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Valve believes its new Steam Machine could open up a whole new world of SteamOS desktops: 'Put it on, say, something that's running an RX 9070 XT, you would be good to go'

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"We're really interested to see what other companies do with the form factor."

Valve's new Steam Machine during a visit to Valve HQ in Bellevue, Washington. The Steam Machine is a compact living room gaming PC.
(Image credit: Future)

The Steam Machine available in the new year is designed by Valve. It will be sold by Valve, and, as such, it cannot be hastily switched to Windows at the last minute to sell more units. But despite being burned in the past, Valve is keen for its Steam Machine to blaze a trail for other Steam Machines in future, whether they be made by modders, companies, or everyday PC gamers.

During a visit to Valve's HQ a few weeks ago, I'm shown around the new Steam Machine. Of course, the first topic of discussion is the aborted attempt to do much the same thing around 10 years ago now.

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(Image credit: Future)

Steam Frame: Valve's new wireless VR headset
Steam Machine: Compact living room gaming box
Steam Controller: A controller to replace your mouse

Our own Dave James ripped the core out of a Framework 13 laptop, housing an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, and stuck SteamOS on the remains. And it all works great, especially as it was more than a loose motherboard and some wires, contained instead within the slimline chassis made to fit by Cooler Master.

While SteamOS still has a ways to go to be able to boot and function correctly on just about any PC build, it is becoming a more viable option. The question now remains whether anyone will take up Valve on its offer. On the one hand, SteamOS has been proven to be great for performance, especially on less powerful hardware in need of the extra frames it delivers.

On the other, small form factor PCs aren't in desperate need of a refresh, nor are they totally a brave new world for gaming PCs. Windows 11 and Steam's Big Picture Mode gets you most of the way there already. That said, you are still under the corporate yoke of Microsoft, and for some, that's reason enough. Which is why you will see more and more gamers using Linux distros such as Bazzite. I just wonder if other companies will bite, or if it'll be mostly frustrated users making the change.

For now, the Steam Machine seems like a good way to test the waters, prove the concept a little, and build up the foundations of the SteamOS ecosystem. Especially if it's as affordable as I hope it will be.

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