"Steam Machine Verified" only guarantees 30fps at 1080p on the upcoming system

K3Nv4 · Mar 13, 2026

Jayro said:
We just have to ride this out until they move on beyond consumer hardware, just like crypto mining eventually did.

Something in me strongly feels like once Ai gets less popular or more settled in the market will go back to normal standards even cheaper perhaps.

tech3475 · Mar 13, 2026

wiiando said:
Still, that was just before everything hit the fan, could they do a board revision this late on and opt for soldered to save money?

At this point I'd question whether the savings would be that great anyway in comparison.

Besides, I personally prefer something user upgradable/replaceable where possible due to prior experiences with soldered RAM and as I said maybe offer a 'bring your own storage' SKU for those who may have stuff lying around or want to source their own.

Jayro said:
We just have to ride this out until they move on beyond consumer hardware, just like crypto mining eventually did.

Problem is they're affecting the supply chain that everyone sources from, crypto moved on from consumer GPUs to ASICs.

Only way I can see AI moving on is either their requirements are fulfilled, the bubble bursts, something changes in the supply chain e.g. new suppliers or even more unlikely the law basically tells manufacturers to restrict sales to AI.

Xzi · Mar 13, 2026

Jayro said:
We just have to ride this out until they move on beyond consumer hardware, just like crypto mining eventually did.

Hopefully so, but we're looking at a rough three year stretch at least, as they've put in mass orders for RAM and SSDs that haven't even been manufactured yet.

DolphinPussy · Mar 13, 2026

subcon959 said:
In PC gaming, it's a bit weird to just say 1080p30 as it's sort of meaningless without knowing the quality setting.

I'm assuming it runs for current AAA slop at max.

HideoKojima · Mar 14, 2026

SeltzerMist said:
Lossless scaling might help too depending on why a game is at 30fps.

True that

ertaboy356b · Mar 14, 2026

Most demanding games are already running at 20-30FPS on Steam Deck, with 6 times the power, I'm sure it can reach that 60 with most of your games.

Daggot · Mar 14, 2026

All this has taught me is that reading comprehension for english speakers must be very low.

Ondrashek06 · Mar 14, 2026

x65943 said:
Wow it really is a console

Better not be $1000 in that case

At current RAM prices? That's wishful thinking lol

bonkmaykr · Mar 15, 2026

Once again people not tempering their expectations like they should have, we're back on the "It's not an enthusiast computer???" train again! No shit it's not!! Enthusiasts are a well-fulfilled niche that doesn't want or need prebuilt OEM computers. Valve was careful to specify "with FSR" in the Steam Machine reveal trailer.

YoureALoser said:
. Valve is showing their greed.

"Greed"? Valve is a systems integrator, they do not design or fabricate the chips and have no say in what is realistically doable at a entry level price point. This costs plenty of money for them too and they can't just give these boxes away! Your only other option is them raising the price.

drazenm · Mar 15, 2026

I said from the start of the whole steam machine that it's going to be a fail and a flop as the price tag WILL BE too high for the performance it delivers. You CAN definitely build a BETTER mini pc yourself for that money.

Steam enjoyed its time with steam Deck as it was the most AFFORDABLE handheld with MOST community support, mods, tweaks and ability to play decently even the newest titles, so that's it, that's where the party ends.

Maybe, just maybe steam Deck 2 will be a continuation of success but I somehow doubt as all these companies do the same thing thinking we've got the consumer by the throat and balls and now whatever we relse and the price tag they'll jump on the bandwagon coz of previous success... Nope !

ZeroT21 · Mar 15, 2026

drazenm said:
I said from the start of the whole steam machine that it's going to be a fail and a flop as the price tag WILL BE too high for the performance it delivers. You CAN definitely build a BETTER mini pc yourself for that money.

Steam enjoyed its time with steam Deck as it was the most AFFORDABLE handheld with MOST community support, mods, tweaks and ability to play decently even the newest titles, so that's it, that's where the party ends.

Maybe, just maybe steam Deck 2 will be a continuation of success but I somehow doubt as all these companies do the same thing thinking we've got the consumer by the throat and balls and now whatever we relse and the price tag they'll jump on the bandwagon coz of previous success... Nope !

It's the same situation everywhere, even building your own pc with comparable specs by getting hardware depending on current market pricing won't change much. Gaming is unnecessarily just more expensive with this AI boom going on

Chellarina · Mar 15, 2026

If I want to play on my 4K TV, which is what the Machine is for, I want to aim for as high a resolution as possible. Coupled with the fact I'm been playing Nintendo games at 30FPS or lower all my life and having realistic expectations, I imagine most of my library will manage 1240p30FPS and the way things are going, if it's below a grand and quiet, it's a good deal even compared to a used PC.

Remember, the Switch 2 price is only kept as low as it is because the price increased around the rest of the world along with all peripherals as Nintendo tries and ride out the foolishness is their largest non-home market. They've all but confirmed there will be a price hike soon.

I feel like many is this thread either have missed the changes in the hardware/ PC market recently or are being purposely disingenuous.

The Real Jdbye · Mar 15, 2026

Jayro said:
We just have to ride this out until they move on beyond consumer hardware, just like crypto mining eventually did.

They don't use consumer hardware and they never did. The problem is that RAM is an oligopoly and the factories can only make so many. Same goes for storage. Or really, most computer parts.
AI is very memory heavy and that isn't changing, so until the bubble bursts demand for memory chips is going to stay higher than supply.

Crypto mining for the most part isn't memory heavy, like AI it's raw compute but unlike AI it's only processing small amounts of data at a time and usually only performing simple calculations, so it's a different beast. Due to being mathematically simple you can make ASICs that do an excellent job at it. I think we're a ways away from ASICs taking over AI the way it took over crypto mining - but even if/when that happens, they won't be able to get away from the dependency on large amounts of memory, which will still be the main limiting factor.

The supply chain for PC components is so fragile that they can't keep up with even the slightest spike in demand. Each product category is controlled by just a few manufacturers that make all the raw components, then other companies just slap their brand on it. And whenever there is a spike in demand inevitably consumers are the ones that end up getting burned. They really need to build more factories tbh.

Jayro · Mar 15, 2026

The Real Jdbye said:
They don't use consumer hardware and they never did. The problem is that RAM is an oligopoly and the factories can only make so many. Same goes for storage. Or really, most computer parts.
AI is very memory heavy and that isn't changing, so until the bubble bursts demand for memory chips is going to stay higher than supply.

Crypto mining for the most part isn't memory heavy, like AI it's raw compute but unlike AI it's only processing small amounts of data at a time and usually only performing simple calculations, so it's a different beast. Due to being mathematically simple you can make ASICs that do an excellent job at it. I think we're a ways away from ASICs taking over AI the way it took over crypto mining - but even if/when that happens, they won't be able to get away from the dependency on large amounts of memory, which will still be the main limiting factor.

The supply chain for PC components is so fragile that they can't keep up with even the slightest spike in demand. Each product category is controlled by just a few manufacturers that make all the raw components, then other companies just slap their brand on it. And whenever there is a spike in demand inevitably consumers are the ones that end up getting burned. They really need to build more factories tbh.

I'm hearing rumors that ultra-high-bandwidth memory is being developed for Ai to combat this though.

RyanTheArchivist · Mar 15, 2026

Scarlet said:
View attachment 561781

With the Steam Machine and other hardware still reportedly on track for a 2026 release, Valve have shed some light on what will qualify a game for being Steam Machine Verified as a part of their Steam Hardware Talk at GDC 2026. Those gunning for the qualification will only need to make sure their games can hit 30fps at 1080p, notably only a resolution bump from the Steam Deck's 30fps target at 720p for verification. Though perhaps an underwhelming target on paper, it does greatly simplify the verification system for Valve, allowing them to confidently mark any games that are already Deck Verified as Machine Verified without any further testing. Those that are currently marked as Deck Playable for legibility reasons will also be Machine Verified out of the box.

View attachment 561782

Alongside this, we also got some insight into what will qualify a game to be Frame Verified, with the platform targeting 90fps for standalone VR titles, and 30fps at 720p for standalone 2D games. Due to the architectural differences between the Frame and Valve's other hardware, no games will be Frame Verified by default, with Deck Verified and Deck Playable games being tested, as well as those not supported by the Steam Deck due to a VR requirement.

Those interested can find the slide deck from the presentation below.

Source

Good. It's saying the game has to hit that at an absolute minimum to be considered verifies.

drazenm · Mar 30, 2026

ZeroT21 said:
It's the same situation everywhere, even building your own pc with comparable specs by getting hardware depending on current market pricing won't change much. Gaming is unnecessarily just more expensive with this AI boom going on

Well i didn't say now or about the pricing situation now, I meant in general, we having this situation or not you'd still be better building your own then buying the steam machine.

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