One thing I see as underestimated is that having a major standard device is huge for indie development and could greatly benefit the most flourishing artistic landscape.
One of the problems today is that the indie and AAA markets are increasingly distant, publishing a game on the PS5 or XSX digital store is prohibitive for a small indie team, but if Steam Machine is successful, we can expect more easy access to indie games by (ex)console gamers, and later a reduction in publishing costs on consoles.
I believe Steam Deck has already started this process, but with a device that will compete with the 9th generation of home consoles the indie game diffusion could accelerate.
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I think we should see what it’s priced at before we start making proclamations about the Steam Machine being the “standard gaming PC”.
Steam’s been the indie darling for ages, so another ‘machine’ just means more places to ignore my backlog. It’s a win-win for everyone, especially those dev teams making actual bangers.
I think it’s “huge” for Linux gaming in general and for the general health of the gaming industry. It’s a Linux PC in disguise as a cool form-factor Steam console. I hope it drives more developers of all types to build Linux support instead of just Windows.
The timing of this is also great, with people getting forcibly dunked into the bullshit that is Windows 11 after the end of Windows 10 support. If all my games worked on Linux, I’d have no use for Windows at all.
Steam has been the primary indie platform for games for like 15 years. Xbox had a moment in the early Xbox love arcade but the time the Xbox One came out, it was Steam and it has been ever since especially after Greenlight and early access
I thank Xbox Live Arcade for introducing me to Trials HD. Even though the latest game wasn’t the greatest game ever created, the series as a whole has been a joy to experience.
I used to play the flash games of a trials theme and always thought a fleshed oit game would be really cool. i was right. :p
Steam is flooded with indie games, yeah.
Its so easy to develop for the steam deck and steam devices. Just FYI it really is just another machine. Theres no “unlocking” or “side loading” or anything. Its just a computer. Thats it!
I wish this was a likely outcome but realistically steam hardware is too small a userbase. They are most likely to get performance profiles for their hardware due to the standardization and free steam marketing of compatibility, but windows users are still a supermajority.
Steam hardware has so far been pretty niche, though. If the user experience is smooth enough, a SM could replace many people’s xbox/playstation.
We’re like 5y into the PS5/XBSX, new games are jumping up to $70-100 each, and hardly any are platform exclusives. Msft have all but canceled the next Xbox, and if Sony tries to push the PS6 in a few years, I think there’s a world where a good chunk of people say nah.
And with the amount of attention Linux is getting from the win10 eol, we could be at the beginning of an historic inflection point in gaming.
I hope we see more 2D pixel art bullet hell Vampire Survivor auto-shooter roguelike cozy games with anime cover art.
I don’t see how it will have any effect beyond what the Steam store already has on the indie market. Indies already flourish thanks to Steam’s use of discovery algorithms instead of human curation.
The Steam Machine isn’t going to compete with consoles. It’s not a replacement for a console and the target market for this machine is PC users not console users. Console gamers who don’t know what Steam is will not buy this machine like they didn’t buy Steam Decks instead of Nintendo Switches. The goal of Valve’s hardware push is to show that an alternative for Windows is possible. Valve wants to break Microsoft’s monopoly on the PC market. Since Microsoft is the biggest threat for Valve. The more anti-consumer Windows becomes the more it puts Valve’s business in danger, since a shitty Windows experience can push PC gamers towards consoles.
Console gamers who don’t know what Steam is
How common do you believe this is in 2025? It’s on every big game’s launch trailer, and Steam dwarfs any console player base. Network effects alone should make just about every console player (who’s old enough to read) aware of what Steam is.
I think Steam already presents a large enough market to be enticing for indie devs.
A quick check shows that Steam likely has more monthly active users than Xbox, PS5, or Nintendo. I’m sure a large portion of those groups overlap too. So indie devs are likely to develop for PC first.
While I’m excited for what they just announced, I don’t think it will significantly change these numbers.
I think the new device is good news. I can see what you’re saying - the benefit is if Steam Machines expand the PC games market with former console only players. But otherwise the threshold for PC development is already much lower than consoles; there are no dev kit fees, a wide choice of engines to target, relatively greater independence etc.
The steam machine may help somewhat in having a specific hardware profile to target, but the games are still on steam’s store so still have to be able to run widely on Windows or Linux. That’s always been the complexity of PC development - the steam machine doesn’t change that much. Although admittedly the Steam Verified benchmarks are useful for users to simplify understanding what their kit can actually run which will benefit indie devs.
I believe Valve’s intention is to lay the foundation for third party devices, like how it went with Steam Deck. Their business model is to open up their storefront to more people - not to sell hardware.
If that’s the case, then Steam Machine will have little effect on indie development.
I was gonna say before reading your last sentence, the Steam Deck definitely could have accelerated this. It’s extremely accessible while doubling as a computer powerful enough for development. It’s pretty great they’re offering dev kits for the new Steam Frame, too. It’s really going to bust the scene wide open.
I remember this same discussion point when Valve released the first Steam Machines ten years ago.
The big difference is the compatibility is actually there now. Also, controller support is a lot more common for PC games now.
Mark it up as an advantage of getting old. You get to sit and eat popcorn while people debate issues you’ve already debated.
I still want to buy one, mind you.
Same!
In particular though, I loved my old Steam Controller, and hope this new one compares. I’d still be using one now if they weren’t all bought by asshole scalpers and marked up 6000%…
