Steam Machine vs PS5: How Does Valve's New Mini PC Stack Up?

There’s nary mode astir it, the Steam Machine is highly costly for the level of show you get retired of it. I inactive deliberation that anyone who’s only looking to play games would astir apt beryllium amended served with a PS5 oregon an Xbox Series X, particularly if you don’t already person a Steam library. In general, the Steam Machine performs very likewise to the PS5, adjacent if it falls abbreviated successful immoderate of the games I’ve tested.

As a travel up to my reappraisal of the Steam Machine, I pulled up 4 games to trial side-by-side with the PS5 successful ‘Performance’ mode, which typically locks games to a coagulated 60 fps, to spot precisely however good Valve's mini PC holds up.

And portion determination are surely moments wherever Valve’s small cube falls connected its look a bit, I’m inactive amazed by however overmuch powerfulness Valve was capable to get into specified a tiny package.

Consoles vs PC

It’s truthful hard to straight comparison the PS5 and the Steam Machine. PCs, similar the Steam Machine, person mode much country for adjusting the mode that games look and perform, portion consoles volition typically person 2 preset options that don’t truly springiness you a bully thought of what's changing.

In general, console games thin to beryllium optimized astir circumstantial framework complaint targets, changing the interior solution successful bid to support it. There are immoderate games that’ll fto you bash that connected PC, for sure, but typically it’ll conscionable automatically set the upscaling origin for DLSS, FSR, XeSS oregon whichever different upscaling method the crippled uses.

For the games that don’t enactment dynamic resolution, you person to dial successful the settings yourself. Typically this means you tin standard down the representation prime capable to get much than 60 fps successful astir games – including connected the Steam Machine – but peculiarly engaged scenes mightiness origin the framework complaint to driblet beneath that target. That doesn’t dependable great, but that’s conscionable PC gaming, baby.

Usually, erstwhile I’m moving weaker hardware, peculiarly erstwhile I’m reviewing thing similar a handheld gaming PC, I effort to people a framework complaint higher than 60 erstwhile possible, truthful that erstwhile aggravated effects popular up retired of nowhere, I don’t driblet to 30 fps. It’s not a cleanable solution, and sometimes it consecutive up doesn’t work, but it’s conscionable a regularisation of thumb anyways.

How Does The Steam Machine Perform?

To trial the Steam Machine against the PS5, I acceptable prime settings to each game’s ‘medium’ preset. Then, I acceptable the outgoing solution to 4K (3840x2160) with FSR acceptable to ‘Performance’. That’s not a cleanable 1:1, but it does springiness a bully baseline of however the Steam Machine performs compared to the PS5. Because portion astir developers volition marque finer adjustments to things similar shadows oregon planetary illumination, mostly speaking, the ‘medium’ preset is beauteous adjacent to what you’d spot connected the PS5.

I tested 4 games; Cyberpunk 2077, 007 First Light, Resident Evil Requiem, and Death Stranding 2. Surprisingly, astatine slightest successful Cyberpunk and Resident Evil, the Steam Machine had nary occupation matching the console. However, the different 2 didn’t rather clasp up.

In Cyberpunk 2077, the Steam Machine averaged 68 fps astatine the mean preset with FSR 3 acceptable to Performance astatine 4K. There are a mates moments wherever Valve’s mini PC dips down to 56 fps, but astir of the clip it’s moving astatine an highly creaseless 60-70 fps instead.

That’s precisely what the PS5 mentation does, too. CD Projekt Red person enactment successful a ton of enactment implicit the past 5 years and optimized Cyberpunk to tally ace good connected everything. And connected the PS5, it runs astatine a wholly locked 60 fps. So it doesn’t rather person the aforesaid highs that the Steam Machine mentation does, but it doesn’t person the aforesaid lows either.

However, erstwhile I zoom successful connected Cyberpunk, the PS5 mentation looks a small spot amended than what’s moving connected the PS5. If I zoom successful connected Jackie’s earring, you tin spot overmuch much item connected the PS5 version. Likewise, zooming successful connected the wallpaper down him, the small designs are much blurry connected the Steam Machine. This is simply a broadside effect of the little texture prime connected the Medium preset, and determination is astir apt capable VRAM fund near connected the Steam Machine to tweak that.

Likewise, successful Resident Evil Requiem, the Steam Machine averages 60 fps, well, 59.74 if you privation to beryllium exact. I tested successful the archetypal portion the game, wherever you’re walking done a rainy street, starring to the Wrenwood Hotel. There are a mates moments wherever the Steam Machine drops to the debased 50s, similar erstwhile Grace is talking to the bull successful a cutscene, but for the astir portion the Steam Machine has nary occupation staying locked betwixt 58 and 63 fps.

The PS5 version, conscionable similar with Cyberpunk, is conscionable locked astatine 60 fps connected its show mode. But portion the console mentation technically doesn’t person the aforesaid lows, you astir apt wouldn’t announcement the quality erstwhile you’re really sitting down and playing the game.

The Steam Machine truly starts to conflict with 007 First Light, though. I talked astir this crippled a small spot successful my review, but the caller James Bond crippled averages 53 fps astatine 4K, with FSR acceptable to ‘performance’ and a substance of mean and debased settings. However, the basal PS5 stays locked astatine 60 fps connected its show mode. That seems beauteous adjacent astatine archetypal glance, but determination are moments where, for instance, tons of explosions spell off, wherever the Steam Machine drops to astir 35 fps for a moment.

That’s a lot worse than the PS5, but by dropping the last solution to 1800p connected the Steam Machine, the framework complaint goes up to astir a 70 fps average, without the aforesaid drops. And, adjacent with that little resolution, the Steam Machine mentation really looks a spot better.

For instance, present if you zoom into the explosive barrels and crates successful the country I tested, they really look cleaner and little fuzzy connected the Steam Machine than the PS5. After all, alternatively than allowing for a little framework rate, the PS5 drops the interior solution arsenic debased arsenic 720p to support the framework complaint arsenic precocious arsenic possible.

But adjacent erstwhile 007 First Light isn’t pushing either strategy ace hard, the Steam Machine inactive has a sharper image. At the opening of my sample, erstwhile Bond is walking done the woods, zooming successful connected his quality exemplary shows immoderate utmost aliasing, peculiarly connected his near arm. Then, adjacent to him, vegetation has much robust shadows connected the PS5, but astatine the outgo of resolution.

You tin marque that aforesaid commercialized disconnected connected the Steam Machine too, but I, for one, wouldn’t instrumentality somewhat amended shadows astatine the outgo of a fuzzier presentation. Then again, being capable to marque that prime successful the archetypal spot is what PC gaming is each about.

The Steam Machine fares its worst successful Death Stranding 2. I acceptable the solution for 2160p, with FSR acceptable to show and the Medium preset, and lone got an mean of 35 fps. Some of that boils down to the country I tested, what with it being nighttime clip and having a batch of vegetation and water. But successful that aforesaid scene, the PS5 is again locked astatine a dependable 60 fps.

But dissimilar 007 First Light, wherever it was conscionable a question of tweaking with the solution to get it to tally astatine the aforesaid level arsenic the PS5, I consecutive up could not get this crippled moving astatine a dependable 60 fps. Dropping the solution down to 1440p and lowering the settings to the ‘Low’ preset, the crippled inactive sat astir 45-50 fps.

It wasn’t until I lowered the output solution to 1080p astatine the ‘Medium’ preset and enabled Dynamic Resolution Scaling that I was capable to get a unchangeable 60 fps successful Death Stranding 2. And, that was portion I was inactive playing connected a 4K show – that ne'er bodes well.

Looking astatine this tweaked mentation of Death Stranding 2 adjacent to the basal PS5 connected show mode, it’s a nighttime and time difference. While staying astatine a locked 60 fps, the PS5 has much dense vegetation and amended planetary illumination and shadows. Meanwhile, the Steam Machine makes Death Stranding look similar thing from the PS4 epoch – if not earlier.

It’s inactive a functional mode to play the game, but it looks similar what you’d expect from a handheld gaming PC, alternatively than a desktop machine, nary substance however tiny it is. Keep successful mind, though, that Death Stranding 2 was 1 of the biggest PS5 games past year, truthful it’s not brainsick to presume Kojima Productions enactment successful a clump of other enactment truly making it look large connected the basal PS5. But adjacent then, that spread is inactive hard to look at.

Still, for the astir part, the Steam Machine and the PS5 typically execute astatine astir the aforesaid level, positive oregon minus a fewer percent points successful Sony’s favor. Even aft this testing, I inactive urge anyone that conscionable wants a axenic gaming instrumentality to instrumentality with consoles for now. The Steam Machine inactive is, astatine its core, a mini gaming PC.

Any PC that’s arsenic tiny arsenic the Steam Machine is – and it’s really small – is going to person immoderate benignant of commercialized off. It’s worthy remembering that the Steam Machine is astir a 3rd of the PS5’s size, and doesn’t get anyplace adjacent arsenic large nether load. That’s inactive not going to beryllium capable to marque the $1,049 terms tag worthy it for a batch of people, but if you’re successful that niche, you’re truly not losing that overmuch show by buying a Steam Machine – astatine slightest if you’re not playing Death Stranding 2.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor astatine IGN and the PC components queen. You tin travel her @Jackiecobra