There's a whole bunch of hints and speculation going around right now, showing that Valve may be working towards a new kind of Steam Machine. Suddenly, their new Steam Controller 2 that was leaked, along with the new SteamOS branding guidelines make a whole lot more sense if this is true.
While the SteamOS branding mentions third-party vendors using it, and we know they're working towards releasing SteamOS for other hardware vendors for their handhelds, having a standard way to show it also helps Valve keep it the same across multiple of their own devices.
As for the Steam Controller 2, it makes even more sense with this because otherwise the target for people to buy it would have been reasonably small. Sure there's all the people with a Steam Deck, but it would be only a percentage of people with one that would buy a Steam Controller 2, and a lot of other people on PC already have their preferred gamepad. So, having a fresh Steam Machine would pretty much need a dedicated controller, unless Valve bundled it with a third-party controller, but that leaves Valve at the mercy of another hardware vendor on features and support.
The speculation and leaks on some form of new Steam Machine from Valve come initially from a Reddit post, where a user pointed out a change to the Linux kernel used by Steam Deck / SteamOS. It mentions a change for HDMI CEC for Fremont, with code that references AMD Lilac. Lilac on Geekbench being a mixture of different AMD chips like the Ryzen 8540U and Ryzen 7735HS.
On X / Twitter, VR enthusiast Brad Lynch mentioned in a thread after more digging through Valve's code noting "But also that Quanta Computer, Valve’s Steam Deck manufacturer, is giving feedback on it" and "All references to Fremont ensure checks for a full-size HDMI Type-A port you’d see on TV-focused consoles and other desktop computers that don’t have a dedicated GPU with its own HDMI ports". Lynch is the one that has been covering a lot of the leaks for the upcoming Valve Deckard VR headset.
November next year will also mark 10 years since Valve's original Steam Machine launch. That would be a pretty good time for Valve to announce something don't you think?
Things have changed dramatically since the original failure of the Steam Machine launch, which kicked off Valve's effort on everything that made up the Steam Deck. We have Proton now, the real important bit, which runs tens of thousands of Windows games and Proton compatibility is continuously improving to the point where so many games really do just work (but we still have the anti-cheat problem). We have another big update to Proton 9 coming soon too.
It's going to be really interesting to see what becomes of all this. Very exciting time to be a Linux / SteamOS gamer.
What do you think this is all for? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
November next year will also mark 10 years since Valve's original Steam Machine launch.
I think it goes without saying that if Valve intends to capture a not insignificant portion of PC players (desktop or otherwise) to their SteamOS, their best chance ever will be around October next year when Windows 10 security updates stop. I think all the pieces have been falling into place lately, and a SteamOS public release until then is definitely possible.
Last edited by Pyrate on 6 Dec 2024 at 9:44 am UTC
dziadulewicz 6 Dec 2024
Last edited by nwildner on 6 Dec 2024 at 4:02 pm UTC
Not to mention it will have the power to actually run demanding multiplayer games. I think that's a big reason why the Steam Deck isn't much considered for official support.
If it's decently priced [maybe like ~$500], it could be a good entry point for new PC players. Or as an additional one for the living room...
Wishing them a lot of success regardless.
I will like a Steam Machine. My issue with the SD is whenever I want to switch from handheld to TV I need to close the game and then basically reconfigure a bunch of display settings. An SM permanently hooked up will solve that very nicely and elegantly for me.
Last edited by damarrin on 6 Dec 2024 at 10:41 am UTC
My issue with the SD is whenever I want to switch from handheld to TV I need to close the game and then basically reconfigure a bunch of display settings.
If you set the game resolution to Native in the Properties tab, you shouldn't need to turn the game off to change the display settings, just go to the in-game settings after plugging it to the TV and you should be able to change it on the spot.
Vortex_Acherontic 6 Dec 2024
Needless to say I am super excited to see what Valve is cookin'
My issue with the SD is whenever I want to switch from handheld to TV I need to close the game and then basically reconfigure a bunch of display settings.
If you set the game resolution to Native in the Properties tab, you shouldn't need to turn the game off to change the display settings, just go to the in-game settings after plugging it to the TV and you should be able to change it on the spot.
In theory yes, but I've found many games will still display incorrectly, in particular due to the aspect ratio. So I just close and reopen.
In any case, a 3rd (4th if you count nintendo, but it's a different market, really) player on the console market is more than welcome.
Last edited by damarrin on 6 Dec 2024 at 11:11 am UTC
hardpenguin 6 Dec 2024
Both are concerning.
Steam Deck 2 releasing now would be weird, since Steam Deck 1 just got released in Australia, and it has only been 2 years since its release everywhere else.
VR on Linux isn't great either. I would be confident in this approach if I saw any upstream changes in that field, but there hasn't been any so far, and with Steam Link for Quest headsets only working on Windows, there's a high chance that any future headsets from Valve will only work with Windows first and that Linux will be an afterthought.
I'm still cautiously optimistic. I know they are working on something, but I'm going to do my usual strategy of waiting a year before buying.
See, there's a lot of conflicting reports on what this 'Steam Machine' could be. Either it's essentially a Steam Deck 2 but plugged in, or it's a VR box that streams wirelessly to a headset.
Both are concerning.
Steam Deck 2 releasing now would be weird, since Steam Deck 1 just got released in Australia, and it has only been 2 years since its release everywhere else.
I don't see how this makes any sense...
A Steam Deck 2, but plugged in? It looks like it's a PC with a new AMD APU. What does that have to do with the Steam Deck being released in Australia?
since the deck was a success and the dock help tracks the demand for a living room experinece, the only logical name for an dedicated home console is:
the steam duck!
jokes aside im not sure there is demand for it without exclusives, but if valve can do that, it will create an warfare scenario for other console vendors.
Mohandevir 6 Dec 2024
If Valve wants to join the fray, it would be an insta buy; I'd ratter support them than anybody else and I suspect tighter pricing, like the Steam Deck.
Mountain Man 6 Dec 2024
R Daneel Olivaw 6 Dec 2024
since the steam machines floped, i dont think that using this branding is a good idea.
since the deck was a success and the dock help tracks the demand for a living room experinece, the only logical name for an dedicated home console is:
the steam duck!
jokes aside im not sure there is demand for it without exclusives, but if valve can do that, it will create an warfare scenario for other console vendors.
There wouldn't be much demand for it with exclusives, either, and neither Valve nor Steam customers like exclusives.
The market would be "people that want an HTPC but don't want to set up an HTPC." That's pretty small - HTPCs are pretty easy to set up. It could make the primary interface Steam rather than Kodi for some folks, though, especially if they can integrate some Kodi-style functions into Steam.
They've learned some useful lessons from the Steam Machines, of course. They've got their own hardware expertise and pipeline now, so they aren't reliant on OEMs putting out more-expensive-but-less-good versions of their Windows machines. They've got Proton now, so they've got 80-90% of the Steam catalogue working without relying on game devs, rather than the ~40% that game devs managed last time.
I don't expect it to be a big seller. Even with Valve managing to keep the price low with Steam revenue and modest economies of scale. But it would be likely useful for Valve and would be another Linux gaming demonstration device, and maybe that's enough.
kaktuspalme 6 Dec 2024
They can do it for sure now on stationary consoles too.
I guess it will be a custom machine probably with the rumored Strix Halo APU.
Then also, there's the rumor about the new Steam Controller. That fits perfectly into the picture.
I really look forward to it. I don't think they can compete with Sony or Nintendo in terms of numbers, but it doesn't need to have numbers as high as those to make it a success.
Edit:
What makes it a success compared to creating your own HTPC:
1. Standardized hardware, meaning, game creators can create custom profiles like they do for the steam deck.
2. You don't have to build it yourself
3. Probably competitive pricing
4. Perfect support for things like CEC and bluetooth wake up. Turning on the steam controller turns on the console and the TV.
It's possible to achieve those things with building a HTPC yourself, but it's way harder to get it to the comfort level of like a Playstation. Things like CEC usually don't even work on normal AMD and Nvidia GPUs.
Last edited by kaktuspalme on 6 Dec 2024 at 4:21 pm UTC
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