Low End Steam Machine Beats The PS4 And Xbox In Specs, Features, Performance And Price

The CyperpowerPC Steam Machine beats the PS4 and Xbox One in specs and price, especially comparing what you're getting in the package for the same price as Microsoft's offering and for $100 more than Sony's offerings.

[98xpresent]

Consoles will always win in the exclusive category.

[darx]

Depends

[nX]

PS1, PS2 and PS3 all had many great exclusives that I would consider "must have". From Spyro & Crash to God Of War & Shadow of the Colossus to Uncharted, Demon's Souls and Journey these consoles were packed with countless high quality games. Steam is great but I wouldn't want to miss Sony's first party releases.

[UltimateMaster]

PlayStation has always had a great amount of bad ass exclusives that never ceased to disappoint me in any given generation.

Performance-wise, it is the most powerful of all consoles.
Granted, when you spend 2000$~4000$ on a device, you'd expect to have more power than a 400$ one.

[SilentNegotiator]

"$500 PC beats Ps4/Xbone in hardware in some categories, features (once you buy yourself a copy of Windows), and loses to both consoles in price"

Fixed. BS article title.

[Mr Pumblechook]

Article update says "Please keep in mind games on consoles has nothing to do with this article."

However with a headline like "Low End Steam Machine Beats The PS4 And Xbox In Specs, Features, Performance And Price" it has obviously been written to invite 'lively debate' about PC vs consoles, cheeky!

[rocketpanda]

@SilentNegotiator,

Steam machines run on SteamOS, which is free. So in terms of price it is still a cheap option. Although I want to see like for like comparisons in performance with multi platform games. Quoting specs always looks good on paper.

[SilentNegotiator]

You'll be missing out on 99% of PC games without Windows, though.

[XBLSkull]

PC will always have the power advantage, but the best game franchises are on consoles. That isn't to say PC doesn't have some great games you can't get anywhere else. I own all 3 myself PS4/X1/PC so I can play everything I want to. Anyone who limits themselves to one platform is doing it wrong, especially if that one is a PC - you simply don't have the option of playing the best franchises.

[darx]

@XBLskull

Boy are you wrong!

[MrSwankSinatra]

Actually no they don't because it's subjective topic. Each person has their own preference.

[mixolydian_id]

Exactly,
Looking at the games people started highlighting above.
People speak of Ps1 like is was the holy grail of games... IMO, it wasn't.

I always found Nintendo were the best back then.

Street fighter was amazing back in the day. Tekken was a total dive for years. Smash bros in a totally different way, still kicks it's arse. Thats just one genre.

Only games I ever looked towards the PS1 for were Final Fantasy and Metal gear solid, endorsed exclusives to be fair.

Its definitely down to preference, many will disagree with mine ^^^

With regards to the steam machine. Although these units are great and are working towards truly allowing developers space to create their games (Everyone else has to conform to limited specs etc).
They aren't going to offer the same services. For playing games im sure they're great, but they won't do much far from it for a while... how will they deal with cloud compute?

Nothing is replaceable so in a few years time... like a P_C... you'll find yourself looking for a new one.

As for services, you won't get famed, EA access or PSnow, 3D blu-ray, external support, skype, DLNA support, xbox controller, PSMove, Occulus, Morpheus, Marketplace, Trophys and achievements, gamertags... the list is ENDLESS.

Might as well just invest in a PC... if you have one already, get an upgrade (graphics card, ssd, Motherboard/CPU)

As you can tell, Im very much two-track minded on the steam box idea.

[marloc_x]

What on earth could make a console experience unique again?

[clmstr]

Being a PC-only gamer at the moment (getting a PS4 soon), I agree. Right now, consoles have a wider variety/choice of different games of different genres. That's why I'm getting a PS4, it has all the games I want to play that come out in the near future.

[Eiffel]

What are you talking about? Consoles are still missing entire genres compared to PC.

[Stapleface]

I have a ps4, and when I look at the Library available of ps4, versus what's on pc, I'm actually looking at it right now. Your absolutely wrong. That's not even an opinion. It has far less variety/choice of different games. The ps4 library will never touch the size and amount of game types that Steam has. It just won't be around long enough. I can't argue the last part of your statement as it's your opinion. But to say there is a wider variety to choose from on ps4 is delusional. Ps4 hasn't broke 1,000 games(not even close). Steam has over 3,000. AAA, indie, some games I don't know where they sit, in any genre you can think of,a genre or two that you will barely find on console..

[clmstr]

Where did I say PS4/Xbone have more games of different genres than PC? I clearly said "consoles". That means I include both PS3 and X360 in this list. Of course current gen consoles are not able to compete with PC in terms of games genres right now.

[starchild]

That doesn't make any sense. Do I have to buy all the consoles to compete with the PC? If so, I guarantee you are going to spend a lot more buying all the consoles than any decent PC.

You only talked about getting a PS4 anyway. Now you're trying to act like all the consoles beat the PC together. That's not what you said originally.

IF you are getting PS4 to enjoy some of the exclusives I think that is a good idea. That's what I did. But it's for the exclusives, since 90% of the games coming out on PS4 are games that are also on PC.

[mixolydian_id]

Sounds like you made your mind up ages ago...

[joab777]

It depends on what u want. With access to steam and mods for your favorite games.

Let's say u have a PS4 and now u can buy and cheap Steamboat to get access to PC gaming. Thats perfect scenario to me.

I could never understand how they were going to compete with and much less powerful machine for more $. Ppl who want to spend $800-$1000 will buy a PC.

[fredrikpedersen]

I'm sorry... but "Steamboat"?

[TheDevKit]

Which console?

[breakpad]

now with their steam let them go play Bloodborne

[kingduqc]

There is over 22 000 games on pc. The biggest console library by far is the ps2 with shy of 3000 games. Ps4 and xbone don't even have in total 300 games each as of right now and most of them are on pc.

So yeah. "meh"

[shysun]

22000 games on pc since last year?!? o_O

[DualWielding]

But the steam machine only plays natively games made for Linux which are mostly indies

[mixolydian_id]

They're clearly having more trouble pushing the consoles this time around.

Games are late and sparse in number.

Hence why there's so much deliberation.

The reason the last generation dragged on was because the consoles were actually totally sufficient just power deficient. The corporate business's ran out of new ideas ages ago... they're all looking to "new media" to push their devices. Ask yourself what features from this gen couldn't be implemented last gen?

Just how can you please an 80 million strong user base with some new that's sure to catch on?

What really annoys me is that they're all taking such a gamble on things like.

Dualshock touchpad (fecking wank)
Kinect 2.0 (Had to be released after to redeem the first)
Wii U touch screen (no more nunchuk wankery, just the pleasure of beating your friends who're completely distracted by the screen)
Project Morpheus/Occulus (VR is another gimmick smh)
Illumiroom (Won't work because of differentiating colour palettes within your own room)

Sigh.. it's not getting any better, Im becoming more and more disappointed with this generation of consoles.

[UnwanteDreams]

All those 22000 games and less than 300 worth downloading. I bought into the PC bs last year and I'm still wondering what I was missing. Dont take me wrong PC has some cant miss games but nothing that worth spending more than the price of a PS4 to play. Just my opinion.

[Chrischi1988]

Lol no, this is purely based on opinion. I for one know many, who wouldnt game if it wasnt for the RTS genre or most MMOs. To call a Starcraft, Warcraft, Dota, League of Legends, Command and Conquer, Diablo2 (D3 first, too), Counter Strike, Quake, Sim City, Age of Empires, World of Warcraft and Anno or all kinds of strategic games any less important for gaming is a pure joke. PC gaming defined the so called online gaming. It was there a decade before consoles. Not trying to bash consoles, I love them, but if I read such nonsense, I cannot hold back. Some of the greatest games are only on PC. This is purely subjective of course, but then also say so.

[BG11579]

People are seeing this the wrong way and aren't asking the right question.
If PC is so doing so well, why is Valve creating systems that follow many of the consoles directives?
Anybody dares to answer this question.

[UnwanteDreams]

If console gaming went away PC elitists would be screwed. You think PC gamers could support the gaming industry enough that it wouldnt crash? I dont.

[Corpser]

Consoles? All of them combined together? It's not like one console can play the exclusives on other consoles

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Maybe all consoles combined

[spoonard]

Not to mention every PS4 title that is released works on EVERY PS4. Will EVERY PC title released work on that Steam box for the next 7 years?

Another thing about the PS/Console comparison is the amount of power needed on a PC to achieve the same results on a console. The ratio is not even close to being even.

[Seafort]

Does every PS1, PS2 and PS3 game work on the PS4? And will all PS5 games work on all the other Playstations? :)

All PC games work on the PC platform. The consoles can't even compare to the amount of games on PC as they don't have any backwards compatibility.

This is why you are getting milked with these remastered versions of 2+ year old games on new consoles.

[tee_bag242]

You all some games running at 30fps with dips working?

[UnwanteDreams]

Meanwhile they are still charging money for games like System Shock on steam. How old is that one?

[DoctorJones]

@UnwanteDreams

And Sony are selling ps1 games on their store, how old are they?.

What's your point?

Oh yeah I forgot, you don't have one.

[geddesmond]

Yeah true some of my favorite series are only found on consoles. I never really gamed on PCs for the fact that a high end PC takes up too much space, i suck at playing Keyboard and mouse and they can be real expensive and really easy to mess up if you have no knowledge about PCs like I do but if the steambox does what it promises they I might buy one for multiplat games.

[frostypants]

Stop trying to make the Steam Machine happen. It's dead, people. No one is going to buy this. We all know it. Seriously...who here will buy this? Don't lie, now. Yeah, that's what I thought...consolers will buy a console and PC gamers will buy a real PC. Nobody asked for this. Nobody wants it. It solves no problem and has no market.

[jholden3249]

I'm not arguing that I would buy it, but can we please stop using the 'nobody asked for it' excuse? Almost all my favorite games are games that I never asked for. Almost all my favorite consoles are consoles that I never asked for. It's not their job to wait tables and take orders of what we want. It's their job to create something new and enticing that they anticipate we will want. And maybe we will, maybe we won't. But if platform manufactures only made what people ask for can you imagine what kind of gaming environment we'd be in right now?

People only ever ask for the same old thing over and over again. Thank goodness they know better than to just make what people ask for.

[frostypants]

@jholden3249, fair enough. But that doesn't change my point that it solves no problem and has no market. Sometimes a product no one asked for succeeds because people didn't KNOW they wanted it. This is not such a product. The fact that I got 8 disagrees but no cogent counter-argument other than yours (which was good) kind of proves my theory that the only people hyping this are PC gamers who think it will bring a new audience to the PC gaming community, which clearly won't happen. Otherwise, I'd have expected some PC fanboys to jump in and insist that they'd buy one...but they know they won't. People WISH the Steam Machine would succeed...but they can't give a good argument for why it won't fail miserably.

1 year from now no one will be talking about the Steam Machine. Hell, hardly anyone's been talking about them for 6 months now.

[Vladplaya]

Exclusives, the "go to" console fan argument. Sad thing is, PC beats consoles even there heh

[ShaunCameron]

Too bad the PC doesn't have exclusives of importance, though.

[Dr Face Doctor]

Well they certainly aren't winning that category in terms of quantity.

[Theo1130]

Can you plug in a M/KB to this thing? I just want to play dota on it.

[xtremexx]

into the steam machine? i would think so since its technically a PC.

[masterfox]

awesome!!!, I'm ready to play Uncharted 4, Driveclub, The order 1886, Bloodborn, GT7, Ryme, LBP 3, soon the announce God War on the STEAM MACHINE!!! ......
what??

wait a minute I can't play those in that thing ?? aww well is ok I will be able to play Witcher 3 on max settings right?? what not even that ? da hell >:(
OK.. ok..

I will be able to play Star Citizen on max settings!!!

what ? NOT EVEN THAT ???

Why the funk I would want a damn steam machine then ???

waste of money :/

[Torque_CS_Lewith]

http://n4g.com/news/1569856...
Less than 2 days ago this one was talking about hardware inferiorities. Now that PS4 hardware is being reported to be inferior to this Steam box, this one has now flipped the script and is talking about game preferences.

[Doge]

Don't bother with him. His message was loud and clear.

[Volkama]

I want to bubble you up for well said AND for funny. Because that comment is both.

[RoninRaven]

This is the second post of yours that I read today and I must say dear Sir that you restored some of my faith in the N4g community. Well done and have a bubble vote.

[Torque_CS_Lewith]

Thank you Volkama and RoninRaven for the props

[GamingTruth]

ps4 is inferior to steam box and pc, but the graphics of pc and steam box arent showing the superiority vs ps4 exclusives

[MadLad]

All right, kids. Let's play the "tout console exclusives as we conveniently forget PC gets a laundry list of exclusive content every year" game.

@Torque

Thanks for pointing out that other bit of fanboy hypocrisy on masterfox's part.

[aquamala]

Of course, we're in an PC article, specs and performance don't matter here, it's all about the games!

and PC can't play PS4 exclusives? you don't say. can PS4 play PC,Xbox,WiiU,3DS exclusives? it can't even play PS3 exclusives

[GamingTruth]

you also cant show me a pc equivalent of many ps3 exclusive games in graphics let alone ps4

[MadLad]

@GamingTruth

That's a bit of gaming lies coming from you.

[Rivitur]

Do you know what an emulator is? Or how about PC exclusives do you know what that is? Your vision is very narrow young one.

[nycgamer4ever]

In his defense buyingva low spec steam machine Is a complete waste of money. It's pretty much a crapnpc which Will be obsolete in a couple of years.

[AndrewLB]

Then buy a higher up model! PS4 costs $399 up front, but after paying for online gaming for the next 6 years, the price suddenly skyrockets to $699!! I bet you'll be able to buy a much more powerful steam machine for that kind of coin.

[tee_bag242]

Nice list of games but none of them are even out.
Not exactly a good attempt if you're trying to upsell.
Seems like you're grasping at straws.

[user5669510]

you do know that ps4 doesnt play any multiplat maxxed out right? and the exclusive ill admit looks good but are overhyped because of the simple fact that theyre ps exclusives. sony could put a ps flag on a turd and you would love it

ps fanboys. where do they come up with this bs seriously.

[Rob_Ko]

who cares, with no exclusive games no conole owner will switch to it anyway.

[Eiffel]

Besides the hundreds already exclusive to PC if not thousands should we include the last decade.

https://docs.google.com/doc...

[MadLad]

PC has no exclusives?

My Steam account has been feeding me lies for years.

[chaldo]

@SlapHappyJesus and @Eiffel

Shhh, don't feed the ignorant :P

[Volkama]

Hmmm that could be true. I have loads of exclusive games on my Steam library too, but often I don't get round to trying them so I cannot actually verify that they are real.

I could be in for a very disappointing retirement (that's when I plan to work through the back log)

[DualWielding]

Pc has exclusives, syeam machine doesnt. Do you know you cannot run windows games on this unless you buy windows 8 separetely and dual boot? And if you do that then the steam machine is just a crappy pc

[Debaitable]

Star Citizen

[tee_bag242]

Seriously, is this your first generations on gaming or something? PC tears the consoles a new with the amount of exclusives it has.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

I wouldnt switch to it, but Id like one as I dont have a good PC.
If digital really is the future, MS and Sony need to rethink their strategies because if I was to buy digital, and I had this "steam machine" I know what platform I'd be getting it on!

[ScorpiusX]

Had it been the idea of a different person then I might care , but seeing it wasn't I have desire for it or that it be successfully .

[--bienio--]

Suprise??

[sashimi]

branded PCs lol people should stop comparing em to consoles. While we at it my pc runs circles around these steam machines.

[iamnsuperman]

Not really a surprise. Like it will not be a surprise when the games will suffer from a lack of optimisation. It is all well and good having a system the beats the consoles but the games that come to console are heavily optimised. If your going to get a steam box I would get one a bit more powerful. Or better yet get a more PC

[Daniel_Potter]

Well, the graphics card that they included runs battlefield 4 in 1080p on ultra with about 52-63 fps
http://www.bit-tech.net/har...
PS4 runs in 900p, with 50-60 fps as well

[GamingTruth]

yeah thats really maxing ps4 out

[HaydenJameSmith]

Who cares I rather buy both the PS4 and Xbox One than that CyberPowerPC Steam Machine anyway... PC Gaming is not gonna get the same support consoles do anytime soon so I'll stick to console gaming as my focus for now. Steam Machines might be the start of something special for PC Gaming but gonna be a long time before it takes off cause most of its potential audience already have PCs and what developers will ever choose Linux over Windows ? when everyone games on windows... Steam Machines will be fighting an uphill battle for a while.

[stragomccloud]

And yet the PC gaming catalog stretches all the back to the earliest games. PC gaming has more exclusives from Indie devs, PC gaming lets you mod your games, and PCs support emulators, which let you play pretty much any console game up to the Gamecube/PS2 era. Most games after that era have PC version.

[HaydenJameSmith]

I'm not that interested in playing Games I have already played, I bought Next Gen for new games not old ones, as did most people, so your comment on emulation pretty much is irrelvant to the success of PC over Console especially when the games your talking about emulating were console games... that is not support, neither is mods... thats all PC gaming has going for it mods, emulation, free to play and Indie Devs, two things, F2P and Indie support, of which MS and Sony are trying to provide for as well. So in conclusion PC Gaming is great because of their community but its not heavily supported by that many AAA Devs... I am interested in getting Games and Content first and Exclusive games that MS and Sony provide, which is why I game on Consoles primarily. Until PC gets that sort of support Console Gaming will be more successful, PC gaming will always be superior in performance cause of its scalability between hardware.

[Seafort]

@HaydenJameSmith

Please check your indie and AAA titles and see which games are already on PC or coming to it soon.

The only devs/publishers not supporting PC gaming is the console manufacturers themselves.

Every other dev/publisher not owned or bought out/bribed by Sony, MS or Nintendo are fully in support of the PC platform.

Whether you like it or not the PC platform probably has more gaming support than any of the gaming platforms.

[HaydenJameSmith]

@Seafort

PC is just another platform that is seconded to Consoles... Content and Games always come to Consoles first, you know why because they sell more... there is a reason why MS promote console gaming over PC gaming. Btw I never said PC doesn't get support, just not the same support as Consoles and that is why it won't be as successful... that's where Steam Machine could be a stepping stone to that success, leading back to my earlier point.

[user5669510]

"Btw I never said PC doesn't get support, just not the same support as Consoles"

i fail to understand what this means. more support equals console exclusives? which is little. so whats pc exclusives, and exclusive features... less support? another one pulling sh!t outta his @$$.

consoles are just mainstream. it get more buzz in the streets. thats about it. they have exclusive buy console makers to get customers interested in them. like everyone stated its not like pc isnt going to play new games. mods are support and welcomed in the pc gaming community. pc also have aaa exclusives but i doubt you will see that. console fanboys usually dont give credit to them until they are ported to consoles( D#, the witcher, BF, PS2, etc). then again they do that to all pc games its trash until its on consoles remember minecraft.

"PC is just another platform that is seconded to Consoles... Content and Games always come to Consoles first, you know why because they sell more"

lmao what. do you know how many games launch on pc. i guess you are talking about over hyped games, and even with that content and games is king on pc. i seriously wondering what do you consider content because consoles get nickeled and dimed for content even ones you already paid for. no mp, devs rarely give free content on consoles, lack of new gameplay and basically copying indies, support visual upgrade packs after the game launches, free mp maps for fans, constant flow of updates and themes for mp( ex killing floor halloween and chrismas theme), dev tools to help community mod and create new thing in game(Arma, wasnt it last week yall was jumping up and down for a game that started as a arma mod).

i seem like console fanboys keep grasping for straws. not saying your one, dont remember you making any fanboy remarks but your talking BS. some exclusives made by console makers and the little bit LITTLE bit of 3rd party console exclusive dont outweigh the content and exclusive pc have. and if your talking content like dlc that comes out at the same time no matter what platform. indie games yall are now hyping up alway comes to pc first and some been on pc for the longest. people are still waiting for ps2.

also games get patched at a faster rate on pc if the devs isnt incompetent. games that usually take long to patch usually take long to do so across the board. ex bf4, gtav, wd.

also pc gamers have a higher standard when it comes to content, gameplay, gfx. we are not easily fooled just because a game is exclusive or have shiny gfx. if the content and quality is not worth the price we will wait to the price go down. if the gameplay is not good we will not play it. we dont pretend a game it good just because the gfx and that its exclusive. this is starting to seem like a rule that console fanboys live by.

[tee_bag242]

@ HaydenJameSmithYes

Yet here you are paying twice for last gen games and still seeing them at less quality than old PC releases... sad

Where are the next gen AAA games on the consoles so far ? All I'm seeing is stale old recipes...last gen corridor shooters with last gen PC graphics. Yawn

[stragomccloud]

@consoleslateagain
Well said. Bubbles good sir!

[Dirtnapstor]

Steam machines in the living room. Good idea, but really, wouldn't visual output capabilities limit the "power" of a PC? The standard TV most are playing on wont provide the support those "powerful" machines need to look good... unless investing in 4Ks. So what would be the point? IMO until super high-end TV costs come way down, consoles in the living room will remain supreme...check that, consoles will bury PCs in the living room no matter what. Exclusives will provide that fuel.

I think articles like this spawn from PCs newfound Napoleon Complex.

[Clunkyd]

This is the problem with steam machines, it's a computer! Why am I going to limit myself to only playing games and not use it as a computer? I wouldn't want to plug in a PC to my living room set. That's not convenient and its a pain to use.

That's why I believe Steam Machines will fail. This is why we have consoles, not to mention, great first party titles.

[aquamala]

owning both PS4 and XB1 and paying $100 a year to play online, you're spending as much as a high end PC

[matt139]

But not in exclusives :)

[ramtah]

okei it has better spec then the xbone and ps4 but does it have games?

[incendy35]

Way more games right now than X1 or PS4. Steam dominates the indie scene. Plus all the old games like Arkham City, Skyrim etc feel like next gen games on a good PC.

Additionally, all PC games are backwards compatible. So basically your library goes all the way back to the first game ever made haha.

[incredibleMULK]

That's why I sold my ps3 and 360 and made me a mid range rig gtx 760 with 8 gigs of ram i5 CPU. I made it for crysis multi player until gamefly shut down multuplayer. Playing part 3 now on origin. But damn it was worth it. Bf3 raphics are better than ps4 bf4 graphics!

So now I use x1 for online multi player cuz live rocks. I use ps4 for exclusives like last of us and infamous. I use PC for old games from last Gen and cheap new ones.

Good games like wolfenstein I play on x1 and p4 for fun factor and achievements and plan on buying again on steam when they hit $5. So I play all three versions. (I only do that with really good games like mafia 2, wolfenstein,crysis, etc)

I think this is the best way: play best multi player community on live IMO, Sony exclusives, and own best version cheaply on steam. And finally best games toward gamer score and platinums/trophies

[incendy35]

I recently built a steam machine for my living room. Overall it ended up costing around 700 dollars, but I could have gone quite a bit lower if I opted for an i5 processor. I ended up ditching the SteamOS fairly quick and going with Windows though, too many games do not work with SteamOS right now, plus you might want games on services like Origin etc as well as Steam.

Been playing all the TellTale games on it since they aren't on X1 or PS4 yet. Also been playing a lot of Skyrim.

Overall, I am enjoying it. And if you love the indie scene it is a must have ""console"" ;.

[zerog]

Saying you get better performance is utter nonsense though. Higher spec does not equal higher performance comparing console to pc. Consoles will always recieve farbtter optimization while pc has to brute force its performance.

[TonyPT]

That really depends on the game studio that develops the game. Aside from that, you can always tune your pc settings in game for better graphics or performance, depending on your gameplay choices.

[zerog]

Tuning your pc settings is not the same as optimization though. All tuning does is allow you to give or take on various points of performance depending on your rigs capabilities. The truth told which pc boys hate but is none the less true is that spec for spec a pc will never out perform a console simply because the hardware in consoles is fixed. Just to make the point try to build any pc setup with only 512MBs of ram and see if you get anywhere close to the performance of the games that came out on ps3 or 360 in the last couple years. I bet the results will be laughable.

[moegooner88]

100 dollars more expensive than the PS4, but it beats it in price cause the author thinks so, load of BS.

[Spotie]

And if it has comparable or slightly better specs, it won't actually have better performance, either.

I'm not one of those that thinks PC doesn't have any games or anything ridiculous like that. But it's stupid of some of the people in here to cry about hypocrisy when someone who compares two consoles doesn't see the merit in comparing a console to a PC.

XB1 vs PS4 makes sense. Fundamentally, on every level, comparing the two is logical. Comparing either- or the Wii U, for that matter- to PC does NOT make sense, because they're not similar products.

I don't know why the analogy of different types of cars doesn't make sense to people, as it's the same thing: different products for different segments of the same market. A sports car does not directly compete with an SUV.

[starchild]

Your analogy fails because these are all game systems. They play 90% the same exact games. They achieve the same exact purpose at the end of the day: to play games. The difference in game libraries is the biggest difference between all of the platforms and that cuts across different consoles just as much as between PC and any given console.

Fanboys want to artificially exclude the PC because they want to push around other console gamers, nothing more.

When considering which platform to play multiplatform games and exclusives on the PC is as viable a choice as any other. This imaginary line separating consoles and PC doesn't really exist the way some of you think.

Yes, the PC has certain genres that consoles lack and appeal to a different audience, but there is also a HUGE amount of overlap between consoles and PC. There are a large number of PC gamers that used to be console gamers and vice versa. Many of us own gaming PCs AND consoles.

This proves that by and large gamers are gamers. The situation is fluid. Consoles and PCs attract many of the same people. People move to and from each platform. Each gamer is confronted with the choice of which platform or platforms to game on, and this most certainly includes the PC.

People aren't artificially restricted from gaming on certain platforms. There is no gaming police that is going to stop you and ask you for papers that identify you as a PC gamer or console gamer and turn you away from buying a PC because you are a registered "console gamer".

This is why barring the PC from the conversation makes no sense. Many of us game on PC and console. Many people considering a console are also considering getting a gaming PC. They're weighing all of their options. And in the gaming community all options should be weighed and discussed. Certain platforms shouldn't be barred from the discussion just because it suits the agenda of fanboys.

[Artista]

These steam boxes are really enticing.. Plenty of time to weigh my options. . PC allows me to have backward compatibility, that alone is a huge plus. Instead of having platform holders like Sony and Microsoft milking me dry.

[Back-to-Back]

In addition they also come with waiting for console games to come to pc at a much later date.

PC Gamers still have not played GTA V lmfao

[Artista]

lol I had a console to play GTA V on, I passed on it. IDGF about GTA games .. I'm sure there are millions more on PC who don't give a F about GTA .. Besides that, who say you can't have both a console and PC?

[dcbronco]

In the next year or so it won't matter if you don't have a PC or if you don't have an Xbox One, you'll have both. If Microsoft goes through fully with their code once across all platforms goal every game made with DX12 will work on Xbox and the other way around. Plus phones and tablets.

[uth11]

It runs SteamOS, not Windows. That means many AAA games won't run on it, or not run properly if using Wine.

Although long-term I do hope SteamOS becomes a force in gaming. Frequent Windows issues are a big part of what ruined PC gaming for me.

[Eiffel]

You can install Windows to a Steam Machine, these aren't proprietary closed hardware devices like consoles. They're compact gaming PCs.

[uth11]

But most people wouldn't want to run Windows on a console-like piece of hardware. It's not designed for that kind of environment.

That's why I like where they're going with SteamOS, but I don't think it's quite there yet.

[Eiffel]

How can you speak for most people who otherwise wouldn't know? It's a gaming PC in a compact form with a Linux OS, they are not consoles. SteamOS runs like any other desktop OS, that's why it's also available for built PCs. There is no "environment" that it's designed for. You can use a Steam Machine just like you would a gaming PC, or sit back with a controller with Big Picture Mode. Both of these things you can already do with Windows installed on a built PC. There is no difference.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I am not going to debate specs of the machine to the consoles. Clearly its specs are on an equal footing to better levels. That said the author incorrectly places the XB1 price at $499 when in fact its been widely publicized that the Xbox One now has official SKU's at $399.00 on offer. That means the This Steam Machine is $100 more than either the PS4 or the Xbox One.

Now factor in it ships with Steam OS and not Windows and that machine is greatly reduced in terms of what you can run on it unless you choose to get Windows and install it on it. Which if you are legally upgrading that means you are probably shelling out an additional $40 for a Windows 8 key or Windows 7 will run you about $80 from what I can see. So now that useful Steam Machine is around $550 or more.

That being said...its still not a horrible deal for a nice little PC rig.

[SliceOfTruth888]

I can buy all of the same ingredients to the best dish at any 5 star restaurant but I can assure you it won't taste the same

[yezz]

How does it beat the PS4 in price if it's 100$ more expensive?

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Or the Xbox One since it now has a $399 offering? Just seems like someone is trying to make a headline.

[gamingisnotacrime]

Specs must be fun!!!
I will be playing my ps3 ps4 PS vita and leave with a smile on my face

When PC lovers can bring something other than specs then is all good and BTW there is no contest PC specs are always better, but consoles are where the gaming community is having its fun

[Insane087]

This would be the perfect multiplat machine! for the price of a new console game you can usually get the game and the season pass... but then theres ubisoft and ea games which use their own stuff on pc so not all multiplats. I was exited when these were first announced but kinda don't see a place for them

[edqe]

There is a lot of new hardware coming to the market this year so things are going to change better for Steam Machines.

I definitely hope SteamOS is going to be a success on PC side in future and Microsoft would concentrate to consoles. SteamOS is much more open and uses industry de facto open standard which already makes it much more tempting.

[CertifiedGamer]

Whoever wrote this article act like if Sony and Microsoft are going to sit on their asses and watch the competition do something their console can obvious do. I laugh at articles that think like this blogger does because he doesn't give constructive arguements but tries to push his biased ideals without considering both sides of the arguement.

[jcnba28]

This is good and all but these steam machines don't have the games I want to play. Zelda, Smash, Starfox, Metroid, Bloodborne, Uncharted 4 etc. will never come to steam.

[edqe]

Actually you are able to play Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, etc. Are you able to play those with PS4 or XBox One?

[jcnba28]

What? I was comparing these steam boxes to consoles...

[edqe]

@jcnba28: I thought you said that you are not able to play Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, etc. with Steam Machine which is not true. You are able to play those games on Steam Machines.

I was interested if you are able to play those games with PS4 or XBox One.

[OpenGL]

This comparison is pretty flawed, both the PS4 and Xbox One GPUs are based on Volcanic Islands, the R270 is based on Southern Islands. Each Volcanic Islands ACE can schedule 4x as many compute jobs and the PS4 GPU has 8 ACEs while the R270 and even R280 only have 2.

When you consider the PS4's low-level API GNM, it will run circles around this $500 Steam machine in a year.

If you are going to game on PC build your own tower.

[ShowGun901]

you can even put steam OS on it!

never buy a boxed pc (even a steam box) if you have the knowledge to build your own... you'll save money and put money into the components YOU care about, not whats been decided for you. if you want something pre-assembled, get a ps4! then build your gaming rig, have the best of both worlds, and laugh when these idiots go off on a tangent about console vs pc!

[Eludin]

This!

[MaxwellBuddha]

You're not a PC gamer unless you built whatever it is you're playing on (price doesn't matter). It's almost like a rite of passage.

[Muzikguy]

At $100 more than the PS4 it doesn't beat the PS4 by price. Of course that little fact was at the bottom. What a terrible site, can barely read the stuff

[sorane]

Free online and cheaper games means it not only beats the PS4 price, but it absolutely destroys it.

[Thomaticus]

Steam Machines got my attention...

I'm hoping to get the same Steam Prices that they have today on games. I'm also worried about how viruses could affect the system.

This is a good entry into PC Gaming for those of us who don't want to build their own PC.

[kwyjibo]

This article is copy pasted from a January 2014 Cinema Blend article, it adds nothing new other than clickbait.

[Father__Merrin]

steam machine is absolutely useless to me, it simply has no use.

il keep my pc for steam games thanks, il also be keeping my ps4 tons of games coming soon

[linkenski]

...which means it will not reach PS4 performances for multi-plat titles.

[C-H-E-F]

Uhm... in my nearly 20 years of gaming with Sony Playstation, i've never been let down with quality over the span of the console life. Sony made my Playstation investment worth it each time. Anyways what I'm trying to say is... Steambox....xbox... doesn't matter I'll alwaysgo to Sony because I know they've never let me down in a console generation.

:p

[Ryan741]

Even when they gave your credit card information away? You were not even slightly annoyed? You Sir are a true Sonytologist.

[Antnee534]

Well what I noticed is the article lied it does not have pet's price beat 499 is not 399 or 449 so yea article is a lie lol :P

[DCfan]

PC is good for port begging.

[KontryBoy706]

people shouldn't be surprised by this

[Ryan741]

But they don't have Drive Club or the PlayStation network.

[Coach_McGuirk]

sure stirred the console crowd up here

[Muzikguy]

I think the title alone did that.

[mysteryraz11]

Actualy you can ps4 or even x1s below 400 dollars now at sites so it doesnt beat them at all plus haveing a library of crappy indie games and no worthwhile games its trash

[Miacosa]

This article misses the point of why people console game. A PC build 2 years or more after the parts of a consoles being locked in is a bad comparison. Of course the specs are gonna be better, furthermore, in 2 years time this build won't look so hot either. In addition, it is running Steam Os which drastically limits what this build can run and is available for a consumer to play. So if you factor in costs to make it a Windows Machine that expands the library the price goes up to a higher than $499 price point. Which at this point you start to leave the cost effectiveness argument.

Yes, the games matter or else why are you building this PC? If you cannot get what you want to play who cares if you can run stuff at 4K 60fps or whatever the specs. Consoles are designed to be the lowest barrier to entry at a cost effective price point. Set it and forget it mentality, jump in and play and PC is still not there yet for the average joe even with Steam Os.

[tkato]

As a gamer, if you're into AAA titles you need to get a console, that's just the way things are, it's easier for developers to optimize for 3 platforms MAX and not deal with the huge variety of PC configurations, so if a developer releases a game for the PC and consoles, it's understandable that the PC version will have tons of problems.

What steam is trying to do here is notable, but, there are still lots of steam machines, so they're setting themselves for failure, again.

[TheVigilanteCode]

I clicked on this link expecting something new on Steam Machines but just WOW...

1. For starters, 670° for a copypaste job of a piece that was written more than 7 months ago, albeit referencing just the name "cinemablend" just to avoid plagiarism later, all that WITHOUT LINKING TO THE ORIGINAL SOURCE OF THIS. Well played kids.

2. Moving on, you FAIL in your own piece. First you say (or rather a pathetic copypaste from cinemablend - doesn't matter because it's posted on your site and when you the take all the ad revenue from the clicks, you are BOUND to take the flak) "PC Vs Consoles: Low End Steam Machine Beats The PS4 And Xbox In Specs, Features, Performance And Price!" . PRICE ? LOL. Both the PS4 & the Xbox ONE retail for $399 now and this alone defeats this entire article. This is WHY YOU SHOULD'NT COPY/PASTE ARTICLES FROM 7 MONTHS AGO, WITHOUT LINKING THE ORIGINAL SOURCE.

3. Someone please inform these clueless infants that the Steam Machines have been officially pushed into the 2015 fiscal year by Valve. Both, the iBuyPower Steam Machine which was for $499 and the CyberPowerPC Steam Machine which is $499 again, are not even up for pre-orders yet. Plot twist - YOU CANNOT BUY THEM NOW.

4. I still can't stop laughing at the "PRICE!!! PRICE!!!11ONE" part. "CHEAPER THAN PS4 & XBOX ONE" to "Even at $100 more than the PS4". LMAO, keep moving those goalposts as much as you can to get more ad revenue, you pathetic leeches.

5. Oh, and thanks. Console and PC Gamers are getting along as they ever were and know your clickbait tactics won't stir anything. We've been there, done that since the 80's. You're all an absolute disgrace with this new trend of copypaste startup websites claiming "games journalism" but nothing more than a NeoGAF/Reddit post - and no different than your other third rate clickbait brethren like Gamingbolt, who are so desperate for either money stooping to ANY level for ad revenue and to beg the E3 panel for that "JOURNALIST" badge around your neck which they refuse to give you. This will be the last I visit here, as I did with the first time I clicked on a Gamingbolt link. I'm pretty sure most people will too.

[Muzikguy]

+1 my friend, I like your attitude and share the same point of view. Gamingbolt is trash and this site is too. These "journalists" are coming out of nowhere it seems, doing little to no work, and expecting to get paid. Anyone can sit behind a computer creating flamebait articles.

[hiawa23]

I get what the article is saying, but I am fine with the consoles..

[e-p-ayeaH]

If youre looking for performance the steambox isnt the ideal solution plus the consoles have nice UI´s and some good exclusive games that pc doesnt have.

Its all a matter of preference in the end, i prefer playstation mostly because it delivers exacly what i want.

[PoodlePuncher]

I think there are a lot of misconceptions here. For one, more cores isn't necessarily better than less cores with more power per core. Multithreading games is a really difficult task, and different threads typically don't fully utilize a core to it's fullest potential. On PC you can easily look at this by looking at a decent multithreaded game and seeing that not all cores are being fully utilized.

Also, if you don't like a keyboard and mouse use a controller. Even without Steam OS if you use Steam Big Picture Mode you can launch games and do everything with just about any controller. Granted, some games support for controllers isn't that great, but most newer games have really good support, and you probably don't want to play competitive online games with it, although I have seen some people do really well.

Another thing, if you're talking quantities of exclusives PC has WAY more. I mean you have full genres that are nearly exclusive to PC, like MMO's and MOBA's or RTS's(yes, I know there are a few of each genre on consoles, but they don't work very well and they're few and far between). Now, for quality of exclusives it's all an opinion, but consoles do have some really awesome exclusive titles. PC has some great ones too, so many that it's hard to list. It really comes down to a matter of preference.

Another thing I'd like to add is I don't think people appreciate how cheap games are on PC a lot of the time. Publishers don't have to pay anyone to release a game on the platform, which helps for them to sell games at a reduced price. Not to mention the crazy Steam and Humble Bundle sales. For example, Titanfall is $20 on Origin right now, pretty sure it's still $50 for Xbox One.

[kryteris]

A6-6400K 3.90 GHz CPU, AMD + Dual core = fail.

[GeraltofRivia]

With the constant news I see of the "next gen" consoles "will it run at 900p at 60fps, will it run at 1080p at 30fps, etc.... it appears that my 6 year old laptop ran games as good if not a little better than the next gen consoles.

[quenomamen]

So buy and shut up.

[assdan]

There's also the fact that this probably isn't stronger than a ps4 (about the same strength) and it's on a platform that most people would consider nonviable.

[craig2web]

The title is a lie - this steambox does not beat the PS4 in price. It costs $100 more than the PS4.

[OsirisBlack]

Well lets just see if they can sell any units. It's quite doubtful as there is no place in the market for them. PC owners already have their rigs and console owners are not interested so...... who buys this thing?

[Edito]

No we can't keep that in mind cause if you want to compare specs put it against a PC on consoles im worried about games not specs, if a low power gaming console deliver the best games i will choose that console...

[DerrickCole]

"Please keep in mind games on consoles has nothing to do with this article, this article is about specs, performance, features and price"

Bull****. The title of the article and all through out the article you not only mention consoles, but directly compare them to the steam machine. Flaimbait article.

[SynestheticRoar]

It was a sad comparison. Try again next year. In the mean time no respectable PC gamer would want to roll with that machine. Real baller's like myself, would buy 1000 dollar and up rig.

[thexmanone]

Can`t wait, Steam Machine is sounding better and better.
I'm a gamer so I take all that I could get.

[lemoncake]

I already have a good desktop PC but I might pick one of these steam machines up or build my own in about two years, at which point it will blow the current consoles out of the water in terms of power and at a very decent price point.

[kingPoS]

So long as it can play my collection of bluray movies tv shows and anime, I'm good.

Gateway MT6706 2008

[SwiftArsonist]

that amd apu, the 7850 i think, blows consoles out of the water

[windblowsagain]

For graphics too get much better.

It will need Devs to use the actual power of Processors/GPU'S.

Dx12 should help in area's.

Would not waste money on a steam machine, my PC destroys it as it is,lol.

[Macdaddy71]

1st the damn thing $100 more then X1 n ps4, that piss me off when they do that...2nd if I'm give $500 for pc I'm upgrade mine, and do more with it...I don't think this will take off.. It won't have nothing other then the AAA games on it....I hope it falls flat on its face....

[Macdaddy71]

And what do you do when they make games it won't run!!!! Console all the way....

[Orionsangel]

I would say yes if you're on a budget. Steam deals will always beat the prices of games on consoles

[rocketpanda]

If users are already invested in their ps4 and/or Xbox One steam machines won't sway to change. Some people just don't want to deal with drivers, settings and configurations.

[Dragonopolis]

There are Problems with this article when in fact it is not comparable to the consoles hardware at all.... Its worst, especially considering value of hardware with software.

First, windows needing 1GB minimum for OS is wrong. Sorry - you need 2GB for Windows 7 For OS. So 6GB DDR3 memory for Steam Boxes CPU only; no GPU access to this memory. A lot of games are GPU Heavy not CPU heavy. So way more memory than you need strictly for gaming.

Memory: more like 2GB for OS usage now for a console OS. Microsoft mentioned 3GB usage when requiring gamers to buy Kinect which was expected to be always on. I also believe some of that 3GB are if gamers are use the HDMI Pass through (allows the Xbox to display a second hardware device while running).

Now you can buy an Xbox One for $399 without Kinect. Microsoft is constantly refining the Xbox One's OS so gamers could see 6GB eventually. KDE is one of the most memory intensive consumer GUI environments for FreeBSD and is a full Desktop environment with minimum requirements: 1GB of memory. PS4's OS is based on FreeBSD and is not a full Desktop environment 2GB should be fine.

Xbox only uses DDR3 memory but it runs at 2133MHz vs Steam box which has 1600MHz memory. The Xbox One GPU uses the same DDR3 memory as CPU where the article's Steam Box GPU r9 270 is using Faster GDDR5 memory. Xbox One makes up for this a bit by providing a small amount of very fast ESRAM.

Also the GPU on the Steam box will always have a MAX of 2GB of Memory available where the shared memory of the Xbox One and PS4 can give the GPU more memory if needed and if available. The PS4 has 8GB with 6GB usable of GDDR5 memory (the same memory the GPU on the Steam box is using). Shared memory allows PS4 to also give more memory to GPU if available

CPU: Let us Compare the lowly "Quad core" A8 3800 at 2.4GHz which is faster when using multi-threaded applications than the A6 6400K which is at 3.9GHz and "Dual Core". Website "CPU World" has a comparison of the A6 6400k vs A8-3800 if you want to check it out for yourself. The author of the article tries to blow off the advantages of multi-threading So 4 or more cores are an advantage over 2 cores "when software takes advantage of it" - the fast Megahertz advantage is lost.

GPU: With reverse engineering recently done on the PS4 it was discovered that the PS4's APU is using a full AMD HD 7870 GPU. The GPU on the Steam box in the article is using R9 270 which is essentially a fast HD 7870. The difference is that the R9 270 is clocked higher in speed than the PS4 APU so the GPU is slower. This results in lower compute power for the PS$ GPU: PS4 = 1.8 TFLOPS vs Steam Box's 2.37 TFLOPs. However, memory bandwidth speed is still similar PS4=176GB/s vs this Steam box setup of 179.2GB/s. Also the R9 270 of the Steam Box is putting out way more wattage than the total wattage of PS4 or Xbox One's APU so running this Steam Box is going to cost you more a month in electricity.

That doesn't mean that All Steam Boxes are bad. A gamer buying a PC for gaming should spend $100 to $200 more over $500 to overcome a Console but will be rewarded with better looking faster game play. A Steam box can offer additional hardware and software features on the non gaming side of things to justify the added cost even making it a better value if you plan on using the Steam box for more than just gaming...

But strictly for gaming only, a Console still offers a better price/performance ratio than a PC at the same price.

[gigoran]

HAHAHA what is with that update? Games are a crucial part of debating this topic! It's like they are saying "my dad is better than your dad but you can't use any facts or evidence to claim it's not true". Really REALLY lame and stupid. Absolutely childish.

And if anyone wanted to they could BUILD a pc that is just as powerful as this low end steam machine... for even LESS money! So maybe I should go write an article called "Home Built PC beats Low End Steam Machine In Specs, Features, Performance And Price".

[Aquariusgamer]

it might have better specs but games won't be as optimized for those specs as they are for the consoles.

the low end steam machines aren't worth purchasing imo. get the mid and high ranged ones if you really want to outperform the consoles.

[nbalive89]

first sony was greater then xbox one because of power but after this is now of its exclusive against the pc stupid fanboys, i own every game system this gen i could less about whats better as long i have great games to play ,if you need a system to make your life better or feel better about yourself then other people get help

[marloc_x]

What on earth could ever make a console unique again? ..mm

[SovereignSnaKe]

~When are these things even coming out? ...forget it, I don't even care.

[jay2]

pointless story, 2 year old hw will be weaker than new hw its about the games and i want discs over dl personally

[Frisky]

Look what I found, Cinema Blend published this report way back in January 2014. The Link: http://www.cinemablend.com/...

Following the report, KDramastars, published a very similar article (with similar wordings), just after a week or so. The Link: http://www.kdramastars.com/...

But it looks like due to some reason, KDramastars, decided to copy paste the same article and publish it again now in August, and now here it is on N4G, and I'm commenting on it.

Ironically, when copying from more than 6 months old article, KDramasters didn't even bother to change the price of Xbox One from $499 to $399.

I don't quite get it, why publish the same article again?

[gamer7804]

The problem with the article updateis that game exclusives, apss and console features, factor into the value/price so that cant be ignored no matter how much the author wants to.