Valve now offers its own solution for a home gaming PC in the Steam Machine, with the benefit of being able to load directly into a player’s game library with the press of a button. It’s a solid solution for those overwhelmed by the customization options in gaming PCs, but the Steam Machine’s value for money isn’t great, due to the ongoing chip shortage caused by the AI data center boom that makes the Steam Machine cost nearly twice as much as a PlayStation 5 Pro.
Many options offer gamers more bang for their buck, but users who already own a gaming PC can instead install SteamOS and get their own custom Steam machine for free.
I tried this with a Linux version called Bazzite, which is heavily inspired by SteamOS and can be started in game mode, which is the same as SteamOS’ Big Picture mode. I did this because it is more stable and compatible with various hardware configurations than SteamOS, although Valve is clearly improving it. It works great on my MainGear Ultima 18, Atomman G1 Pro, and RDY Scale R04, significantly increasing frames and loading times compared to a stock install of Windows 11. For those who want to play games running kernel-level anti-cheat software, it’s possible to achieve similar results with Xbox Mode on Windows 11, but it requires a bit more optimization than a fresh install of the OS.
Instead, buy new or used gaming PCs
Instead of upgrading an existing gaming PC, many will be tempted to simply purchase a Steam machine. But considering the specs you’re actually getting for your money, it’s just not worth it, and gamers with an average gaming PC probably already have better performance.
The increase in component prices is directly passed on to the average consumer. For example, MSI’s latest gaming handheld, Claw 8 EX AI+, costs a staggering $1,800, which is insane considering the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI gaming laptop with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070Ti costs $1,599.99.
It’s a similar situation with the Steam Machine. With a starting price of $1,049, gamers can head over to Amazon right now and get an Acer Nitro V Slim ANV16S-41-R3Q0 gaming laptop with an RTX 5070 processor and Ryzen 7 260 for $999.99. This laptop supports SteamOS, Bazzite, or Xbox Mode on startup with significantly better performance at a lower cost, and it can be played on the go. Just for comparison, the graphics power of a Steam Machine is equivalent to that of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU.
How to install the latest SteamOS update
As of SteamOS 3.8.11, gamers can install the Linux-based Valve gaming operating system on any PC with varying results, as this update only supports AMD GPUs. Anyone running Nvidia and Intel GPUs should instead download and install Bazzite due to compatibility issues.
Either option will look exactly like a docked Steam Deck, allowing users to navigate their Steam game library using a controller (choose “Game Mode” for Bazzite). The installation process is quite simple: download SteamOS or Bazzite and make sure you have a USB drive with 16 GB of free space. Use a disk imaging program such as Rufus or Fedora to flash the operating system onto the drive. Once this is complete, reboot and enter your computer’s BIOS, usually by pressing the appropriate key on the keyboard during startup. Some of the most used keys are:
- ASUS: F2 or Delete
- Dell: F2 or F12
- HP: F10 or Evasion
- Lenovo: F1, F2 or Enter
- Acer: F2 or Delete
- MSI: Delete
Change your computer’s boot order to allow the flashed USB drive to boot first, which will take you to the operating system installation process. For more information, the official Bazzite and SteamOS sites offer comprehensive installation guides. Once the installation and initial setup are complete, your computer will look like a steam engine.
