I’ve been PC gaming for 20 years and always wanted to be able to play them on my TV. Yes, the methods exist, but it feels needlessly complex- right now I have long cables running through my small apartment just to play on my TV… with latency. It feels like to get everything running you need specific dongles, cables, hardware, ports, and then there’s compatibility issues on top of that.
I’m not a computer savant who runs a home network and meticulously manages their home tech. I’m also not a total noob- I can troubleshoot issues, setup mods, do some basic tinkering, etc. which puts me ahead of many, many typical users. That said, I have other hobbies and things I want to do, and the amount of work it takes to get this stuff minimally functional just isn’t worth the time and frustration for me (inb4 someone replies “just try xyz!”).
The Steam Machine is something I’ve always wanted. A one-stop shop I can plug into my TV, hook up my controller, and boom- steam library at my fingertips. No worries about compatibility, cable runs, or any of that crap. Plus, it could get someone like my partner (a lifelong Mac user who hates computers in general, can’t troubleshoot, and loves Nintendo games) into PC gaming.
I see. Thanks for the reply. You sound a lot like me actually. But one of the many things I like to build is computers and when I heard that the CPU was soldered on, I thought, well that just gets thrown in the trash as soon as it’s outdated. And it seemed like it wasn’t as good as a different computer running the same stuff, but I hadn’t heard anything about it until now and that’s ALL I’m hearing, so I figured I must have missed something.
That’s a fair point re: CPU, although I’m not patient enough to build a PC (my friends built mine ages ago 😂) so it won’t make much difference to me… hopefully. But for sure I think if upgrade-ability and/or final price are of concern, then building your own box to the same specs would be much better
Yes! I was considering it, just feels a bit pricy and I don’t think I’d use the handheld mode. Hoping the Steam machine could be a cool no frills option
You install Sunshine on the PC and Moonlight on whatever is connected to the TV. Your TV probably has a “Smart TV App Store” that already has Moonlight available to download.
It should work well with the default settings, and has very low latency.
Honestly where did you get one? When I was shopping for a TV a couple years ago I wanted to get one without any built in smart TV software and I could not find one
It may not he for you, but there’s a huge potential audience. Somebody who is used to the console experience and wants that simplicity for playing on the couch, but wants access to PC gaming platforms like Steam.
I like tinkering with my PC, but a lot of people don’t. They like consoles because they can pick up the controller, push a button, and it powers on and works, and they never have to worry if a game will run. If it’s released on the console, it should work.
Yeah, there’s 1001 ways to get a PC running on the TV, but none of them are as dumb-simple as turning on an Xbox. This device solves that issue.
Hell, even consoles aren’t as easy as they used to be. They require accounts with Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo, they require updates for the console itself as well as individual games, most games have to be “installed,” you still have to think about internal storage…
Can anyone tell me why anyone would want to buy a Steam Machine? Serious question.
I’ve been PC gaming for 20 years and always wanted to be able to play them on my TV. Yes, the methods exist, but it feels needlessly complex- right now I have long cables running through my small apartment just to play on my TV… with latency. It feels like to get everything running you need specific dongles, cables, hardware, ports, and then there’s compatibility issues on top of that.
I’m not a computer savant who runs a home network and meticulously manages their home tech. I’m also not a total noob- I can troubleshoot issues, setup mods, do some basic tinkering, etc. which puts me ahead of many, many typical users. That said, I have other hobbies and things I want to do, and the amount of work it takes to get this stuff minimally functional just isn’t worth the time and frustration for me (inb4 someone replies “just try xyz!”).
The Steam Machine is something I’ve always wanted. A one-stop shop I can plug into my TV, hook up my controller, and boom- steam library at my fingertips. No worries about compatibility, cable runs, or any of that crap. Plus, it could get someone like my partner (a lifelong Mac user who hates computers in general, can’t troubleshoot, and loves Nintendo games) into PC gaming.
I see. Thanks for the reply. You sound a lot like me actually. But one of the many things I like to build is computers and when I heard that the CPU was soldered on, I thought, well that just gets thrown in the trash as soon as it’s outdated. And it seemed like it wasn’t as good as a different computer running the same stuff, but I hadn’t heard anything about it until now and that’s ALL I’m hearing, so I figured I must have missed something.
That’s a fair point re: CPU, although I’m not patient enough to build a PC (my friends built mine ages ago 😂) so it won’t make much difference to me… hopefully. But for sure I think if upgrade-ability and/or final price are of concern, then building your own box to the same specs would be much better
It’s half the reason I got a steam deck. It can’t play everything but it can play a good portion of my games and I can plug it into a TV.
Yes! I was considering it, just feels a bit pricy and I don’t think I’d use the handheld mode. Hoping the Steam machine could be a cool no frills option
Take a look at Sunshine and Moonlight.
You install Sunshine on the PC and Moonlight on whatever is connected to the TV. Your TV probably has a “Smart TV App Store” that already has Moonlight available to download.
It should work well with the default settings, and has very low latency.
I don’t have a smart TV. Also, called it (inb4 someone says “just try xyz!”)
lol fair enough
Honestly where did you get one? When I was shopping for a TV a couple years ago I wanted to get one without any built in smart TV software and I could not find one
But you still have to know about it.
Whereas the Steam Maclhine - like a Playstation, Xbox, or Nintendo - just plugs into the TV and works.
Plug in the power, run the HDMI cable to the and log into the wifi after powering it on.
People who don’t have a game pc, and don’t have the time or the inclination to tinker with one, but who do like to game.
People who would like to play retro games on their TV but don’t have the desire to tinker with a raspberry pi to set up their own arcade.
It may not he for you, but there’s a huge potential audience. Somebody who is used to the console experience and wants that simplicity for playing on the couch, but wants access to PC gaming platforms like Steam.
I like tinkering with my PC, but a lot of people don’t. They like consoles because they can pick up the controller, push a button, and it powers on and works, and they never have to worry if a game will run. If it’s released on the console, it should work.
Yeah, there’s 1001 ways to get a PC running on the TV, but none of them are as dumb-simple as turning on an Xbox. This device solves that issue.
Hell, even consoles aren’t as easy as they used to be. They require accounts with Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo, they require updates for the console itself as well as individual games, most games have to be “installed,” you still have to think about internal storage…