when it comes to hardware. They've earned the credibility of a company capable of manufacturing a console that plays everything, while also making it compatible and customizable to your preferred control style — with all its features available free of charge.


People who own the Deck know how well the system is supported and how good SteamOS is. Overall, it really feels like a win for anyone who loves video games and is tired of restrictive platforms that make you pay more and miss out on games available on competing systems.

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

Adapt or die.

 

[tibia]

To me, having access to all retro sega, ps1-ps3, nintendo - switch on a high end pc connected to a tv with one controller would be life changing for the gaming hobby.

Investing in a high end pc for this is a no brainer. Fan mods and patches, cheats, etc all for a more convenient life. Man it really would be a Christmas miracle to see it come to fruition.

At my current lifestyle, I'm just not interested in turning on a pc, using a mouse to launch software and customizing settings and then turning it off.

10/10 for me if this is Steams first step to bridging this gap.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

Sony will have to explain why it's cool to pay double for the console and a monthly fee for an infinitesimally smaller game library with a bump in ray tracing settings to make up the difference.

Steam Cube owners will have far better access to PSX and PS2 titles.

Yup ...it won't change a thing, but will help to show just how rotten the way Sony is treating console owners.

-we still have to pay an extortion fee just to play games online. There people who don't care about sub services and "free" monthly games that just want the occasional multiplayer match.
-Sony's inability emulate PS3 games and really go all in on BC. PC back compatibility is infinitely better than consoles, especially PS games.
-Still no Bloodborne updates or remaster despite being the most requested game. Meanwhile PC people can now enjoy that at 4k/60 (with a little effort)
-Sony releasing the $800 ps5 "pro" ($700 + $100 for disc drive) and not delivering big enough graphical advances while also having a lackluster upscaling solution that is full of artifacting in many games especially those using RT. Meanwhile this Steammachine will still crush the Pro in Ray tracing and upscaling despite being modest for a gaming PC in terms of power. Two areas of improvement Sony touted but hasn't delivered on.
-Sonys disgustingly anti consumer "refund policy" compared to Steams 'play up to 2 hours no questions asked refund' system.

 

[phant0m]

Sony will have to explain why it's cool to pay double for the console and a monthly fee for an infinitesimally smaller game library with a bump in ray tracing settings to make up the difference.

Steam Cube owners will have far better access to PSX and PS2 titles.

You'll literally be able to plug an external USB disc drive, put a real PS2 disc in it and play that game on PCSX2

 

[phant0m]

To me, having access to all retro sega, ps1-ps3, nintendo - switch on a high end pc connected to a tv with one controller would be life changing for the gaming hobby.

Investing in a high end pc for this is a no brainer. Fan mods and patches, cheats, etc all for a more convenient life. Man it really would be a Christmas miracle to see it come to fruition.

At my current lifestyle, I'm just not interested in turning on a pc, using a mouse to launch software and customizing settings and then turning it off.

10/10 for me if this is Steams first step to bridging this gap.

You don't need a Steam Machine to do this. You can do it today with Batocera and any off the shelf x86 hardware.

I have one of these that does it all perfectly. Fully controller, no mouse+kb at all.

 

[Jesb]

Not a threat to Sony or Nintendo. It'll do small numbers like steamdeck.

 

[tibia]

Just looked more into it. Too bad it can't be upgraded for those willing to pay more for a high end GPU.

If it can emulate and run ps2/ps3 games like a pc can but in console and couch mode then I'm in.

otherwise, it just looks like a low end pc with a customized steam launcher.

 

[AmuroChan]

I honestly don't know how big the target population of this is. Those of us who game on PC have a gaming PC that's more powerful than this and we want to be able to upgrade whenver we want. That is the unique selling point of gaming on PC. If I want a locked plug and play experience, I already have that with consoles.

 

[EDMIX]

In the grand scheme of things this would not actually really hurt Sony if anything Microsoft should be more worried because of their focus on Windows I would argue this threatens a lot of what they're trying to do with Is there collaboration with Asus.


Because it's clear Microsoft is moving towards the direction of simply having some sort of custom PC that third party's create with simply having the branding of xbox or something, So if anything this is likely a bigger threat to what Microsoft is trying to do than anything with Sony

Consumers who want to have a casual experience I do not believe are going to spend their money on something like this in fact I'm not really entirely sure who's this even for.... Those who want the best will simply build like myself who builds many gaming PCs. Those who also like the casual nature of pick up and play will just do that with Sony and Nintendo which I also do myself.... What I wouldn't do is spend more money on a device like this that's not even getting GTA 6 lol


This would simply be a luxury purchase.

So with a 2026 release, the year of a GTA release and they will be ass out, I don't know how they would top Sony. By the next few years, Sony will already be marketing PS6...

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Nuffin' at all.

 

[Kumomeme]

i already saw a flood movement of PR bots at social media from same account who claim Playstation is unneeded anymore and celebrate Steam Machine like it is another official Xbox machine lmao.

same dudes who hyping Xbox is everywhere and Sony is doomed last week.

 

[EverydayBeast]

There's a real case that the steam machines are playstations, you have sony games already apart of their catalog.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

You're not forced to play any of that stuff if you have a PS5, though.

We do have a PS5, but I've not played a game on it in roughly a year (my son uses it still, fwiw). The point is that it's the PS-exclusives (eg. Sony's own western devs, etc) that don't interest me at all, nor do the big corporate bloated games (EA, etc) nor today's multiplayer (seasons or skins = trash).

So in that case, a Steam box is much more appealing. I use steam all the time via Steam Link from home office -> bedroom, but I'd gladly take a dedicated box over anything the PS5 can exclusively offer (and if nothing exclusive over Steam... then Steam wins 100% of the time, by better sales, exponentially greater variety, etc). And I commented because I think that's a value proposition to a lot of people, if you're tired of the braindead console space of today.

 

[simpatico]

Yup ...it won't change a thing, but will help to show just how rotten the way Sony is treating console owners.

-we still have to pay an extortion fee just to play games online. There people who don't care about sub services and "free" monthly games that just want the occasional multiplayer match.
-Sony's inability emulate PS3 games and really go all in on BC. PC back compatibility is infinitely better than consoles, especially PS games.
-Still no Bloodborne updates or remaster despite being the most requested game. Meanwhile PC people can now enjoy that at 4k/60 (with a little effort)
-Sony releasing the $800 ps5 "pro" ($700 + $100 for disc drive) and not delivering big enough graphical advances while also having a lackluster upscaling solution that is full of artifacting in many games especially those using RT. Meanwhile this Steammachine will still crush the Pro in Ray tracing and upscaling despite being modest for a gaming PC in terms of power. Two areas of improvement Sony touted but hasn't delivered on.
-Sonys disgustingly anti consumer "refund policy" compared to Steams 'play up to 2 hours no questions asked refund' system.

I think PS6 might be the last with local processing. Therefore, I wish Sony would make it the ultimate expression of Playstaion. Make it look like a sick piece of hifi kit, let it play every PSX and PS2 disc natively. Memory card slot, controller slot (behind a door of course, it basically looks like a classy AVR. Maybe some component outputs. VGA if they really wanna show us how much they love us.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

Just looked more into it. Too bad it can't be upgraded for those willing to pay more for a high end GPU.

If it can emulate and run ps2/ps3 games like a pc can but in console and couch mode then I'm in.

otherwise, it just looks like a low end pc with a customized steam launcher.

Exactly ...they really screwed up not making it upgradeable

 

[FMX]

Seriously you guys need to chill. This Steam Box is no threat. It's a niche product for a niche group. Have you all seen the specs? If Sony is smart they will put some serious investment in their pc launcher/store front.

 

[Fess]

Why would PC folks downgrade to a worse experience?

That's common for small form factor builds, if you're building a secondary small and quiet box under the TV you choose parts that keep noise and heat under control, usually means downgrading.

Not sure how big that market is though but it has definitely become more popular over the years.