For the Steam Machine, you must pay at least 1,000 euros. It’s only worth it to a limited extent, as there are significantly better options on the market.
Valve has announced the prices for the Steam Machine, and these prices are striking: For the cheapest model, you already pay more than 1,000 euros. Specifically, the prices are as follows:
- 1,039 euros for 512 GB
- 1,108 euros for 512 GB and 1 Steam controller
- 1,359 euros for 2 TB
- 1,428 euros for 2 GB and 1 Steam controller
Therefore, think carefully about whether you really want to spend more than 1,000 euros on the Steam Machine, if you even have a chance of getting a Steam Machine. Many alternatives are better, cheaper, and often significantly more future-proof.
PS5 Pro: More Performance in 4K
Compared to the Steam Machine, even the PS5 Pro is a good deal these days. The PS5 Pro costs 200 euros less on paper than the Steam Machine, but offers significantly more performance, especially in 4K. Even at WQHD settings, the Steam Machine’s performance is below that of a normal PS5, and the FPS values fluctuate much more than on console. (via lttlabs.com)
If you really have 1,000 euros to spare and want to buy gaming hardware with it, then the PS5 Pro would be the better option from this perspective. Especially if you want to play modern or popular AAA titles in 4K on your TV. Here, the Steam Machine is the clearly weaker option.
Gaming PC: Mid-range for the same price
The gaming PC is theoretically the best alternative to the Steam Machine: similarly flexible and access to the same Steam library.
However, you can get the current performance of the Steam Machine as a gaming PC for significantly cheaper: A system with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500, 16 GB DDR4, and a GeForce RTX 5060 with 8 GB VRAM costs between 600 and 800 euros. But of course, not in a small form factor and also not with Steam OS.
For 1,000 to 1,100 euros, you can already get a PC with an AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, 16 GB DDR5-RAM, and a Radeon RX 9060 XT with 16 GB VRAM. This is the clearly more future-proof option. And you can connect the PC to your TV via HDMI cable at any time. You can also find a very good recommendation for a gaming PC on MeinMMO.
And not to forget: You can still upgrade a gaming PC later, should prices drop again. With the Steam Machine, you are limited in your upgrade options.
Mini-PC: Small and light, but little gaming
Mini-PCs are hardly larger than the Steam Machine, but usually rely on integrated graphics. This means that performance is not sufficient for demanding games, but maxes out at a few casual titles like League of Legends.
The advantage is, however, that the devices are small, fit into almost any living room setup, and are also quiet. But they are not true gaming systems. As a small, unobtrusive streaming device, a mini-PC is well suited, but you should not have big gaming ambitions with it.
A colleague has found her own way to avoid the high prices of the Steam Deck. Sophia Weiss mods her Steam Deck to make it last a long time, so the high prices don’t matter to her. You can read more about it on MeinMMO: I mod my Steam Deck to make it last a long time, so the high prices don’t matter to me.
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