2d ago

Valve Is Building a 'Steam Console' To Rival PS5 and Xbox, Rumour Claims

insider-gaming.com DEBUNKED: Valve Is Building a 'Steam Console' To Rival PS5 and Xbox, Rumour Claims

The latest rumours have suggested that Valve is (still) building a 'Steam console' to rival PlayStation and Xbox units.

Debunk from dev Pierre-Loup Griffais ‪@plagman.bsky.social‬

"we've done pre-release Mesa Vulkan work on every AMD architecture since Vega thanks to them kindly providing hardware, so there's nothing meaningful to read into there."

source

125 comments

A new steam link would have been nice

The article has been updated, this isn't true unfortunately.

Overall, this makes sense. We've kind of acted like console gaming is somehow separate from computer gaming because of consoles exclusive monopolies on various titles, but it's become much clearer over time that it's actually PC which has been gather exclusive titles by... just... Being easy to develop for with no requirement to port? It looks more and more like we're seeing PC taking over the gaming space more and more. Hopefully valve can pull this off right.
- There are still advantages to a fixed platform like the Steam Deck. It makes a fixed hardware platform to optimize for. Anything that runs on Deck should also run on another PC.
  Likewise, a Steam Box that was popular enough would provide a target hardware platform with higher spec.
  Most hardware manufacturers will have too high paced a release schedule, so unlikely to provide a stable hardware spec.

Instant pre-order for me. Steamdeck has been by far my favorite gaming console but TV performance is only good for low requirement games and I'd love the same experience for proper 4k gaming even if it's medium fidelity.

The Steam Box is back!

I run Bazzite HTPC Version on my gaming rig, i would consider this the best console experience nowadays. A huge amount of games, no need to rebuy games i allready owned on a previous PC and most games run out of the box just fine.
- Is that a distro or launcher? Im switching to PC gaming and Im interested in your set up.
  
  Its a distro. An alternative for Bazzite could be ChimeraOS

Again?
- Third time's the charm. Well, in their case second time was the charm, the steamdeck was such a success that I understand the decision to try out the steam machines idea once again.
  
  If they build it as an actual console rather than the previous thing where anyone could put out a PC, install SteamOS on it, and call it a Steam Machine, then it will probably be genuinely competitive with Xbox. Sure, it'll still be a standard X86-64 system running Linux, but they need brand control.

Steam Machine 3: This time it's personal.
- Good things come in 3s....
  
  Not at valve they dont
- Instead of the Electric Boogalo, it's the Steam Dreamaroo.

I think I'm part of steam machine's target market. Games are leisure time. I don't want to be worrying about processor-graphics cards combos. I don't want to worry about which game runs, or optimising settings. I want to turn it on and have fun.
Sadly, I've been in emulating recently just to get away from micro transactions so I have to spend a lot of time tinkering. First mini pc that flawlessly runs 360/PS3 and is less than £500 I'm getting it.
- You should buy a console then
  
  I have a console and still play most games on the steamdeck. A lot is portability, but other times it's what games are on PC vs Consoles.
  
  Xbone was my last console purchase and I considered it terrible value for money. AAA games aren't generally worth looking at due to their monetisation strategies. Console wars are anti-consumer. Indy titles, what I mostly play don't have the same availability. Steam workshop has no equivalent on console. Multilayer is a paid addition, not that multiplayer is worth it because the multiplayer games have the worst monetisation strategies. I could go on.
  But you're right, that's what I want, a Steam Machine.
- You’ll have a long way to go on the software side before worrying about hardware
  Like you said though, just buy a prebuilt and you’re already there
  
  Like you said though, just buy a prebuilt and you’re already there
  As long as Microsoft doesn't push an update that fucks up your machine, or you don't boot for a few weeks and have to wait 2 hours for an update...
  Even the biggest Steam update takes a fraction of the time of a 'routine' Windows update. SteamOS/DeckOS is a huge quality of life upgrade over a desktop.
  
  I know. The SER 8 is damn close hardware wise, it could be in budget given a sale/voucher/what not. RetroGameCorps - mini pc spreadsheet
  I can start at ps1 to give emulators time to catch up.

I see this as an absolute Win

And why not? That's all consoles are, now. Do you want the blue AMD laptop, or the green AMD laptop?

This rumor has been going around for a few months now, mostly because of some commits targeting new unknown hardware to SteamOS afaik.
I hope the rumor is true, I love my steamdeck but something a bit more powerful that allows me to play Steam games in 4k on my TV would be awesome. If they run the same exact OS as on the steamdeck you could even do stuff like ad-free youtube using Firefox.
- but something a bit more powerful that allows me to play Steam games in 4k on my TV would be awesome.
  I got news for you! You can literally build a computer to do this right now, no need to wait for steam.
  
  I know that. I want something ready to go with a dedicated controller and not fiddle around with components myself that may run too hot or are too noisy etc.
  
  Do you want some eggs? I got news for you! You can literally build a chicken shed right now, no need to wait for farmers.
  Seriously, the same captain obvious answer all the time when a Steam console is mentioned. It’s infuriating. Consoles exist for a reason, to provide a ready and verified environment for playing games without any fiddling.
- There's also been some arm SoC work by valve, could be they're gearing up for a new SteamStation, could be that they're opening up SteamOS for 3rd party manufacturers like Lenovo. Only time will tell.
  
  The ARM SoC work is likely for a VR headset to rival the Meta Quest line. Valve isn't going to build a console-like PC without an x86 processor in it any time soon until x86 emulators like FEX and Box86 become more advanced and faster.
- I know this isn't exactly what you mean, but I use the Remote Play function to stream games from my PC to my living room TV, it works like a charm!
  
  Yup I've been doing that as well using nvidia shield but it has become very unstable as of late. Network latency and input lag is also an issue in some games unfortunately.

This could be nice for folks that want a console-like living room experience that "just works".
Me? I built a Linux HTPC a dozen years ago and have periodically updated the graphics card (it gets the hand-me-downs from my main gaming PC) so I don't need this. I'm far more interested in a Steam Controller 2 😄
- Ugh, tell me about it!!!
  Those SC2 leaks happened a while ago but we've still to hear anything official about it at all, sure hope they haven't scrapped it...
- I built a Linux HTPC like a month ago. I tried a couple of different distros, mainly because the Xbox controller (that I bought new) didn't work with any distro. The Playstation one works perfectly, but that Xbox mf is a lost cause (I'm going to change it for a tattoo lmao, and save for another Playstation controller).
  At the end, I landed on Bazzite distro and is working fine. The KDE plasma interface is really good (after like 10 years with Linux mint cinnamon, the plasma feel like I'm in the future)
  
  On Fedora using a wireless Xbox one controller with absolutely no issues.
  
  Huh? Im using an xbox controller on my kubuntu for steam. alas connection only works wired, bluetooth is unusable for me. Give your controller one last chance ♥️
  
  That's a bummer, because I was considering the same thing and was wondering what Xbox controller support would be on Linux.

Something something steam link…

Ok. And how much will it cost?
- Likely more than consoles which are usually sold at a loss.
  
  I think the steamdeck is either sold at cost or at a loss too. Based on This article and others like it, Gaben says the price is a bit "painful" for valve.

I'm not the target for such device, I play on my PC and on the Deck when on the couch. But I wish the rumor is true, it will boost PC gaming as a whole
- What would make me happy is a way smoother experience with game streaming. With moonlight/sunshine I've found it works incredibly well - when it does. I always ran into issues with resolution setting, windows lock screen, power on power off etc. I mean, I'm sure I could figure it out over time but I'm way to lazy, I don't have time to tinker with that. I just want it to work.
  If I could sit on my couch and have a cool and quiet steam deck streaming off my PC in the other room, that would be sweet.
- Playing games in 4k on your TV with surround sound is superior to playing on a steam deck
  
  Agree, but when I playing like that i prefer on my PC, on the couch I prefer to play more chill games while my partner watches her favorites shows on the TV, that was kinda the reason for me to get the Deck in the first place.

I'm not sure what would be the point. Isn't it "just" a PC with Steam OS running on it? Would it be to help people just default to SteamOS?
Anti Commercial-AI license
- Having a popular, standardized pc with fixed hardware and OS would enable game developers to aim that as minimum(or recommended) requirement and to optimize their games for that. And since it will be running linux, this means that gaming in linux would become even more mainstream and better supported too.
  
  Also being theoretically not portable, it could be more powerful than the Steam Deck making emulation even easier.
  
  That is indeed a good argument reason. I wish them all the best!
  Anti Commercial-AI license
- aren't the other consoles just pcs with custom os?
  
  Kinda, but not quite. The main difference, imo, is that consoles have several anti-tampering measures in place, often as exclusive hardware, to ensure owners don't jailbreak. The PC is, by design, open and "unsafe", without measures to stop owners from doing whatever.
  
  Think of them like laptops, they have a lot of components that make them a pc but arent really able to be modified or changed
  
  Kinda. They are not very customisable. They are locked down boxes. You can't run your normal applications on it, control it with a mouse or keyboard, etc.
  Anti Commercial-AI license
- When the first Steam Machines were announced years ago, I assumed they'd all be running the same hardware like consoles do, and I thought that was actually quite a good idea because it could give game devs a sort of "baseline" set of hardware to aim for, as opposed to the sort of "vaguely make it run on Windows" system we seem to have currently. So if the new ones are all more-or-less the same kit like the Steam Decks are, and they take off well enough, it could be handy in that way I guess.
  Plus it'll presumably run SteamOS so more Linux exposure which I always appreciate.
- Optimization profiles for games to target the specific hardware. It would be for people that want a steam deck like device that isn’t portable. Which would probably sell more units than a steam deck now. If priced right I would put it in my living room. It just needs to have the QOL that comes with console for couch gaming.
- Sure, which would be great for people who don't want to build their own PC or buy an expensive prebuilt.

From reddit:
is this trust worthy?
Extasis mentions this guy handledeck as the source
https://xcancel.com/HandleDeck/status/1886501899832021224#m
which links to this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgKzbHIWDK4
which just mentions this article https://www.phoronix.com/news/Mesa-25.0-RADV-RDNA4-State
saying: "by reading this article carefully we can come up to the conclusion that..."
Seems all bullshit.

Or maybe they could do Half-Life 3 please.
- Half-Life 3
  Steam Console Exclusive
  
  I don't care. Gimme.
  
  Huge half life fan here.
  I would wait to emulate that shit.

Do want.

Press X to doubt.

Don't they already have this? What is the Steam Deck, if not a rival to the PS5 and the Xbox ala the Switch? Shouldn't the focus go into optimizing that space, as opposed to trying again at the home console market?
- Yeah I have a Steam Deck with a dock and bluetooth mouse & keyboard, it's basically just a desktop PC lol.
  Although the Deck does struggle a bit with super high-end games, so a similar thing with beefier hardware could fill a niche there I guess?
- The Switch was Nintendo giving up the spec race entirely to create an ok console and good handheld device.
  The Steam Deck copied the design ethos of the Switch. It is an ok gaming PC that is great for mobile gaming.
  A Steam console would be slightly different, but I could see it doing well, especially if it can become an entertainment center.
  
  Has Nintendo ever really been about the spec race? Apart from maybe the 64.
- I love my deck but it is absolutely not a rival to ps5 and xbsx. It can barely run new high end games at low settings.

Didnt they already try this and it flopped? Is my memory playing tricks on me?
It would be a pretty dumb business move. It's going to take a lot to unseat Sony and Microsoft, and the people familiar with Steam likely already have pretty powerful PCs. Case in point, the steam deck. Novelty product, it's pretty cool, but it's nowhere even close to unseating Nintendo Switch, let alone PS or Xbox.
- Steam Machines flopped for a whole bunch of reasons. Many of those have been fixed over the intervening years. Consoles are now all basically PCs, and the market leader runs a variant of BSD (iirc). That makes native Linux gaming a much easier thing to pull off. Then, there's Proton which is apparently basically some kind of black magic where Windows games can run better under Linux than under Windows. There's also much better peripheral device support than there used to be. Valve has also created a basically fixed platform with the Steamdeck (and its AMD-basef competition), meaning developers have a defined set of features they can target for a good experience.
  I'm here for this. If they can overcome the Nvidia issues, I'll just stick my gaming rig in my loungeroom and build something smaller and cooler for my main workstation..
  
  I'm here for it too, I mean my PS5 sucks and I'm sick of spending thousands of dollars on my PC. I just have some doubts about the viability, that's all.
- Why is everyone assuming that you can only make a profit if you are the market leader? Even if you have a percent of Sony and Microsofts market share in the console market, you can still make a shit load of money of it.
  Their original steam machine failed because Steam OS didn’t have Proton yet back then, so devs had to create dedicated linux versions of their games, drastically reducing steams catalogue. Now that they have perfected proton, they beat PlayStation and Xbox with their massive amount of games across way more niche genres.
  It could easily target people that don’t want to tinker with hardware or settings on PC but still want to have all of the games that steam offers.
  
  Late stage Capitalism burnt their brains
  
  What a lot of people don't realize though, is those consoles actually sell for a loss. 2025 is going to bring some crazy shit with it in regards to hardware pricing. Like in one aspect, ok if this thing is a decent price, and has decent performance, then yeah. But that is going to be really really hard to pull off right now. Meaning the thing is either going to be pretty crazy priced or it's going to have lacklustre performance. In order to have good volumes of sales, you've got a very well established dominant two, that's going to be hard to unseat. I dunno, I've been wrong before, and I'm sure I'll be wrong again, maybe even here. But to me, that's going to be hard to pull off.
- So, kinda. "Steam Machines" was the old initiative from 2013(?). The idea was to build a coalition of 3rd party machines with a branding and hardware guidelines for Asus, Acer, etc to build a ton of console-likes. Basically trying to replicate the PC market of diverse hardware from a bunch of OEMs to create a new market segment in the console space.
  The difference here is that Valve is allegedly building a console themselves, fully 1st party with their own hardware and software, like they did with the Steam Deck. I imagine if this one has enough market traction (as determined by Valve), they'll iterate on the software hard for a couple of years (and possibly the controller, too), then expand with guidelines for OEMs to make their own versions of the console using SteamOS. Basically, just follow the Steam Deck playbook and hope it works like last time.
  
  SteamOS
  the way I see it, steam machines led to SteamOS, which will lead to a true steam living room console.
- They did, and it did.
  However, I would suggest with the current gen consoles, the market is different. Also, you don't need to unseat Sony and Microsoft to be able to turn a buck.
- They made the Steam Link, which was a local network game streaming machine, not a full blown console that ran steam games independently.
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_Link
- You are not misremembering. It did give us one of the most hilariously awful controller designs (though I applaud them swinging for the fences), and it it was the precursor to the steam deck, so it wasn’t completely worthless.
  If they can take the lessons learned from their recent successes with the steam deck, I could see them making something that sticks around for a bit. There’s a market for people that want the steam ecosystem but are intimidated by PC builds or the toxic sub culture that sometimes permeates PC gamers. Having a pre-built PC with proper backing that just works out of the box with minimal tinkering could be an attractive option for some.
  
  I still have 2 Steam Controllers and 3 Steam Links at home, one of the Links and one Controller are for streaming media to my TV from my PC (the rest are spares). I very much like the Controllers for Desktop use, but they aren't great for classic twin stick games. They excel at stuff like RTS, FPS and Simulations tho!
- The bast majority of steam users have lower end hardware. I could see this being a good companion box for a recent steam deck owner looking for a bit more graphical grunt for their TV set up.

We need a steam deck 2 first
- Nah I'd wait longer if I was valve so there's an actual improvement, not just a small upgrade
  
  The steam deck was on zen 2, I feel like we've had a lot of improvements since then

What does Valve actually need: sell a x86 SoC PC for extra-extra cheap... barely capable to run 720p60fpd high quality, and extremely well optimized, videogames such as Resident Evil4 Remake and latest Doom, bundle the SoC with those games to the point it may look as you're just buying regular bundled games but the PC to run it comes for free.
IE: 140€ to get Resident Evil Remake 2,3 and 4 for +the SoC: You just need to add the disk space (MictoSD/SSD) to download&run OS+games.
- Thankfully you don't work at Valve.
- IE: 140€
  Dude, you can't even build a Raspberry Pi 5 based Retropie for that price. And the most you could run is emulated Gamecube games
  
  Not a build, what I am thinking it's exactly as a raspberryPi5 is, just slightly more powerful. The idea is to kickstart sort of DIY PC console, in which Valve sell you just the very bare bones (CPU/GPU/ram and only strictly necessary I/O, just like the RPI5 board) + some key license for games to test things out, then anybody can build up whatever they want, even plugging an external GPU if so they desire.
  edit: also this may be of interest
- Does it come with a battery that's not rechargeable and only lasts for exactly one playthrough of the game after which you throw the whole thing in the trash?

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