With Valve’s recent unveiling of a host of new hardware, Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer has taken to social media to congratulate the company. In his post, Spencer wrote about how offering gamers more choices in terms of hardware is good for the entire business. Interestingly, the congratulations that Spencer gives to Valve comes at the very end of his post, after he also acknowledges Xbox as being “one of the largest publishers on Steam”.
“Gaming moves forward when players and developers have more ways to play and create, especially across open platforms,” wrote Spencer. “Expanding access across PC, console, and handheld devices reflects a future built on choice, core values that have guided Xbox’s vision from the start. As one of the largest publishers on Steam, we welcome new options for players to access games everywhere. Congrats on today’s announce.”
Spencer’s post comes just a day after Valve officially unveiled three new pieces of hardware – Steam Machine, Steam Frame and Steam Controller. Of the three devices, the one Spencer is referring to the most is likely the Steam Machine, which is essentially a pre-built PC powered by a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 six-core CPU and a semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU with 28 compute units.
The Steam Machine has been described by Valve as being an incredibly simple PC that can be plugged in and operated by just about anyone. The system runs on SteamOS – an operating system based on Arch Linux, and the same one that also runs on the Steam Deck. Despite being a Linux-based PC, the system can also run most Windows-based titles thanks to the strength of the Proton translation layer.
The small form factor of the Steam Machine, coming in at roughly 6-inches on each side, will also likely draw quite a few comparisons between the gaming PC and consoles, which also tend to have smaller form factors when compared to full-fledged gaming PCs. Since it is essentially just a PC, however, the Steam Machine won’t be limited to just running games available through Steam. Much like the Steam Deck, the upcoming PC will also be capable of running games from third-party stores.
It is worth noting that one of the major PC gaming stores that won’t be available on the Steam Machine will be the Microsoft Store, through which players can typically buy Xbox Play Anywhere titles to get access to the games across Windows and Xbox devices. To actually get access to the store, a user would have to replace the operating system of the Steam Machine to Windows, which would likely come with its own headaches.
Valve hasn’t yet announced the pricing or launch date for the Steam Machine. However, knowing the company’s typical pricing practices, it will likely be quite competitive with not only other pre-built gaming PCs, but likely also with consoles.
Along with the Steam Machine, Valve also unveiled a new Steam Controller, as well as the Steam Frame VR headset, the latter being capable of running its own games without needing to connect to a PC.
