5 Things Steam Engine Can Do That Nvidia Shield Can’t

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At first glance, comparing the Steam Machine to the Nvidia Shield Pro may seem like an apples-to-oranges comparison, but they offer many of the same things. You can stream media to either, and both are marketed as being capable of running games. However, the Steam Machine costs $1,049, while you can get an Nvidia Shield TV Pro for a much more modest $200 on Amazon.

If you’re wondering why the Steam Machine is priced so much higher than the Shield Pro, the answer is simple: they are devices designed for different purposes. The Steam Machine is a mini-PC and console hybrid released in 2026 that aims to deliver a solid gaming experience, while the Nvidia Shield Pro is a media streaming device that also supports Nvidia GeForce Now for playing games over the cloud.

While the Shield Pro remains an incredible media streaming device, Valve’s Steam Machine is a much more flexible device. From running AAA titles locally to running Windows and supporting a much larger pool of apps, here’s everything the Steam Machine can do that the Shield Pro can’t.

Whether you use the Steam Machine or the Nvidia Shield Pro, you will generally have no problem playing your favorite games. However, the specifics of how these games work on each device differ significantly. The Steam Machine is a true gaming rig, featuring a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU, a semi-custom AMD RDNA 3 GPU, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. This setup is about as capable as most mid-range gaming consoles and PCs, meaning it can process and run most games locally.

The Nvidia Shield Pro has a 2019 Tegra X1+ chipset and a Maxwell GPU, both of which offer significantly lower gaming performance than most modern smartphones. Additionally, it only comes with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. If you want to play games on an Nvidia Shield, you’ll need to use GeForce Now and run them on the cloud. This means spending more on the service, as the free tier has long wait times and only lets you play for an hour at a time. Plus, even with a paid tier, you only get 100 hours of gameplay per month and you have to spend more to buy more. You also need a fast internet connection with an unlimited data plan, as game streaming takes a toll on your bandwidth. There will also be some form of latency no matter how fast your connection is, and an unstable or slow connection could make games completely unplayable.

If you have a Gigabit Internet connection that supports GeForce Now or just want to play less graphics-intensive games on the Google Play Store, you’ll probably be fine with the Shield Pro. However, if you’re an avid gamer, the Steam Machine is a much more practical purchase.

If you’re going to play on any device, you’ll need peripheral support. Both the Steam Machine and Nvidia Shield Pro have multiple USB ports (although the Steam Machine also supports the faster USB 3.2) and support Bluetooth for this, meaning you’ll usually be able to connect your controllers and headphones just fine. However, if you often play multiplayer games and want to call your friends, you will encounter problems with an Nvidia Shield.

The Nvidia Shield Pro supports in-game voice chat if you are running a game with Nvidia GeForce Now. However, peripheral support is limited. You need an Nvidia Shield controller if you want to use a wired headset, as there is no audio input port on the Shield itself. If you don’t have a controller, you can use Bluetooth headphones, but there’s no mic support for Bluetooth headphones on Android TV, which means no audio comes through.

The problem can be fixed by pairing an Nvidia Shield controller with a wired headset, but this incurs additional expense. Additionally, availability of the controller may be an issue, as it is out of stock at the time of writing this article. Instead, you can get a non-Bluetooth headset using a 2.4GHz radio frequency channel with a dedicated dongle plugged into the Shield, such as a SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro.

One of the main reasons PCs last much longer than laptops and gaming consoles is the design philosophy regarding upgrades, modifications, and repairability. Closed systems like a PlayStation or Nintendo Switch offer virtually no modifications: you’re stuck with what you have, and if you want to run newer games that require more powerful hardware, you’ll have to buy a whole new console. PCs differ here because if you want a better GPU, you can replace just your computer’s graphics card without getting a whole new device.

The Nvidia Shield Pro, like most other streaming devices, is a closed system. The steam engine is not. You can’t replace your Shield Pro’s soldered 3GB of RAM or 16GB of storage, and if you have problems with the device, you can’t repair it yourself. You also don’t get any cosmetic options from Nvidia, meaning most Shields look the same.

Valve is taking a completely different approach here, allowing Steam Machine owners to upgrade or replace certain internal components, including RAM and SSD. You can also customize the faceplate of your steam machine to reflect your tastes. It’s also generally considered much easier to repair than other devices, including the Shield Pro.

The Steam Machine’s native operating system is Linux-based SteamOS, while the Nvidia Shield Pro comes with Android TV. The former is primarily designed for gaming, while the latter is a platform designed for media streaming. If you want a more familiar desktop experience or a convenient replacement for your PC, you only get that option with the Steam machine.

The Steam Machine’s hardware can support the same workloads as a PC. We’ve already discussed its much more powerful CPU and GPU compared to the half-decade-old Android processors inside the Shield, but this goes beyond just a difference in the internals. First, even though Android TV works in a desktop environment, the 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage simply aren’t enough for a modern PC. Unlike the Steam Machine, there’s no way to swap the Shield’s RAM for a bigger stick.

Additionally, even if the Shield’s hardware and storage were sufficient to power a Windows PC, you have no ability to download Windows to the device due to an architectural difference. On the other hand, it is exceptionally simple and straightforward to download and run Windows on the Steam machine.

Gaming consoles generally don’t have access to a wide variety of applications. This makes sense, as these are machines designed for gaming. You may be able to stream your favorite shows depending on the console you own, but you’re out of options if you want to download apps not natively supported on your console or third-party utility programs.

The Nvidia Shield Pro is essentially in the same category. You have access to most streaming services and a wide variety of apps on the Google Play Store, but you’re still severely limited compared to what you can do on a PC. First, even the apps you can download from the Play Store are limited compared to what you can do on a phone. You can still load apps and use GeForce Now to play PC games, but you still have limitations: You can only load software that the weak processor can run, while GeForce Now requires you to own most games and have a fast Internet connection.

The Steam Machine natively allows you to download any game available on Steam. Since SteamOS is based on Linux, you will have no difficulty installing a program that supports Linux. Additionally, you can even play Epic and GOG games on the Steam Machine. Valve’s Proton compatibility layer also means that games designed to run on Windows still run smoothly on the device. If all that isn’t enough and you still find something that doesn’t work natively on SteamOS, you can simply install Windows, allowing you to download any .exe file the same way you would on a Windows computer.