PlayStation 5 vs Steam Machine: Everything you need to know
(Courtesy : SONY PlayStation, VALVE)
The new PC-console hybrid starts at $1,050!
Valve has officially revealed the pricing of the Steam Machine, but the early impression of this PC-console hybrid is not looking good. It costs $400 more than a PlayStation 5 and performs even worse.
Adding to this criticism, the base model of this gaming system starts at $1,050 and you won’t even get a Steam controller with it. Let’s check out more details about the performance in this article.
Steam Machine pricing starts above $1,000
Here are the four models that will be available at launch:
- 512GB Model: $1,050
- 512GB + Steam Controller: $1,119
- 2TB Model: $1,349
- 2TB + Steam Controller: $1,428
Early benchmarks
The initial reviews for this gaming system indicate that this machine delivers graphics performance comparable to an AMD Radeon RX 5700/RX 7600 or NVIDIA RTX 3060-class GPU.
Here are some more features:
- Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6-core/12-thread processor
- Semi-custom RDNA 3 GPU with 28 Compute Units
- 16GB DDR5 memory
- 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
Steam Machine vs PS5
One of the most talked-about and discussed comparisons comes from God of War Ragnarok gameplay tests on both consoles done by Linus Tech.
In the video, you can see the PS5 maintained around 75–78 FPS at 4K, while Steam Machine achieved 60–63 FPS at 4K on Medium settings with FSR Quality enabled.
At 1440p, the quality improved for the Steam console but still couldn’t outperform the PlayStation console.
Well, these comparisons aren’t always perfect and heavily rely on optimization performance. Traditional consoles have better optimization, which surely provides them a lot of an edge.
Steam can further tackle optimization performance with the Steam OS updates in the future, but for now, things are not looking good.
Also, remember that the PS5 is almost at the end of its lifecycle and Sony is already looking forward to introducing the PS6 next year. Steam Machine still can’t outperform an old PS5 and with more than a $1000 price tag, this is surely not a good deal for gamers.
How much does the Steam Machine cost?
It starts at $1,050 for the 512GB model without a Steam Controller. The highest-end 2TB bundle costs $1,428.
Is the Steam Machine more powerful than the PS5?
Based on early benchmark results, the Steam Machine performs similarly to an RTX 3060-class GPU but trails the PS5 in several gaming tests, including God of War Ragnarök.
What hardware does the Steam Machine use?
The system includes a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6-core CPU, RDNA 3 GPU with 28 Compute Units, 16GB DDR5 memory, and 8GB GDDR6 VRAM.
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Mahaksh Chauhan is a passionate gaming journalist who loves for old-school RPGs and turn-based games. With a keen eye for storytelling and a deep understanding of game mechanics, Mahaksh brings an unique perspective to the world of gaming. Inspired by classics like Persona, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Skyrim, Mahaksh is dedicated in sharing the magic of games with readers. When not writing or gaming, Mahaksh can be found cheering on WWE superstars or watching his favourite Anime.