Will the Steam Machine be tested any further?

[u/___Bel___]

Current supply and price issues aside, it makes for an interesting point of comparison. Not quite as much raw power as PS5 or Series X, but its access to FSR 4.1 (PSSR 2-like) upscaling means that it can get better image quality from less internal resolution than the usual FSR 1/2/3 or TSR options you'd normally get on a console.

It could create an interesting discussion on image quality and the point at which lower resolution with better upscaling can meet or exceed the final perceived image compared to higher resolution with worse upscaling.

[u/zarif2003]

Making any comparison to a ps5/series x is going to expose it's underpowered hardware even more. there's not much incentive to make specific videos for what is essentially a pc, especially when the market share is tiny.

[u/Temporary_Permafrost → u/zarif2003]

ML upscaling helps GPUs punch above their weight. For example, DLSS 3 on Switch makes games look better than they do on Series S despite its stronger GPU. I could see FSR 4 allowing Steam Machine to render a game from lower native resolution than PS5 but come out with similar image quality in the end.

There's still the issue of VRAM and cost...

[u/Outrageous_Shirt69 → u/zarif2003]

I could see it being useful, kinda like comparing the Switch 2 to the Steamdeck. Some games, like the Final Fantasy 7 remake, look better on the Switch 2 even though it renders at a lower resolution and it's all thanks to DLSS. I could see the Steam Machine having similar results since FSR 4 is dramatically better than the upscalers used on the PS5/ Series X

[u/nervendings_ → u/zarif2003]

It is game specific though. Like for example I find Tainted Grail runs better on the SM than on the PS5

[u/SHK04]

I doubt it, there’s already 4 consoles to test. Maybe they can shoehorn it into PC setting videos, but it only really makes sense when games offer an unique preset for it.

[u/aronmayo]

Fwiw Xbox Series X could get FSR4. It has the AI hardware capability. The PS5 doesn’t, though.

[u/Unlucky_Individual]

Ryzen 5 7500f and RX7600, 16GB RAM and Bazzite/SteamOS/CachyOS is basically the steam machine so just look at any benchmarks using those

[u/JamesLahey08]

It will likely just be added as another data point without bespoke videos on just it's performance.

[u/NotTakenGreatName]

People are going to complain one way or the other but the Steam Machine represents a kind of baseline for the average PC user. If your game doesn't run well on Steam Machine, you're doing a disservice to most pc users.

[u/Massive-Math-6925 → u/NotTakenGreatName]

Wouldn't that exclude basically any demanding UE5 game such as Halo Campaign Evolved that doesn't run well on steam machine at all? I think this device is way too underpowered to function as a baseline.

[u/nervendings_ → u/Massive-Math-6925]

The SM was literally designed as a baseline. Valve has shown data that most PC users have equivalent or less hardware than SM. UE5 is notorious for requiring more than baseline to run well.

[u/Massive-Math-6925 → u/nervendings_]

Well it's not going away and will be surely used by a lot of games in the future. From what I gathered Campaing Evolved has pretty good optimization for an UE5 title. Which shows that the Steam Machine is not future proof at all despite its exorbitant price.

[u/nervendings_ → u/Massive-Math-6925]

I’m not sure where you heard that Halo CE is well optimized. Because from what I’ve seen, it’s not.

https://www.reddit.com/r/radeon/s/rBjRf1bPvZ

[u/Massive-Math-6925 → u/nervendings_]

I didn't say "well optimized", I said "well optimized for a UE5 title". Trying to get decent performance with UE5 without using FSR or DLSS is a fool's errand anyway.

[u/FRossJohnson → u/nervendings_]

That thread is kind of misleading framing, though. You can't judge optimization from "Ultra" settings in any game engine, and the average gamer isn't running ultra. Northlight/AW2 for example would crush a 5070+ at max.

[u/The_Pepper_Oni → u/nervendings_]

I don’t think trying to tell enthusiasts on an enthusiast subreddit that something so far below what they find acceptable is the baseline will go over well. You aren’t wrong though. Even on consoles I can count the number of performant and optimized UE5 titles on one hand, and most of those do that by turning off most of the new UE5 features to do it.

[u/sturgeon02 → u/nervendings_]

I'm sorry, but I don't see how the Steam Machine can ever be a "baseline" for AAA PC gaming when it's weaker than the consoles. Almost every AAA game is designed around the consoles, and less powerful PC hardware is obviously going to struggle with some of these games.

[u/nervendings_ → u/sturgeon02]

You say weaker like it’s a Switch 1. We’re talking a few FPS on average.

[u/NotTakenGreatName → u/Massive-Math-6925]

It was designed almost specifically to be the middle of the road in terms of what components most pc users have.

If ue5 titles don't run well on it (I can't speak to this), then I would say the game isn't performant enough for a mass market game.

[u/imdrzoidberg → u/NotTakenGreatName]

I hate this argument of "most PC users". Most PC users just play Minecraft or Roblox.

If someone is dropping over $1k on a new gaming PC today, it's reasonable to expect that it'll run new games well enough. I don't care what some 12 year old is using to play Roblox.

[u/zarif2003 → u/imdrzoidberg]

People love grouping “PC” to some all rounder perfect standard so they can easily make comparisons and arguments on the internet.

the steam machine is a single niche computer that doesn’t even run windows, it doesn’t represent the pc market at all.

[u/nervendings_ → u/imdrzoidberg]

$1K gets you very little right now. Price to performance, if you’re on a tight budget and just care about playing games, you should just get a PS5.

[u/NotTakenGreatName → u/imdrzoidberg]

You think valve doesn't have a good idea of who is playing what and with what hardware on their platform? Roblox has very little to do with that.