Steam Console

[Citizen Cook]

I’ve been hearing rumours about a Steam Console in development at Valve. These rumours from IGN India say that the machine will have a custom SoC just like the Steam Deck made by AMD. It will run Steam OS, and is said to be designed specifically to connect to the Deckard, Valve’s next VR headset.

What do you guys think about this? Personally I’m really excited about the possibility of a Steam console that could play all of my existing Steam games and all the latest ones as well on my TV or monitor. The only negative would be a lack of upgradability but the benefits would be in cost savings. Valve have been able to sell the Steam Deck for a very low price because A. They are not greedy, and B. They can get a great deal from AMD. Something we can’t do. I mean, a decent GPU alone, equivalent to whatever is in the Steam console will be far more expensive than the entire console.

As gamers we’re being squeezed pretty hard by nGreedia. An AMD card is cheaper, but still very expensive. I game on an OLED TV with a controller. I therefore need to play at 4K resolution. I’m currently rocking a 3080 12GB. I payed £700 for it in the UK.

If I want to buy nGreedia’s latest 4K card the 4080 I need to pay about £1080
The AMD equivalent is the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and that would set me back £1000
That’s an insane price bump. PC gaming has become unsustainable for me.
I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t just want a Steam console, I NEED a Steam console!

[PopinFRESH]

引用自 Revelene：

This is a prime example why you should never believe any leaks, because it usually ends up being something else entirely. It just gets you all hyped and lets you down in the end. At least the Steam Deck OLED is still good for what it is.

Your idea of making a PC but have it a console and be cheaper is not plausible. The reason why consoles are cheaper are because of inferior hardware and the fact that they sell them at a loss.

So, sorry to say, your dream of Gaben riding in on a pearl horse to sweep you off your feet just isn't going to happen. Well, kinda... the Steam Deck is an amazing handheld that holds its own. While not quite a pearl horse, you could say that he came in a Honda Fit or something.

I'd not go that far, as it is certainly feasible for Valve to work with AMD to make a higher TDP APU with substantially more power than Aerith or Sephiroth variants of the AMD Van Gogh APU. Considering the level at which AMD offered customization to Valve for the Steam Deck's APU I'm sure that Valve could get a desktop-class custom APU with 8 Zen4 cores + greater than the 12 RDNA3 GPU cluster offered in the stock Ryzen 8000 APUs; coupled with a better cooling solution than what is feasible in the space constraints of the Steam Deck and they could certainly deliver a "better than Xbox Series X / Playstation 5" performance in a smaller console-like form factor.

I still don't think they will, at least not in the near-term; as I think they are already neck deep in both advancing SteamOS3 to a feature complete state for general use as well as working on Deckard (next-gen SteamVR hybrid VR/XR system) on the hardware front.

I do however think it is much more likely now that we could see a return to the original concept of the Steam Machines as a first-party console given the success of the Steam Deck.

[Revelene]

引用自 PopinFRESH：

引用自 Revelene：

This is a prime example why you should never believe any leaks, because it usually ends up being something else entirely. It just gets you all hyped and lets you down in the end. At least the Steam Deck OLED is still good for what it is.

Your idea of making a PC but have it a console and be cheaper is not plausible. The reason why consoles are cheaper are because of inferior hardware and the fact that they sell them at a loss.

So, sorry to say, your dream of Gaben riding in on a pearl horse to sweep you off your feet just isn't going to happen. Well, kinda... the Steam Deck is an amazing handheld that holds its own. While not quite a pearl horse, you could say that he came in a Honda Fit or something.

I'd not go that far, as it is certainly feasible for Valve to work with AMD to make a higher TDP APU with substantially more power than Aerith or Sephiroth variants of the AMD Van Gogh APU. Considering the level at which AMD offered customization to Valve for the Steam Deck's APU I'm sure that Valve could get a desktop-class custom APU with 8 Zen4 cores + greater than the 12 RDNA3 GPU cluster offered in the stock Ryzen 8000 APUs; coupled with a better cooling solution than what is feasible in the space constraints of the Steam Deck and they could certainly deliver a "better than Xbox Series X / Playstation 5" performance in a smaller console-like form factor.

I still don't think they will, at least not in the near-term; as I think they are already neck deep in both advancing SteamOS3 to a feature complete state for general use as well as working on Deckard (next-gen SteamVR hybrid VR/XR system) on the hardware front.

I do however think it is much more likely now that we could see a return to the original concept of the Steam Machines as a first-party console given the success of the Steam Deck.

I'm not denying that the technology is possible, just that the pricing is not. OP is clearly wanting 4080 levels of performance with console level pricing. Just not going to happen.

[Mailer]

引用自 Revelene：

引用自 PopinFRESH：

I'd not go that far, as it is certainly feasible for Valve to work with AMD to make a higher TDP APU with substantially more power than Aerith or Sephiroth variants of the AMD Van Gogh APU. Considering the level at which AMD offered customization to Valve for the Steam Deck's APU I'm sure that Valve could get a desktop-class custom APU with 8 Zen4 cores + greater than the 12 RDNA3 GPU cluster offered in the stock Ryzen 8000 APUs; coupled with a better cooling solution than what is feasible in the space constraints of the Steam Deck and they could certainly deliver a "better than Xbox Series X / Playstation 5" performance in a smaller console-like form factor.

I still don't think they will, at least not in the near-term; as I think they are already neck deep in both advancing SteamOS3 to a feature complete state for general use as well as working on Deckard (next-gen SteamVR hybrid VR/XR system) on the hardware front.

I do however think it is much more likely now that we could see a return to the original concept of the Steam Machines as a first-party console given the success of the Steam Deck.

I'm not denying that the technology is possible, just that the pricing is not. OP is clearly wanting 4080 levels of performance with console level pricing. Just not going to happen.

What? But why would pricing be an issue? have you not noticed how the Steam Deck is priced competitively to other handhelds?

If Valve releases their own "console" or "steam machine" the exact same thing is going to happen. They can afford to cut down their asking price to infeasible levels because they'll just make that money back in the long term by seeing users browse the Steam store predominantly.

Maybe you're saying they won't do it because Nvidia wouldn't partner up on it, but I'm fairly positive that Valve and AMD could cook up a hardware solution that pulls similar punches to a 4080.

[Citizen Cook]

引用自 Revelene：

This is a prime example why you should never believe any leaks, because it usually ends up being something else entirely. It just gets you all hyped and lets you down in the end. At least the Steam Deck OLED is still good for what it is.

Your idea of making a PC but have it a console and be cheaper is not plausible. The reason why consoles are cheaper are because of inferior hardware and the fact that they sell them at a loss.

So, sorry to say, your dream of Gaben riding in on a pearl horse to sweep you off your feet just isn't going to happen. Well, kinda... the Steam Deck is an amazing handheld that holds its own. While not quite a pearl horse, you could say that he came in a Honda Fit or something.

I disagree. Valve’s Steam Deck is significantly cheaper than the competition. This is because they aren’t greedy. They are happy to make a bit of profit instead of ALL the money.
Also, PS5 and Switch both make money on the hardware. Only Microsoft has failed to make any profit on any hardware they’ve ever released.

[Citizen Cook]

引用自 Revelene：

引用自 PopinFRESH：

I'd not go that far, as it is certainly feasible for Valve to work with AMD to make a higher TDP APU with substantially more power than Aerith or Sephiroth variants of the AMD Van Gogh APU. Considering the level at which AMD offered customization to Valve for the Steam Deck's APU I'm sure that Valve could get a desktop-class custom APU with 8 Zen4 cores + greater than the 12 RDNA3 GPU cluster offered in the stock Ryzen 8000 APUs; coupled with a better cooling solution than what is feasible in the space constraints of the Steam Deck and they could certainly deliver a "better than Xbox Series X / Playstation 5" performance in a smaller console-like form factor.

I still don't think they will, at least not in the near-term; as I think they are already neck deep in both advancing SteamOS3 to a feature complete state for general use as well as working on Deckard (next-gen SteamVR hybrid VR/XR system) on the hardware front.

I do however think it is much more likely now that we could see a return to the original concept of the Steam Machines as a first-party console given the success of the Steam Deck.

I'm not denying that the technology is possible, just that the pricing is not. OP is clearly wanting 4080 levels of performance with console level pricing. Just not going to happen.

I never said I expected a Steam console with 4080 performance at console level pricing.
I said I believed Valve could create a Steam console with great performance 4k/60 or 1440/120 for less cost than a 4080 gpu.

[Agent]

引用自 Citizen Cook：

引用自 Revelene：

I'm not denying that the technology is possible, just that the pricing is not. OP is clearly wanting 4080 levels of performance with console level pricing. Just not going to happen.

I never said I expected a Steam console with 4080 performance at console level pricing.
I said I believed Valve could create a Steam console with great performance 4k/60 or 1440/120 for less cost than a 4080 gpu.

Steam console with a £600 msrp would sell well I think. The fact it’s a pc is already a huge selling point over the Xbox and PlayStation

[Citizen Cook]

引用自 Mailer：

引用自 Revelene：

I'm not denying that the technology is possible, just that the pricing is not. OP is clearly wanting 4080 levels of performance with console level pricing. Just not going to happen.

What? But why would pricing be an issue? have you not noticed how the Steam Deck is priced competitively to other handhelds?

If Valve releases their own "console" or "steam machine" the exact same thing is going to happen. They can afford to cut down their asking price to infeasible levels because they'll just make that money back in the long term by seeing users browse the Steam store predominantly.

Maybe you're saying they won't do it because Nvidia wouldn't partner up on it, but I'm fairly positive that Valve and AMD could cook up a hardware solution that pulls similar punches to a 4080.

That’s the dream. Because Nvidia are literally pricing gamers out of the market. I think it’s in Valve’s interest to create a console if for no other reason than to keep people buying AAA games from their store.

[Citizen Cook]

引用自 Stacked：

引用自 Citizen Cook：

I never said I expected a Steam console with 4080 performance at console level pricing.
I said I believed Valve could create a Steam console with great performance 4k/60 or 1440/120 for less cost than a 4080 gpu.

Steam console with a £600 msrp would sell well I think. The fact it’s a pc is already a huge selling point over the Xbox and PlayStation

Agreed. In fact, i think even at 700-800 it would sell well because consumers would especially get an XSX and a PS5 and a PC all in a relatively small for factor. That would be incredible value.

[Agent]

引用自 Citizen Cook：

引用自 Stacked：

Steam console with a £600 msrp would sell well I think. The fact it’s a pc is already a huge selling point over the Xbox and PlayStation

Agreed. In fact, i think even at 700-800 it would sell well because consumers would especially get an XSX and a PS5 and a PC all in a relatively small for factor. That would be incredible value.

They could sell different versions like they do for the steam deck. A £600 lower specced one and a £800 higher end one with better gpu

[Citizen Cook]

引用自 Stacked：

引用自 Citizen Cook：

Agreed. In fact, i think even at 700-800 it would sell well because consumers would especially get an XSX and a PS5 and a PC all in a relatively small for factor. That would be incredible value.

They could sell different versions like they do for the steam deck. A £600 lower specced one and a £800 higher end one with better gpu

Maybe. I would expect the CPU/GPU SoC to be fixed across all variants though like on the deck.

[Revelene]

引用自 Mailer：

What? But why would pricing be an issue? have you not noticed how the Steam Deck is priced competitively to other handhelds?

If Valve releases their own "console" or "steam machine" the exact same thing is going to happen. They can afford to cut down their asking price to infeasible levels because they'll just make that money back in the long term by seeing users browse the Steam store predominantly.

Maybe you're saying they won't do it because Nvidia wouldn't partner up on it, but I'm fairly positive that Valve and AMD could cook up a hardware solution that pulls similar punches to a 4080.

I'm not saying they can't make their own non-handheld console, but rather saying they wouldn't be able to get 4080 levels of performance AND make it affordable.

引用自 Citizen Cook：

I disagree. Valve’s Steam Deck is significantly cheaper than the competition. This is because they aren’t greedy. They are happy to make a bit of profit instead of ALL the money.
Also, PS5 and Switch both make money on the hardware. Only Microsoft has failed to make any profit on any hardware they’ve ever released.

Using the Steam Deck in your argument does not make sense. It is a budget level handheld, with budget level performance. You are wanting a console with 4080 levels of performance, and an affordable price, which just isn't going to happen any time soon.

Consoles are always behind because they wait for today's tech to get cheaper, with development taking several years. Consoles would perform significantly worse if they didn't run a lightweight and specifically designed OS. They only run as well as they do because of said lightweight OS and games being specifically developed for them.

[Revelene]

引用自 Citizen Cook：

I never said I expected a Steam console with 4080 performance at console level pricing.
I said I believed Valve could create a Steam console with great performance 4k/60 or 1440/120 for less cost than a 4080 gpu.

Then why even mention the 4080 in your post at all? If you already have a 3080, what are you wanting exactly? You have a GPU that consoles won't be able to come close to performance for many more years.

[Agent]

引用自 Citizen Cook：

引用自 Stacked：

They could sell different versions like they do for the steam deck. A £600 lower specced one and a £800 higher end one with better gpu

Maybe. I would expect the CPU/GPU SoC to be fixed across all variants though like on the deck.

Then it’d have to be a single console. You can’t really upsell storage or ram. It has to be soc related for consumers to pay up. Like going from series s to series x.

[Citizen Cook]

引用自 Revelene：

引用自 Mailer：

What? But why would pricing be an issue? have you not noticed how the Steam Deck is priced competitively to other handhelds?

If Valve releases their own "console" or "steam machine" the exact same thing is going to happen. They can afford to cut down their asking price to infeasible levels because they'll just make that money back in the long term by seeing users browse the Steam store predominantly.

Maybe you're saying they won't do it because Nvidia wouldn't partner up on it, but I'm fairly positive that Valve and AMD could cook up a hardware solution that pulls similar punches to a 4080.

I'm not saying they can't make their own non-handheld console, but rather saying they wouldn't be able to get 4080 levels of performance AND make it affordable.

引用自 Citizen Cook：

I disagree. Valve’s Steam Deck is significantly cheaper than the competition. This is because they aren’t greedy. They are happy to make a bit of profit instead of ALL the money.
Also, PS5 and Switch both make money on the hardware. Only Microsoft has failed to make any profit on any hardware they’ve ever released.

Using the Steam Deck in your argument does not make sense. It is a budget level handheld, with budget level performance. You are wanting a console with 4080 levels of performance, and an affordable price, which just isn't going to happen any time soon.

Consoles are always behind because they wait for today's tech to get cheaper, with development taking several years. Consoles would perform significantly worse if they didn't run a lightweight and specifically designed OS. They only run as well as they do because of said lightweight OS and games being specifically developed for them.

Again, I disagree. Nothing budget about it. Anymore powerful and the battery would drain in 30 minutes. Valve have struck a great balance between power and battery life.

Furthermore, Valve have created a light weight OS, it’s called SteamOS 3 and it runs Windows games better than native windows. When people have installed windows onto the deck the same games run significantly worse.

One more point, games on Deck are sometimes optimised for the hardware like a console precisely because the hardware is fixed.

The Steam Deck is everything you could want for in a handheld gaming platform: affordability, efficiency, beautiful UI and accessibility, an open eco system, and an enormous library.
It has all of the benefits of PC gaming, without any of the drawbacks.

[Citizen Cook]

引用自 Revelene：

引用自 Citizen Cook：

I never said I expected a Steam console with 4080 performance at console level pricing.
I said I believed Valve could create a Steam console with great performance 4k/60 or 1440/120 for less cost than a 4080 gpu.

Then why even mention the 4080 in your post at all? If you already have a 3080, what are you wanting exactly? You have a GPU that consoles won't be able to come close to performance for many more years.

Actually, the PS5 Pro is rumoured to be coming next year with 3080 levels of performance. Add to that the optimisation consoles have and it will likely put my PC to shame.

But you’re right, i don’t personally need a new PC right now, but I’m thinking of when i do, and about those that need one soon and how Valve could disrupt the market and do for TV connected hardware what they did in gaming mobile space.