The topic Someone just released a SteamOS gaming PC before Valve even shipped its own is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
When the Steam Machine arrived, everyone, understandably, focused on the hardware and the price. After all, the Steam Machine will live and die on how powerful it is and how much it costs, so people were very interested in both elements.
However, there is one thing people are seemingly ignoring, and that’s the software. Valve has confirmed that the Steam Machine will run SteamOS and will receive updates to allow other people to make their own Steam Machines at home. Well, one company has already taken the initiative and released a gaming PC that comes pre-built with SteamOS, and it might mix up how we approach high-end PCs as a whole.
The PC in question is the aptly-named Steamroller from Meta PCs. It’s slightly more expensive than the base-level Steam Machine, so it’s clearly not trying to win over Valve’s offering by undercutting it, but it seems like that extra money goes towards designing a PC you can upgrade over time:
The META PCs STEAMROLLER is a 1080p SteamOS gaming desktop powered by the AMD Radeon RX 7600 and AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, built as an upgradable alternative to the Steam Machine. It runs CS2, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and Baldur’s Gate 3 at high frame rates, and because it uses standard desktop parts you can swap the GPU, add RAM, or expand storage whenever you want.
What’s exciting about this listing is the concept of manufacturers selling PCs with SteamOS pre-installed. If Valve manages to make SteamOS the de facto OS of choice for gamers, PC makers will naturally use it over Windows. And if that happens, pre-built gaming PCs can shave about $100 off the asking price, because the builder no longer needs to pay for the Windows 11 license. We’ve already seen some handhelds come with a cheaper SteamOS option, so it’s not too far-fetched to think the same can happen to PCs.