Valve Steam Machine review: small and quiet, runs PC games well on a TV, but nearly twice the price of a PS5 for PS5 performance and needs manual configuration
My first day with the Steam Machine was a mess. Instead of enjoying a worry-free game console, I spent hours troubleshooting what felt like a finicky PC.
Lead Source
More
Discussion
TechSnif Coverage
Valve's Steam Machine: Tiny, Smooth, But a Configuration Nightmare
Valve's Steam Machine impresses with its compact size and smooth performance but frustrates with its price and PC-like setup woes.
Valve's Steam Machine is here, and it's a mixed bag. The Verge's Sean Hollister found the console significantly smaller than a PS5 and surprisingly smooth in operation. It works with any modern gamepad right out of the box. Sounds great on paper.
The reality? Hollister's first day was a disaster. Instead of a plug-and-play console experience, he spent hours troubleshooting issues that felt more like wrestling with a finicky PC. Manual configuration is essentially required to get things running properly.
Then there's the price. Valve's hardware comes in at a premium that's hard to justify against established consoles. The Steam Machine wants to be a living room console but can't shake its PC DNA. That's either a feature or a dealbreaker depending on your patience for tinkering.