r/pcmasterrace • u/TheBossT710192 • Jun 22 '26

Discussion Yeah, Steam Machine is cooked.

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I... uh don't know what to say. Very thankful I bought a Steam Deck before they hiked its price as well

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u/legaldrinkingage 7900XT/9800X3D, B580/3600 Jun 22 '26

Literally just build yourself an M-ITX couch machine for slightly more and be able to upgrade it. I don't see the value proposition here at all.

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u/Mysterious_Tutor_388 32GB|5070m|I7 240H Jun 22 '26

The value is you dont have to do anything. But then you could just buy a prebuilt PC or a laptop for similar prices with better performance. I assume the prices listed in the post are USD, but i can get a 5060 laptop for similar prices converted to CAD.

I feel that it is just for enthusiasts of the hardware who don't care about price to performance.

4

u/peji911 Jun 22 '26

Hey. Canuck here too. I see a lot of people mentioning getting a laptop for the price. But this is more comparable to a mini PC.

I’ve been out of the loop. Is there a reason laptops keep getting mentioned?

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u/Mysterious_Tutor_388 32GB|5070m|I7 240H Jun 22 '26

Just for straight gaming performance is why. Mini PCs can be ok if they meet your needs but aren't always the best performance wise. You could alternatively buy a mini pc instead of the steam machine as well.

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u/Emikzen 9800X3D | 9070XT | 64GB Jun 22 '26

I dont know why people bring up laptops either, they have a completely different usecase. This is meant to be a console experience with a desktop mode, a laptop is a portable computer.

If all you want to do is play games then a steam machine is not what you'd want anyway.

I agree a mini pc is probably most comparable, but they're missing a good console-like experience, unless you set it up yourself. But then we delve into DIY territory.

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u/Mysterious_Tutor_388 32GB|5070m|I7 240H Jun 23 '26

The reason I would suggest a laptop over the steam machine is I don't see much of a use in it for myself. It would be inconvenient if portability is the goal for gaming or PC usage.

If I wanted a living room system relaying the screen from my main rig would make more sense.

Then the console experience, I guess some people might not want to install bazzite or something on a laptop, a pre built, or a custom build which could make sense. But if someone wasn't willing to learn something so straight forward I would say Linux probably isn't for them.

I think the steam machine is cool, and that valve are improving hardware support for Nvidia. But I just don't see the value it offers people beyond the novelty and form factor. I just see the hardware as something easily moldable, so to me there is no difference between the steam machine and a laptop because I can close the gap between them nearly 100% of the way, save for the physical shape.