There's a whole bunch of hints and speculation going around right now, showing that Valve may be working towards a new kind of Steam Machine. Suddenly, their new Steam Controller 2 that was leaked, along with the new SteamOS branding guidelines make a whole lot more sense if this is true.
While the SteamOS branding mentions third-party vendors using it, and we know they're working towards releasing SteamOS for other hardware vendors for their handhelds, having a standard way to show it also helps Valve keep it the same across multiple of their own devices.
As for the Steam Controller 2, it makes even more sense with this because otherwise the target for people to buy it would have been reasonably small. Sure there's all the people with a Steam Deck, but it would be only a percentage of people with one that would buy a Steam Controller 2, and a lot of other people on PC already have their preferred gamepad. So, having a fresh Steam Machine would pretty much need a dedicated controller, unless Valve bundled it with a third-party controller, but that leaves Valve at the mercy of another hardware vendor on features and support.
The speculation and leaks on some form of new Steam Machine from Valve come initially from a Reddit post, where a user pointed out a change to the Linux kernel used by Steam Deck / SteamOS. It mentions a change for HDMI CEC for Fremont, with code that references AMD Lilac. Lilac on Geekbench being a mixture of different AMD chips like the Ryzen 8540U and Ryzen 7735HS.
On X / Twitter, VR enthusiast Brad Lynch mentioned in a thread after more digging through Valve's code noting "But also that Quanta Computer, Valve’s Steam Deck manufacturer, is giving feedback on it" and "All references to Fremont ensure checks for a full-size HDMI Type-A port you’d see on TV-focused consoles and other desktop computers that don’t have a dedicated GPU with its own HDMI ports". Lynch is the one that has been covering a lot of the leaks for the upcoming Valve Deckard VR headset.
November next year will also mark 10 years since Valve's original Steam Machine launch. That would be a pretty good time for Valve to announce something don't you think?
Things have changed dramatically since the original failure of the Steam Machine launch, which kicked off Valve's effort on everything that made up the Steam Deck. We have Proton now, the real important bit, which runs tens of thousands of Windows games and Proton compatibility is continuously improving to the point where so many games really do just work (but we still have the anti-cheat problem). We have another big update to Proton 9 coming soon too.
It's going to be really interesting to see what becomes of all this. Very exciting time to be a Linux / SteamOS gamer.
What do you think this is all for? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
QuoteNovember next year will also mark 10 years since Valve's original Steam Machine launch.
I think it goes without saying that if Valve intends to capture a not insignificant portion of PC players (desktop or otherwise) to their SteamOS, their best chance ever will be around October next year when Windows 10 security updates stop. I think all the pieces have been falling into place lately, and a SteamOS public release until then is definitely possible.
Last edited by Pyrate on 6 December 2024 at 9:44 am UTC
dziadulewicz 6 days ago
Last edited by nwildner on 6 December 2024 at 4:02 pm UTC
Not to mention it will have the power to actually run demanding multiplayer games. I think that's a big reason why the Steam Deck isn't much considered for official support.
If it's decently priced [maybe like ~$500], it could be a good entry point for new PC players. Or as an additional one for the living room...
Wishing them a lot of success regardless.
I will like a Steam Machine. My issue with the SD is whenever I want to switch from handheld to TV I need to close the game and then basically reconfigure a bunch of display settings. An SM permanently hooked up will solve that very nicely and elegantly for me.
Last edited by damarrin on 6 December 2024 at 10:41 am UTC
Quoting: damarrinMy issue with the SD is whenever I want to switch from handheld to TV I need to close the game and then basically reconfigure a bunch of display settings.
If you set the game resolution to Native in the Properties tab, you shouldn't need to turn the game off to change the display settings, just go to the in-game settings after plugging it to the TV and you should be able to change it on the spot.
Vortex_Acherontic 6 days ago
Needless to say I am super excited to see what Valve is cookin'
Quoting: PyrateQuoting: damarrinMy issue with the SD is whenever I want to switch from handheld to TV I need to close the game and then basically reconfigure a bunch of display settings.
If you set the game resolution to Native in the Properties tab, you shouldn't need to turn the game off to change the display settings, just go to the in-game settings after plugging it to the TV and you should be able to change it on the spot.
In theory yes, but I've found many games will still display incorrectly, in particular due to the aspect ratio. So I just close and reopen.
In any case, a 3rd (4th if you count nintendo, but it's a different market, really) player on the console market is more than welcome.
Last edited by damarrin on 6 December 2024 at 11:11 am UTC
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