Shuhei Yoshida Calls Steam Machine Hard to Recommend at $750 as 1080p Performance Disappoints
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jul 2
Shuhei Yoshida Calls Steam Machine Hard to Recommend at $750 as 1080p Performance Disappoints
3 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jul 2
Summary
Shuhei Yoshida said Valve’s newly released Steam Machine is “hard to recommend” after a few hours of use, citing weak 3D performance and an unfriendly price around the originally targeted $750 level.
1080p was the system’s recommended default, prompting Yoshida to compare it to the PS4 era, while he also criticized slow game boot times and a Steam Controller thumbstick he found too loose.
Valve’s device still won praise for delivering a console-like living-room experience: Yoshida highlighted its small size, quiet operation, UI and changeable face plates, saying it was good enough to keep for playing Steam games on a TV.
That mixed verdict broadly matches early reviewer sentiment that the hardware is well designed but struggles to justify its cost, with the report tying the high price to AI-driven spikes in memory and storage costs.