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ZDNET key takeaways
- Steam Machine sales will greatly benefit the Linux OS.
- Steam OS is based on Arch Linux.
- The Steam Machine could deliver millions of new Linux users.
Valve has finally given us the details for the Steam Machine. Hip, hip, huzzah! This new gaming console will play all your favorite Steam games and will feel more like a console.
If you’re curious, here are the pricing tiers:
- Steam Machine 512 GB (no Steam Controller) – $1,049 (CA$1,509 / €1,039 / £879 / AU$1,609)
- Steam Machine 512 GB (with Steam Controller) – $1,128 (CA$1,628 / €1,108 / £938 / AU$1,728)
- Steam Machine 2 TB (no Steam Controller) – $1,349 (CA$1,919 / €1,359 / £1,149 / AU$2,109)
- Steam Machine 2 TB (with Steam Controller) – $1,428 (CA$2,038 / €1,428 / £1,208 / AU$2,228)
As far as the specs are concerned, it looks something like this:
- CPU – AMD Zen 4 processor with 6 cores, 12 threads, and up to 4.8 GHz clock speed
- GPU – A semi-custom AMD RDNA3 graphics card with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, 16GB DDR5 RAM
- Storage – up to 2TB NVMe SSD storage
- OS – SteamOS 3 operating system featuring the KDE Plasma desktop environment
The Steam Machine will ship to consumers starting June 29, and you can sign up for the list now on the official site. Do note, according to the Steam Machine page, “Join the list any time before June 25th at 10 a.m. PT. On that date, the list will be closed and randomized, and you will receive an email with your results shortly after.” Another thing to keep in mind is that you cannot reserve a Steam Machine unless you’ve made a Steam purchase prior to April 27, 2026.
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If you don’t qualify, purchases will be randomized, and you can most likely count on the Steam Machine selling out quickly for this first round.
What does Linux have to do with this?
First and foremost, Steam OS (which powers the Steam Machine) is a customized Linux distribution based on Arch. But this isn’t just your typical gaming console. Because Steam OS is based on Linux, users will get a full-blown, KDE Plasma-gorgeous Linux desktop to use. In other words, if it winds up as popular as I believe it will be, the Steam Machine could flood the market with more Linux computers.
New Linux users
Many of the users who’ll purchase a Steam Machine will probably have never touched Linux before. After using their Steam Machine, that immediately changes, and Linux will have found its way into the home and hearts of many more consumers.
It’s not that those consumers have never used a device powered by Linux. They have, they just don’t know it. With the Steam Machine, those users will finally know and understand what Linux is all about, and not just by way of the Steam Client running on Linux. The Steam Machine will remove much of the mystery surrounding Linux until it becomes a known commodity to a vast number of people.
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Consider this: If one million Steam Machines sell to those who’ve never used Linux, that’s one million more Linux users. That happens almost overnight, which is unheard of for an open-source operating system.
Wanna know a secret? Orbis OS (the OS used for PlayStation) is based on FreeBSD. Although FreeBSD isn’t Linux, it’s certainly Linux-adjacent.
A boon to the market
Now, imagine that not only did you get one million more Linux users, but you also got one million more users willing to pay for a device that runs Linux. Imagine what that’ll do to companies and individuals around the world producing Linux products; they’ll see that consumers are, in fact, willing to pay for Linux devices. That could translate into more companies producing amazing Linux-based products.
That’s a win-win.
On top of that, it proves that Linux can be marketable and commodified.
You mean I can make money with Linux?
If the Steam Machine has any say in the matter, you can — and even be profitable.
The AUR fixed?
You may have heard that the Arch User Repository (AUR) was found to contain malicious software. That’s right, if you installed an app from the AUR, you could have added malware to your system.
With the Steam Machine set to release this month, it would behoove the Arch team to finally (and permanently) fix the AUR.
That’s not to say that Steam OS will have access to the AUR, but this is Linux, so where there’s a will, there’s certainly a way.
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Imagine what would happen if one million new users installed a malicious app from the AUR, only to find their new Steam Machine compromised. That would be an unmitigated disaster for Valve, Arch, and Linux as a whole.
Because of that, it’s in the team’s best interest to either permanently fix the issue plaguing the AUR or disable it for the near future, until said fix arrives. Either way, the arrival of the Steam Machine should herald a change with regard to the AUR, which should be beneficial to the OS and to users.
There’s no guarantee that there will be one million Steam Machines sold during this round. But it is safe to say that Linux should see some considerable gains because of it.
I hope to get my hands on a Steam Machine because I want to see Linux on my TV, and I want to play more games than are available for my Switch. And given my distaste for playing games on the Linux desktop PC that resides in my loft office, having a Linux gaming machine is exactly what Dr. Torvalds ordered.
