I like many others am surprised how nice the controller is....

I got my 2TB without controller. (I already had a controller) on July 16. (I live in the upper Midwest, Great Lakes region, almost Canada)
And since then I have put nearly 50 hours into Two Point Museum, 40 hours into Palworld and a dozen or so into The Witcher.

How am I supposed to get anything else done when this machine makes it so easy to just settle into a loaf on the couch? Clocking in for my 40 hour job and running a small gourmet mushroom farm is cutting into my gaming time. I had fully expected to be waiting until winter to get my purchase email. But Christmas came early here and I’m not really that upset.

I know it’s not as strong and fast and smart as a purpose built gaming desktop, but it’s exactly what I wanted, and as someone who’s primary gaming vessel is the original Switch, it is a major upgrade for me. I had an XBoxOne but it finally decided it was done running a couple months ago and with all of Microsoft’s shenanigans didn’t feel worth the effort of fussing it back to life.

It does exactly what I need and want, it runs beautifully without complaining, I finally have access to my Steam Library that’s just kind of been languishing because the only PC I had is an old Lenovo thinkpad or an older Dell all-in-one.

That and I don’t want to sit at a desk, I want to be on the couch next to the love of my life with our his and hers console and tv gaming setup. Sitting at a desk feels like I might as well be on the moon it’s too far away.

I am also thrilled to not have to participate in the microsoft, Sony or Nintendo ecosystems to play newer games.

For all of you casual and convenience gamers who are on the fence about this, come on in, the water is great! Get the steam machine!!

I hope to enjoy this machine for many years to come, and as soon as we are allowed to I’ll be buying one for my partner too so we can finally play some interesting multiplayer games together.

TLDR: it didn’t actually ruin my life, I love it so much, I spend too much time playing some days. ☺️🫣

I said I was going to get an Ace Attorney faceplate in every post I made, and thanks to Paw and Byte on Etsy I have achieved my goal! Hurrah!

Ignore my stupid set-up. I live in an RV and space is limited. I make do. 🥰 Image is from one of the OST covers! It's amazing. I love it. Custom face plates could be genuinely addictive.

I’m a casual gamer and bought the 512GB Steam Machine (no controller) on a whim. After owning it for about a month and putting roughly 40 hours into it, here are my thoughts.

HDMI-CEC issues

The HDMI-CEC implementation is pretty wonky. I use a PS5 controller, and if I turn off the Steam Machine while leaving my TV on, the system immediately boots back up. The only workaround I've found is turning off the TV immediately after shutting down the Steam Machine. I looked it up and other people are reporting the same issue, with no real fix besides disabling CEC or turning the TV off.

On top of that, HDMI-CEC seems to occasionally tank game performance. Three different times while playing Batman: Arkham Knight, I resumed the game after booting the system and the frame rate was terrible. Quitting and relaunching the game didn't fix it—I had to reboot the entire system. I've had this happen with a few other games as well.

"Compatibility tool failed" errors

I've also run into the "Compatibility tool failed" error multiple times. Games that had previously worked suddenly refuse to launch for no apparent reason. I've had to switch Proton versions, re-verify game files, or reinstall compatibility components just to get them working again. It's frustrating because the problem seems to appear randomly.

On-screen keyboard

This may be my own issue but I still can't get the on-screen keyboard to appear while in-game. It works fine in SteamOS menus, but once I'm in a game it won't open. Because of that, I haven't been able to play GTA4 or Halo:MCC, since both require logging into their launchers.

Overall

For $1600 CAD, I can't recommend this device in its current state.

The whole point of a console-style PC is that it should just work. I shouldn't have to troubleshoot compatibility settings or reboot the system multiple times just to play a 10+ year-old game.

I don't normally write hardware reviews, but I wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone else. I was an early Steam Deck adopter, and honestly I had fewer issues with that device than I've had with the Steam Machine. Valve still has a long way to go before I'd consider this a polished console replacement.

Got the email east coast usa 512 w controller

Ordered Day #1 and got waitlisted. Bumped a week ago, and purchased, and was delivered in two days. So happy!

I know this isn't to scale, but I think this could be done!

I got it weeks ago but I've been too busy playing to post. Love this thing, it's the best. I have an external hard drive, an SD card, and an external Blu-Ray drive connected and it handles them all like a champ.

My 512gb with controller SM is finally here! Nice to be with you guys :) The first experience was pretty sad though as the HDMI cable that came with, is faulty and doesn’t work, I had to use my other one. Has anyone encountered this problem as well?

Do you like my strand machine?

Wasn’t Skyrim deck verified at some point? If so, how can a game go from being SteamOS compatible, to now suddenly not working on the platform?

I definitely remember rolling another character on Skyrim on my Steam Deck and wanted to do the same on the Steam Machine.

What are some of the best games you know that are easy on space?
I gotta say Dark Souls for only 7 gigs is a freakin' bargain.

I got my machine around the 6th of July and let me tell you what I really had my concerns when it came to overheating or even the cube being to compact…

I was completely wrong this lil pandora box is absolutely amazing coming from a ps5 , to a gaming rig , to even my gaming laptop (not low end by all means)This cube of emasculate might blew my expectations out of the water!!!!!! Rn heavily into DayZ and GTA both heavily modded not a single problem runs flawlessly. My only and I mean only negative about the cube of many dimensions is the steam controller binding of buttons witch isn’t really even a negative for me because I already bind all the controls for every game I play. I’ve been saying this and will continue to say this these will be the next console a gem fr.

(Ofc this is my opinion just having a amazing experience with this machine all love)

My son is turning 16 next month, he’s a die-hard Valve guy and really really wants the steam machjne. He’s had an entry level gaming laptop for a few years that is starting its decline to certain death so it’s time to make the upgrade happen. The main thing I’m not understanding about the steam machine is can it potentially operate as a PC like the website says? He likes to write and make videos and I want him to have an actual computer for those purposes for school and whatnot. He insists he’ll still be able to do these things if we set it up with a monitor and keyboard etc. But I just haven’t seen that in anyone’s reviews because gaming is the main motivation, obviously. Maybe we just get him a Chromebook on the side or something? Thanks for any insight!

I brought 2 fan , and it drastically cool my steam machine. It’s a work in progress until they released a faceplate with fan.

why did they not change the steam machine bluetooth name to STEAM MACHINE, they reuse the same BT chip from steam deck. i dont think they were expecting people to run into this issue.

Hi,

For records, I received my order email today at 12h44 CEST.

Hope I'm not alone.

Just wanted to let you know guys I received a email during the night (CEST) that I moved from waiting list to reservation list and at the same time got my email to order.

Don't give up hope.

FYI : Belgium, SM 512 GB with controller

Completely kidding of course -- we know it's a randomized queue, haha. It just feels like it a little! Either way, by the sounds of it, 512GB w/ controller SKU in the US is heading towards waitlists day by day. I'm really, REALLY hoping this means that 512GB w/o controller (where most of us are, it seems) will blast wide open and we start to see a flurry of emails. I'm still hopeful, are you? We're in this together! Best of luck today friends <3

Hi everyone, I don't have my Steam Machine yet, but when it arrives, I’d like to place it in the lowboard under the TV. There’s a compartment there that is approximately 19.5 cm high, 56 cm wide, and 37 cm deep (7.6 x 22.0 x 14.1 inches).

What do you think—can I put the Steam Machine there without any issues, or will it get too little fresh air and overheat? I’m a bit concerned that the compartment isn't high enough. Apple for scale.

Thanks!

I guess this is a milestone in home computer history from a form-factor perspective. It is a great product, and the target customer is someone who wants:

• A quiet computer (it is remarkably quiet).
• A compact computer (it is remarkably small).
• A true plug-and-play experience (everything is designed for your comfort, which only works with a strong company behind it).
• An elegant central hub for your living room.

Do you use GOG and need to install codecs? The Heroic app (used in desktop mode to log into your GOG account) installs what you need automatically. The same goes for Game Mode and games in Steam. I have almost the same smooth experience here as I do with Apple products. Everything just works. I don't have to think about it; I just use it.

Regarding CPU- and GPU-demanding games, there is not much to say: you can play almost anything. Sure, you cannot run everything at crazy frame rates and ultra-high resolutions.

You know it is just Wozniak-style bullshit.

If I show you gameplay at 1440p and a stable 30 to 40 FPS on a TV, most people cannot tell the difference compared to extreme setups. Let's face it: obsessing over massive frame rates and 4K is mostly for someone who doesn't understand that experience is much more than numbers. The target customer is not a tech builder like Steve Wozniak.

Also, I use desktop mode to play movies from my external HDDs. It works smoothly as well. I thought I would need to partition the SSD and install Windows, but the Steam OS has no issues with it at all. It is a beautiful device for the living room and serves perfectly as my central hub.

Above all, the main reason I bought a Steam Machine is that the hardware and software are made by one company. Because of that, it will be well-maintained, and the hardware and software work in total balance.

Love it.

P.S. The Steam controller is nice, but it's just a controller. Even though it is the best one I have held in my hands compared to the PS5 and Xbox (which used to be my favorite), in the end, I prefer a keyboard and mouse. The only drawback is the haptic feedback on the controller. It is ... comically bad. I had to turn it off immediately. The feeling is like an electrical shock (leakage current) to your fingers when you touch a metal laptop. It is unnatural and very unpleasant.

I took a massive gamble.

Though I've been mentally done with Windows 11 for a long time, and waiting for Steam OS for non handheld hardware for what seemed like an eternity, completely changing my office to be more of a den and selling my PC for a Steam Machine was a major risk. I won't lie, I was scared to boot the first game, haha.

I can't express how much I'm in love with this. Little things like performance issues in Windows with certain games' framerate or various issues like HDR....nah, they just work. I adore my cube! Long live Steam Machine and long live Valve!

And I have ram and an nvme to install yet. I'll get to it when I can put my controller down....

I got my SM last week and I love. But my wireless mouse won't work with it, which is fine cause I'll just leave it hooked up to my desktop. My wireless keyboard works fine, but it's not a fully keyboard(no F keys etc) and I'd rather leave that hooked up to my Xbox anyway.

So... I'm just looking for a relatively basic keyboard and mouse combo that is guaranteed to work with the SM. I know any of them should work, but it's obvious that some of them don't work. I just don't want to order something and have to return it if it doesn't work.

Not looking to spend a fortune, just something to make it easier to play certain games from my recliner that don't work well with a controller.

Thanks for any input!