Usage & Gaming
Just because the Steam Machine is running SteamOS does not mean that it will run every game on Steam. This is a misconception that many people have. SteamOS runs on Linux so for a game to be compatible it needs to be supported on Linux or SteamOS. This limits the number of games that are available on SteamOS. For example Fallout 4 is not SteamOS compatible. We do know there are over 1500 SteamOS-compatible games and the list keeps on growing.
The beauty of a Steam Machine over say a console is that if you are bored of a game you can easily go into the Steam Store, find a new game and download it. Talking about SteamOS-compatible games here are some of the more popular titles that will run on your Steam Machine: DOTA2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Cities: Skylines, Broforce, Borderlands 2, ARK: Survival Evolved, Hotline Miami, Left 4 Dead 2, and Team Fortress 2.
Many people might be buying a Steam Machine to compliment their gaming PC or to have something to play games in the living room with. If this is the case for you then you are definitely going to take advantage of SteamOS’s streaming feature. This allows you to stream games to the Steam Machine from another PC on the network. This means that if you want to play a game that is not SteamOS compatible you now can! The Steam quality all depends on the speed of your network, but it worked just fine for us.
Sadly since SteamOS is built on Linux benchmarking the actual system is pretty hard. For most of our graphics card benchmarks we use either a benchmarking tool in Windows or FRAPS. Since there is not a Linux version of FRAPS and most of the games benchmarking tools are made for Windows benchmarking the Steam Machine is quite hard. In the Windows version of Steam you are able to have an FPS overlay, that is absent from SteamOS for some reason so we cannot even show you that. I will say that every game that we did play on SteamOS did play quite well. Check out this video to get a good idea of how the Steam Machine will play various different games.
If you are a PC gamer, which I am, using the Steam Controller in many games will take some time to get used to, but I do feel that the controller was executed quite well. I was actually able to use the controller in FPS games and Strategy games like Cities: Skylines. I feel that it is a perfect mesh between a mouse and a controller. One thing that is cool since Steam is a community is that you can set up and share your controller configurations for different games with other people. You can also load shared configurations, this takes the pain out of mapping the controller. To do this all you have to do is hit the Steam button on the controller and select controller configuration. You should see the different public controller configurations there if they are available.
Now if you do want to play with a keyboard and mouse you can. As long as the device you are using has Linux drivers you should be good to go. I plugged in a Tt eSPORTS Poisedon ZX and a ROCCAT Tyon and both worked without having to install anything. Now if you want to get into customizations or anything like that you’ll have to install the Linux-based software for your specific device, if it exists. We will get into that on the next page. Also for those wondering we plugged in a wired Xbox 360 controller and it worked as well.
Considering the form factor, can you really build a comparable PC in the same price range (or even at all)? There are some folks – myself included – for whom the form factor is quite important, so I was willing to dish out some extra cash for the SN970. However, using this hardware as a Steam OS machine limits its capabilities dramatically, so if somebody is willing to buy it, you might as well add additional cost of XBox One controller and Win10 license – with those additions you’ll have a full blown gaming PC in the sexiest of the form factors.
Thanks for the review – I too now own 2 Steam Machines and still have mixed feelings. But I think the potential is there – I’m just wondering if Valve will bring that potential to realization. With that said – I’ve kept SteamOS on both my Steam Machines (one an Alienware, the other a CyberPower Syber). The Zotac looks like a nice upgrade from the Alienware.
My issues with SteamOS isn’t the lack of games, or even the performance of games. I think they perform fine. Not as good as the windows counterparts – but as good or better than the Console version. What is holding it back to me is it doesn’t replace my Xbox One fore media functions (Netflix, Vudu, etc.). I hardly game on the Xbox One anymore – except for Shape Up which is a kinect based exercise program. But I do still run a slew of media related apps. I have a very large collection on Vudu now. Without a Blue-ray/DVD Player coming with most steam machines – and the clunky browser interface, I’m afraid that it’s a huge hole that I’m not sure Valve can fix. They can’t write their own Netflix or Hulu App, and there isn’t critical mass yet for those companies to even consider it.
Hopefully that changes around – cause other than that, I have no issues with my Steam Machines.
I have nothing but issues with Windows as a living room device. There is ALWAYS something getting in the way – whether it’s a notification that won’t go away or a device driver that quits or games getting launched simultaneously (like my kids always seem to do). Windows 10 has made it even worse as Microsoft keeps going more an more towards touchbased GUI’s. It’s clunky at best… At least SteamOS addresses those issues – which is why I’ve decided to stick with it on the Steam Machines and keep windows on my gaming PC’s. Kids are happy with it so far – so no reason to put Windows on it. Xbox 360 Wireless Controller works great with it as well. I know there are a few developers now working on getting the Xbox One Controller to work wirelessly (right now it works only wired).
sure, Win 10 is far from perfect OS, but for a hardcore gamer it’s still far better option than Steam OS, the benefits (bigger selection of Steam games, better performance, access to non-Steam games) outweigh the problems. then again, if one doesn’t require their hardware to be utilized to its fullest potential, Steam OS might be a viable choice – but if that’s the case, this particular machine seems to be an overkill for this purpose.