The grill on top of the unit... there should be exactly 300 holes in it. The one drilled larger than the rest indicates which unit you have. You have #78 of 300 (1:39). My friend had one equipped with a Titan for Christmas, 2013. Came in a small wooden crate. The controllers were a bit janky.
@@z3alious no i love it. still use it to this day. people just never took the time to get to know it and customize it. its has an admittedly huge learning curve, but once you learn it and then learn how to customize it for specific games... there's no other controller that comes close. and i get the criticism: if you want something that just works and its comfortable out of the box, the steam controller is not that. it's for nerds, by nerds. it's for the people who like to tinker and if you're willing to put in the time, it's god tier.
I actually appreciate them addressing sleeping on the steam controller - time has been really kind to steam's hardware ecosystem honestly, they've put in the work with updates and steam input is genuinely such a boon for everyone using something that isn't a keyboard and mouse
its the fake core gamers who are to blame Nintendo gamers went gyro and hands apart controller 17 years ago stony fans after endless attempts took 20 yrs to finaaly get gyro and xtards still dont have it wen steam went full ALPHA MALE WE LOVE NINTENDOS FOEWARD THINKING THE PC USERBASE WELL 90% OF IT TURNED ITS NOSE UP ITS RETARTD CASUALS WHO ARE TO BLAME THE WII REMOTE AND CHUCK APPROTCH SHOULD HAVE BECAME INDUSTRY STANDARD WELL OVER A DECADE AGO SONY PC AND XBOX FULL RETARDS ARE TO BLAME FOR THIS.....IN 2023 WE HAVE PS5 GAMERS ACTING ALL TOUGH ALPHA GAMER 17 YRS AFTER NINTENDO GAMERS EMBRACED IT NEVER GO FULL RETARD
The Steam Controller felt like a solution looking for a problem. I'm just glad the controller's functionality has lived on in the Deck. I'd love to see Valve make a Steam Controller 2 that's basically everything but the Steam Deck.
@@yourimpossibletoisgn Really? I bought one for $5 when they were ending them. But I rarely if ever use it. Checking eBay, they do sell for more than that, but seemingly no more than they originally cost.
@@Dgsrgv You clearly haven't heard of Minoxidil. it litterally makes your hair grow back. but you have to use it every day for the rest of your life or you'll lose all the gains.
I agree, and it would be welcome competition. Might give Sony and Microsoft a kick up the bum to make something I'd actually want. Nintendo somehow win in this weird future I've thought about for 10 seconds. :D
Console pricing assumes that the manufacturer will take a loss on each hardware sale (at least early in the generation) so they can make a profit on the software sales. I don't think Valve is going to pay people to buy their general purpose computers (which you can wipe clean and install anything you want on them, even ignoring Steam completely). So a Steam console will always be more expensive than an equivalent MS or Sony console. Valve is taking a small loss on each Steam Deck sold, because they can assume that most people will just use them as intended, as portable gaming devices, for which the Steam OS is specifically designed. But that same assumption can't be extrapolated to a console format. So, likely the only Steam Machine that will happen in the future will be one you build yourself and install Valve's OS on.
Yeah. I put steamos 3 on my desktop with a Ryzen CPU and and gpu, it's been a good experience with steam Lutris and heroic games launcher. Not flawless (cyberpunk audio glitches I'm looking at you), but very good.
My first gaming PC was an Alienware Alpha, which was essentially a Steam machine, however I used a default windows profile so it was more like a normal PC. It had an i3 dual core and 4GB of RAM. That little thing was awesome for Minecraft and CS:GO, which is about all I played back then. Once I got my current PC, I tried to wipe the Alpha to eventually sell it, but it never booted. It lasted literally until the day I got my new PC, then died. I like to think it held out until it knew its purpose was fulfilled.
The cmos battery probably died (happened on mine too). I upgraded mine to 8 gigs, eventually swapped to a stronger i3 (only because I had it), and pulled the original drive and added a faster drive for Windows 10. I still have it stored somewhere.
I have the I5 and purchased it from Fry's with the xbox 360 controller. I swapped the hard drive to a ssd, and have been using it for gaming since. I was exploring upgrading, but due to the GPU shortage, I was waiting until prices get a bit better. I would be open to exploring a Steam box as well. My biggest complaints are the wireless card being garbage, and no headphone port built in. Also, not supporting 5.1 surround as the handshake between TVs did not let me force it to send the signals to the tv (But the xbox had no issues with 5.1). Still, I could pack it in a suitcase, and take it with me on the road while working. The xbox could never handle the stupid hotel wifi login pages at the time. Maybe Linus will take pity on me, and offer a cheep skate build PC...
I'm still using my i7 Alienware Alpha, and it's honestly the piece of hardware i've used the most and never felt the need to change it, I get sick of cellphones and consoles every two years or so, but this computer jus doesn't give up after like 8 years
Honestly, all I can imagine when I think a modern day Steam machine, is just a non-portable Valve console type thing like the Deck. Built in house by Valve, with a custom chip, aiming for roughly Series X/PS5 performance, but with your existing Steam Library, and honestly, I'd buy that.
The Xbox Controller connectivity issue is easy to fix: just update the firmware of the controller via the Xbox Accessories app on an Windows pc. That was an known issue with Steam OS and Microsoft fixed it shortly after the issue was coming up.
HOLY FUCK Anthony didnt even stand 20 feet away on the other side of the room as if he was going to die the moment someone got near him! ANTHONY IS ABOUT TO DIE FROM COVAIDS!!!!!
I built a steam machine about a decade ago myself. I took some old hardware from work that was gonna be recycled and decided to build a homebrew box to mess around with. I used a dell precision server box with dual xeon cpus and four quadros that were good for the time. It was a fun experiment before junking the old hardware.
I want a Steam Controller 2 already! After the Index controllers and Steamdeck I can't wait to see how a newer version would feel. Still one of the best controllers made of all time.
Waiting for this as well, I refuse to pay over $200 for a ten year old Steam Controller that is lower quality and higher price than a Xbox Elite Controller
As a beta tester, it is awesome you are showcasing this machine. In many ways the steam machine laid the ground work for the steam deck and I personally think it would be a fantastic idea for a dedicated vr machine in the future.
@@paulcarmi8130 headsets coming out this year are like goggles rather than TVs, give it a few years, and they will be more like google glass, but..good
0:18 I actually had one one of these back in 2014-2015. With a RAM upgrade, better wi-fi card and a good SSD, it was a decent mid-grade machine for what I needed it for. I used it for around 5 years until I eventually built my own PC.
Anthony is like a super hero who always shows up to save the day, even for old hardware which was way ahead of its time. Bring back the Steam Machine and make Anthony lead designer. 😎
I actually ran my regular gaming rig with SteamOS as a dual boot system back when it launched. Other than being very limited in game choices at the time, it was an overall good experience.
Got to say. Linus and Anthony videos are ALWAYS my favorite. Learned almost all I know about computers and tech from you guys. Thank you! Just finished my liquid cooled 4090 pc❤️ my first build was back in the Radeon HD days. Time flies.
The Steam Controller is my favorite controller of all time by far, as a person that didn't grew up playing shooters in consoles the SC is the closest to M&K experience, nowadays I use traditionals controllers only for emulation and 2d platformers. The SC may not be for everyone but it clearly has a market, I would absolutely love a SC2 that "premium" materials and bigger buttons since those are the only aspects I would change de SC.
Yep. I ended up building a ML-08 build because of the Steam Machine concept. Still using it with a 1080ti. Juuuust starting to get long in the tooth now, really.
@@Durkhead For LP builds, off-lease HP/Dell business units might be the best bet. Is there any reason why you have to use a GT1030? The A2000 is a beast at around $250, might as well put your $$ towards a better GPU and use a slim desktop platform from the big boys.
Yeah that classic IBM/Apple PC form factor where you could basically have your PC also be your monitor stand has always been my favourite ever since the first PC I had growing up which was an old 386 from a bank.
Was just talking about this with a friend of mine. It would make sense for Valve to bring this one back at some point in the future, bundled with a controller similar to the layout of the Steam Deck. Great backwards compatibility going forward and standardized hardware for out of the box settings per game seems like a win, though some of the OTHER hassles with PC gaming like multiple launchers and invasive DRM are a different conversation I suppose...
They could probably do a modern, compact Steam Machine with just a R7 6800U, but it'd have to be cost competitive with the Series S. Valve is supposedly releasing Steam OS 3.0 official for general desktop use at some point this year, so you should be able to build your own.
i mean you kinda can already cus you can use deck ui on computer. i use manjaro and i can use deck ui although iẗ́s very laggy for some reason. i think it might be cause i use nvidia card.
Best you can do for SFF PCs these days is using a RTX A2000 on an SFF Dell or HP. It's pretty cool but still a way less compelling offer than something like a Series S or PS5.
Wow, I know it sounds unbelievable, but this video made me realize that I have one of these 300 prototypes as my office computer! I remember reading the iFixit article about how the marked hole has a special meaning, but I never realized the interesting story behind these machines.
@Squashyhex I am a graduate student in the US. A former member of my research group graduated, and he left me this desktop. I installed a Linux OS and have been using it daily for the last few years. The original GPU is reaching its limits, though. Most deep learning libraries have dropped official support for the last CUDA version that it supports, so it's been a struggle lately.
I remember wanting a steam machine so bad but never being able to afford it. Years later the steam deck is everything I wanted from the machine and more.
Anthony & Linus together in a video I love so much! All the hosts bring a different type of chaos to the videos and I love the absolute nerdy technical chaos these two have when in a room together ❤
The issue with the xbox controller not pairing is actually because of the controller's firmware, happens on the steam deck too. Just needs to be updated and it'll work fine
@@Gizzor dont know wich controller you used, but the PS4 controler was compatible over usb with windows out of the box, just plug and play, for the PS3 controler you needed a software for conversion into xbox 360 controler. PS5 controler is also plug and play for windows
Valve would be better capitalising on the Decks success and produce upgraded versions with better battery/better performance. ...and a new steam controller. Please.
Anthony is the best asset LMG has apart from Linus himself. Better take care of him and pay him well because if he’d start his own TH-cam channel it would get a million subscribers in no time.
When ever Linus needs adult supervision, cue Anthony. Srsly, while I don't distrust Linus - Anthony could have sold me an AC if I built an igloo on the North Pole.
Anthony really made this episode epic. Sometimes we just want to experience person's such as Anthony . Thank you for that. And thank you for the whole team
Aww man, I remember being so excited about the Steam Machines becoming a thing. It was such a cool concept, and it felt like Valve had actually put a lot of thought into it. I was so bummed when it didn't pan out. I'd love to have it come back.
I guess the Steam Deck is the follow up to that concept and will likely have a future as it was a successful launch. And the SteamOS that can be installed not only on the Deck but on any PC. Of course without the tight hardware control from Valve it might not always work as expected. It would be nice to get an improved version of the Steam Controller, but it seems unlikely at this point.
@@HNedel Valve has a history of not really revisiting history. Maybe a third party would make a Steam Controller-like, but I wouldn't expect Valve themselves to do it (hopefully I'm wrong.)
It had the same OS as whats on the steamdecks now, it just wasn't the right time because we needed Proton and DXVK and some other nuts and bolts to truly get Windows Games working on linux. The crazy thing is they could release basically the same product now and it'd probably succeed.
I was pretty happy, they waste money and nobody wants to buy a modified PC from them. Nowdays you have Steam Deck wich is handheld, so it's different..
Just wanted to add that testers weren't prohibited from taking it apart. Many community members, myself included, ended up using the GTX 780 in our own PCs after frustration with the controller/limitations of Steam OS. Pretty sure I remember valve saying we could do whatever we wanted with it as well.
Anthony is one of my favourites. A lot of people might say it, but it’s probably nice,, from an information standpoint I expect to hear something good and also anticipate being able to trust that evaluation; it’s informative and not a pun or abstract joke
I recall when the controller video came out how some people were pointing out how you guys missed a few things that made it great. Glad to see it being recognized
I own 3 steam controllers and likely spent 2000+ hours with them . But now so many PC games have added native controller support it makes Steam controllers less useful.
@@Justagamerhere1 Especially with SteamInput bringing the SC's programmability to most other controllers too. Steam Controller is still the most comfortable controller I've ever used and the right trackpad is superior to an analog stick, and I'll die on that hill.
I think bringing some console-like uniformity to the PC gaming space has a lot of potential. One thing the Steam Deck definitely has going for it is that users have a very good idea of a how a game will run/perform (or won't...) on the console, which takes some of the guesswork and user unfriendliness out of the PC gaming experience. If Valve brought these back with, say, three tiers of performance (e.g. 1080/60, 1440/60, 4K/60) and limited the hardware options/variations so that performance is pretty consistent and reliable at each tier, I think plenty of people would be interested. And they could certainly hit a roughly $400-500 USD price point for the "low" tier and directly compete with consoles (especially if they implemented system-wide FSR 2 or 3), not to mention offer upgrade paths for tinkerers (i.e. buy the 1080/60 machine, swap out a compatible/verified GPU that fits when you have the cash, or upgrade the CPU to something with more cores, or upgrade to a faster SSD, etc.).
@@cykes5124 SteamOS absolutely can play more than "a few" games, geez; you think people are gushing about the Deck because it can run TF2 and Psychonauts?
@@cykes5124 sorry you're a wally. Consistently been Valves top seller for a year. The entire reason the Deck exists is to get people to buy stuff from the Steam store in a convenient manner. Valve don't make any money on the console it's the conduit to the store. SteamOS can play literally 1000s and 1000s of PC games. For a 'console' OS it has huge game compatibility. The complete opposite of Steam Machines and the original much much older versions of SteamOS.
@@cykes5124 PS4 and PS5 run on an Unix-like OS too. They have their own technology stack and use Vulkan like Steam OS. Linux (and Unix-like OSes in general) not compatible with most games is not the OS's fault. It is because of Windows' marketshare dominance that lead to lack of support. The PS4/5 and now Steam OS is the proof that you can game on any OS if a company aka Sony and Valve backs it up. A decade ago you can't game on a BSD, the same Kernel as PS4/5's OS. But now 100th of million of people game on BSD ( PS4 and PS5). That's the same impact Valve do with Linux exept that Linux is more used as a Desktop OS than BSD which is even better. PS: I forgot. Android runs on Linux Kernel too. And the Mobile Market is the biggest market in gaming so Linux is the best OS for gaming in this perspective
@@cykes5124 A) Linux is a kernel it's only a small part of the OS. SteamOS IS a console OS, it has modifications not common in a standard desktop Linux based OS. B) performance is very similar th-cam.com/play/PLwP5QT1i3Hqztl9hEBmDHuIqa7KJHM0tC.html th-cam.com/video/DeQuS2UDhYI/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/B7OzNQ9IUbg/w-d-xo.html C) Valve have made improvements within DXVK as it's a Vulkan based version of DX9-11 that are not possible in DX without a total rewrite breaking compatibility it's why DX9 games and older DX10/11 titles will often run quicker on Linux.
I remember my steam machine! I got a W trade swapping my Xbox one for a Alienware one that was worth almost double 🙌 Back in my bartering days 😂 These were a great idea just not fully thought through or executed especially with modular components.
I still love and use steam controllers. The problem with them was the learning curve. They worked decent enough in standard layouts, but with the bazillion things you could do with them, people were sure to start messing around with the settings. As soon as a person started doing that, it was a guarantee that they would screw things up at first. Here is where soooo many people just said 'to hell with this'. But if you actually learned what you could do with them and started making your own configurations that were not broken af, you quickly learned that no other controller came remotely close to its ability to be tweaked to whatever you defined as perfection. If you took the time to do it. As a bonus for me, this made it even easier for me to jump onto the Steam Deck, as I was already well at home with most of the controls it has. Not that it would have been hard in the first place. I have no loyalty to a single brand or style or anything of that nature, nor do I ever feel tied to a specific control setup (though obviously some devices are better for certain things, flight sims and HOTAS joysticks for instance). So perhaps I can jump from one controller to another better than other people, but I still think that the Steam Deck controls are perfect for anyone, not just people such as I.
yeah its amazing, i remember setting it up to trade with someone in path of exile and then send them a nice thank you message with one button on an alternate profile
I agree as well, steam controller feels oddly intuitive to use in many cases. I also loved in particular Valve's solution to typing with the controller, giving you two independant halves of the keyboard to tap felt so much better than any other controller keyboard layout I've ever used.
I remember this, I was really disappointed, that I didn‘t get picked for the beta. The steam machine prototype inspired me to build my first ITX pc in the Silverstone ML08.
Little known fact (although they did talk about it during development) but the Dr. Zaber Sentry series of SFF cases were originally designed to be Steam Machines. They very clearly have an almost identical mounting solution for the components, as well as a similar size. The big bonus being that it is just a case so you could outfit it with whatever hardware you wanted, although it looks like this Steam Machine prototype could probably accept just about anything current as long as it physically fit.
I didn't know that, and I own a white Sentry from the very first run! (And gave a ton of feedback during development.) I notice a number of differences between the Sentry and the steam machine chassis, though - mostly that the Sentry is smaller due to using the body itself as the case frame, and is also built like an absolute tank with very thick metal.
@@softxpandguest708 Yeah, the Sentry really is a beautiful little brick. Lol. Being made entirely of steel it is crazy heavy for no bigger than it is, but I never have to worry about anything ever happening to my Sentry 2.0 because of it. Currently trying to hunt down another one to mod to shoehorn a 4090 FE in.
Just want to point out that to access the right menu on Steam's new big picture (so SteamOS 3.x by extension), you press Logo+A (Steam+A, Guide+A, PS+A). There's no Vsync labeled option but you'd probably be looking at the "Allow Tearing" switch.
Hearing Anthony even mention Welsh people has made my day. You never expect 'foreigners' to have heard of our tiny little country. As if I needed another reason to love Anthony!
Anthony is just so insanely quick with fixes/diagnosing issues it's amazing. Honestly he's my favourite presenter by miles (Not just LTT, I mean TV etc too)
I applied for the original beta back in the day, these things were incredible for their size, especially as we were still in the midst of the LONG lived 7th generation consoles. I still want one if an opportunity comes up.
The Steam Controller is awesome. The problem is that you forgot what it was like to learn how to use a controller for the first time. It's actually easier to learn how to use the Steam Controller than it is to learn how to use a dual stick controller. I actually first used both styles at basically the same time. If people had given it the same amount of time that they had originally given to a dual stick controller they would have found it better in many ways.
To be fair valve killed it before it got anywhere. I remember being excited to buying one, they teased the controller in my country for a LONG TIME but it never actually was available for purchase here.
Yes, but the true power was the mapping software behind. Where you could map the touchpad to work as a mouse while the stick still works as a Gamepad stick. Also, on the right touchpad you can configure an on screen menu which could be a grid or a circle, where you could trigger buttons. I used this to directly trigger magic spells in Witcher 3. Even today I still use my Steam Controller for some games (currently Divinity Original Sin 2 ... just perfect for this!). Yet for some games it was not good, like racer or flight sims and such.
Truth. I actually remember how much people bitched when Sony introduced the very first dual shock, for the PS1. I remember a lot of my friends disabling the analog sticks in favor of the d-pad, in most games of the era. These same people now say that never happened. :p
The steam controller still is awesome. Our community provided so many of the unique profiles people are using on the Deck today. Even now the Steam Controller discord is still active, although now it's more about steam input to include the Deck and other controllers.
Since the prototype was made of mostly off the shelf parts, aside from the custom bits, I basically built one for myself. It was a really nice build too.
It sucks that no one put the time in to learn the steam controller. It's truly amazing for pc gaming. The first trick is remap x and a to the back paddles . Now, you can interact without taking your hand off the trackpad. Then, adjust the spin rate and threashholds of the trackpad.
@hello For real. I'm running KDE Wayland on Nvidia and I could consider it more stable than Windows, even with occasional freezes of plasmashell and kwin_wayland's vram leak. I will take that over the Windows settings menu being all wrong and completely unusable, incompatibility with hardware such as Switch controllers without a funny driver and a third party application for some reason, still no proper dark mode, and other general jankiness any day.
14:40 If it was not done already, make sure to update your Xbox test controllers every once and a while. I remember trying to connect mine to my Steam Deck a while back and it didn't work. Connected it to my Series S and ran a quick controller update and it connected flawlessly to my Steam Deck, plus it also fixed some connection stability stuff on Windows as well. (The updating process can also be done via the Xbox Accessories app on Windows with the controller connected via USB).
I would love for them to bring back steam os for general use. That would be my gateway drug into Linux. Still my only problem is I need windows for certain games like valorant, but if steam somehow natively supported some way to get plugins for all retro games. I would have a steam machine for everything else my computer couldn't do or could do. Lastly, assuming they could do these things they might finally be able to have some partial fixes for cheating and bots, solely because they would know their OS inside and out giving them insight on potential spots to patch.
I remember the steam machine. Then they realized a steam link made more sense. Then the steam link sales made them realize steam remote play on an old laptop makes a LOT more sense.
@@kerichuu Yeah they're entirely different distros, but who cares if they're not directly related? They perform similar functions and Chimera's latest version looks pretty much like SteamOS3 now... so I think they're absolutely comparable since you can use both to make a Steam console.
@@kerichuu they are a lot closer today after the last few updates than ever before. In benchmarks they score higher and if you set them side by side you will not see a difference. HoloISO is a joke, little no development by the so called developer. All they did was take the recovery image and make it bootable. So tired of seeing this lazy steamos distro getting so much attention. HoloISO sucks
Valve needs to release a Steam Controller 2.0. With the MANY updates over the years to the software, the Steam controller has become FAR more than just a gimmick; it's become an incredible input device with seemingly endless customization. I'm so happy I purchased 2 back when they were like $30 because they go for literally hundreds in the aftermarket now. If Valve where to produce an updated controller, I'd absolutely purchase two more.
That would be great even just for people who already have a Steam Deck and don't want to have to give up the touchpads and grip buttons when they want to dock it. I wonder if Valve just doesn't think people ever use their Decks docked.
@@stevethepocket Yup, I use my Steam controllers with both my PC and my Steam Deck when it's docked. My Deck has basically become my new bedroom TV gaming console.
They don't have to cost hundreds after-market, that just what some people are trying to get for them. You can find a _very_ lightly used steam controller for ~$50 on ebay if you spend a bit of time searching.
To use this X-Box controller in the Steam OS/HoloOS you need to upgrade the controller's firmware using the Windows machine and some additional Microsoft app. Same issue will happen when trying it with normal Steam Deck or in macOS; needs a latest upgrade.
I have one of these! It was a life changing experiencing getting one! I was only 16 years old and wanted to desperately playing PC games but couldn’t afford one. Valve gave me a super (at the time) high end PC for FREE! along with every Valve game and a cool badge on my Steam profile! I still have all the original components, box, and beta controller! We were actually allowed to do anything we wanted with the beta Steam Machine so I literally just installed Windows 7 on it, and then 1.5 years later I took all the components and put it into another case.
I really LOVED my Steam Controllers on PC. So much better for PC gaming Vs re-purposing a toaster controller. Highly accurate, highly customizable. Unfortunately the 2 I bought have both died from hard use. The build quality and the time needed to set one up were the killer issues for it. But I have a full flight-sim setup, binding and tweaking aren't alien to me. I got a good laugh from "It doesn't smell like magic smoke." I feel that one. LOL
I have been thinking about this since I picked up my steam deck. I 100% believe Valve will use what they learn with the deck to give steam machines another go, even if it is just an official image for people that want to make their own linux gaming systems with a configured OS.
The level of detail you guys reached with this troubleshooting omg. Top of the line. You are absolutely the tech best channel. But you already knew that
I would totally love a steam machine today, especially if its cheap enough. I remember one of the problems with the original version was that it required special attention to put things on there, and with the Deck thats been fixed
I owned a steam machine for a while. I downloaded windows onto it and used it as my main gaming PC for years, only upgrading it in 2020. It lasted me a long time and I still have it as something to travel with. I would love for them to make a come back.
I would buy a newly made steam machine tbh. Especially now with the incredible compatibility of the steam deck (still have a ways to go, but it's so impressive so far).
I had the same SteamOS issue when I decided to build my own custom console. PS5 was still months away and I knew they would be expensive and rare as hens teeth. I built a Linux/GNU custom OS which boots into a game library in like 20 secs. You can be fragging in less than a minute!
Just a tip: You could have given it a try with the original GPU with ChrimeraOS. It's also based on the idea of SteamOS, but is it's own thing with some extra features, more up to date packages and improved compatibility.
Or since the original SteamOS was based on Debian, assuming Linus doesn't have too much PTSD over his Linux Daily Driver challenge, he could have tried Pop_OS!
I was one of the lucky 300 back in the day - this thing was wild but the gaming experience was mediocre at best; I think this is mostly due to the prototype controller feeling so clunky. I remember being super impressed by the unique input methods but for some reason this just didn't translate into games very well. As a steam deck owner now, I see exactly what they were going for and it's a shame this never took off. I eventually took mine apart when the beta ended and 'borrowed' that 780 and used it for YEARS until a bad PSU took it out. That hardware totally changed the hobby for me, I went from a casual gamer to an enthusiast. The parts I scrapped out of the steam machine made up my first ever PC build. As a fun aside, the thing came in the COOLEST wooden crate, stamped with valve and steam logos. I still have the crate sitting in my basement and I'm hoping to one day implement it into my office decor. This video was a really nice trip down memory lane, thanks guys.
Anyone else notice it looks extremely similar to the the system that everyone was claiming could be a companion box for the deckard after the sepheroth apu revision was leaked?
I never bought a Steam Machine but I desperately wanted this effort to succeed. In a way - it's a great thing that it failed because we got something even better. Steam Deck FTW!
Hey LTT! The compositor crashing could be the new NVidia Driver not working with the old GPU. Or the new XORG stuff not working with the old gpu/driver. You might want to try installing ArchLinux and do the work that way. (Id be willing to install and get it working via SSH-)
Honestly, I really like that power button and the general form factor of this system, it would be really interesting to see this with a 5600xt ITX model (because AMD is generally better on Linux) or potentially some custom chipset, like how the steam deck works.
@@donsolo6697 Usually you can change if the power button is on or not in the bios, and i'd imagine for something that bright you would want some software (or physical) brightness toggles
Valve needs to bring it back and the Steam Controller. I FUQQING LOVE MINE. Still use it religiously.. it was made well too. it's never failed me like almost 9 years now!
I really wonder how a device like this would do in todays market now that the steam deck has become more successful, and overall pc build prices have gone up. I could see this doing well with some mid range pc hardware in a small form factor. Also we need steam controller 2 (ideally with the option to swap between a second stick, and a larger track pad). The track pads are pretty meh on the steamdeck, because of their size.
Valve should make a steam machine with the latest version of amd's apu and open up all the power limits. Should be relatively cheap and very powerful. Imagine just the steam deck main board, in a case, with a big hsf and the power limits removed. A cheap full size m.2 drive. All the connections that the current dock has to connect to a tv. No need for controllers, battery, screen. I bet they could make this for less than $150.
@procrastinatingnerd the steam controller is excellent, and needs a followup. It just wasn't well understood in its time. Now that people understand it more, it is very capable, and much better than a clunky m&k couch setup. Ofcourse use m&k if you are at a desk, but a good pc controller is a must. The steam controllers configuration was unparalleled.
@@aboveaveragebayleaf9216 The steam controller is very good. I just can't get used to using the touchpads. I think a new steam controller more like the steam deck's controls would be awesome! Mainly I would like thumbsticks on both sides. Edit: The track pads are still very useful for many things so I am not saying they should go, no, I would like to see basically a steam controller that is the steam deck controls, but on a separate controller. In my Steam Machine idea, I'm saying the built in controller parts wouldn't be needed, so some money saved there. You would still want a separate controller. I think pretty much everyone has some controller laying around. Our ps3 controllers work great on the deck.
Valve's next step should be in-home game streaming/personal cloud gaming. Nvidia's exit from GameStream is a clear marker that they see the cloud as the future of gaming, and a personal cloud game setup is a big competitor to that.
@@zperdek Steam Link isn't a personal cloud. What I'm talking about is an extension/doubling-down on in-home streaming and taking it to the next level.
The grill on top of the unit... there should be exactly 300 holes in it. The one drilled larger than the rest indicates which unit you have. You have #78 of 300 (1:39). My friend had one equipped with a Titan for Christmas, 2013. Came in a small wooden crate. The controllers were a bit janky.
Actually cool info. thanks!
@@maxzett and it won't rub off!
Neat ! Am I the only person who liked the steam controller?
That is a sick little detail. Absolutely insane way to mark that
@@z3alious no i love it. still use it to this day. people just never took the time to get to know it and customize it. its has an admittedly huge learning curve, but once you learn it and then learn how to customize it for specific games... there's no other controller that comes close. and i get the criticism: if you want something that just works and its comfortable out of the box, the steam controller is not that. it's for nerds, by nerds. it's for the people who like to tinker and if you're willing to put in the time, it's god tier.
I actually appreciate them addressing sleeping on the steam controller - time has been really kind to steam's hardware ecosystem honestly, they've put in the work with updates and steam input is genuinely such a boon for everyone using something that isn't a keyboard and mouse
its the fake core gamers who are to blame Nintendo gamers went gyro and hands apart controller 17 years ago stony fans after endless attempts took 20 yrs to finaaly get gyro and xtards still dont have it wen steam went full ALPHA MALE WE LOVE NINTENDOS FOEWARD THINKING THE PC USERBASE WELL 90% OF IT TURNED ITS NOSE UP ITS RETARTD CASUALS WHO ARE TO BLAME THE WII REMOTE AND CHUCK APPROTCH SHOULD HAVE BECAME INDUSTRY STANDARD WELL OVER A DECADE AGO SONY PC AND XBOX FULL RETARDS ARE TO BLAME FOR THIS.....IN 2023 WE HAVE PS5 GAMERS ACTING ALL TOUGH ALPHA GAMER 17 YRS AFTER NINTENDO GAMERS EMBRACED IT NEVER GO FULL RETARD
They need to do a new controller release, the steam controller honestly works so well now but they're super expensive aftermarket lmao
And then on 12:45: they call it a gimmick.
I am about to become The Joker
The Steam Controller felt like a solution looking for a problem. I'm just glad the controller's functionality has lived on in the Deck. I'd love to see Valve make a Steam Controller 2 that's basically everything but the Steam Deck.
@@yourimpossibletoisgn Really? I bought one for $5 when they were ending them. But I rarely if ever use it.
Checking eBay, they do sell for more than that, but seemingly no more than they originally cost.
I am constantly in awe of Anthony's knowledge about PC hardware. Man's a genius
Looks like his hair's growing back as well since he's not as bald. Anthony winning left and right.
@@Aquafresh86 only covering it. You cant stop balding unless hair transplant
@@禁-n8x u could say the same thing about being a lawyer
@@Dgsrgv You clearly haven't heard of Minoxidil. it litterally makes your hair grow back. but you have to use it every day for the rest of your life or you'll lose all the gains.
@@Aquafresh86 still lookin like jabba the hutt
I for one would support a new Steam Machine if one came about. The Steam Deck has been awesome!
I agree, and it would be welcome competition. Might give Sony and Microsoft a kick up the bum to make something I'd actually want. Nintendo somehow win in this weird future I've thought about for 10 seconds. :D
Console pricing assumes that the manufacturer will take a loss on each hardware sale (at least early in the generation) so they can make a profit on the software sales. I don't think Valve is going to pay people to buy their general purpose computers (which you can wipe clean and install anything you want on them, even ignoring Steam completely). So a Steam console will always be more expensive than an equivalent MS or Sony console. Valve is taking a small loss on each Steam Deck sold, because they can assume that most people will just use them as intended, as portable gaming devices, for which the Steam OS is specifically designed. But that same assumption can't be extrapolated to a console format. So, likely the only Steam Machine that will happen in the future will be one you build yourself and install Valve's OS on.
Yeah. I put steamos 3 on my desktop with a Ryzen CPU and and gpu, it's been a good experience with steam Lutris and heroic games launcher. Not flawless (cyberpunk audio glitches I'm looking at you), but very good.
i'm running holoiso on a build in a fractal ridge, close enough
It'd have to be a console produced by Valve, though
My first gaming PC was an Alienware Alpha, which was essentially a Steam machine, however I used a default windows profile so it was more like a normal PC. It had an i3 dual core and 4GB of RAM. That little thing was awesome for Minecraft and CS:GO, which is about all I played back then. Once I got my current PC, I tried to wipe the Alpha to eventually sell it, but it never booted. It lasted literally until the day I got my new PC, then died. I like to think it held out until it knew its purpose was fulfilled.
The cmos battery probably died (happened on mine too). I upgraded mine to 8 gigs, eventually swapped to a stronger i3 (only because I had it), and pulled the original drive and added a faster drive for Windows 10. I still have it stored somewhere.
I have the I5 and purchased it from Fry's with the xbox 360 controller. I swapped the hard drive to a ssd, and have been using it for gaming since. I was exploring upgrading, but due to the GPU shortage, I was waiting until prices get a bit better. I would be open to exploring a Steam box as well. My biggest complaints are the wireless card being garbage, and no headphone port built in. Also, not supporting 5.1 surround as the handshake between TVs did not let me force it to send the signals to the tv (But the xbox had no issues with 5.1). Still, I could pack it in a suitcase, and take it with me on the road while working. The xbox could never handle the stupid hotel wifi login pages at the time.
Maybe Linus will take pity on me, and offer a cheep skate build PC...
@@gkjester did you use ant particular tool to insert your new cmos? i’ve been trying to get mine in for a while but i can’t
I'm still using my i7 Alienware Alpha, and it's honestly the piece of hardware i've used the most and never felt the need to change it, I get sick of cellphones and consoles every two years or so, but this computer jus doesn't give up after like 8 years
@@jamesscanlon747 I bought a replacement battery with the wire connector attached. Disconnected the old and connected the new one.
Honestly, all I can imagine when I think a modern day Steam machine, is just a non-portable Valve console type thing like the Deck.
Built in house by Valve, with a custom chip, aiming for roughly Series X/PS5 performance, but with your existing Steam Library, and honestly, I'd buy that.
Imagine a whole Valve environment - Steam Machine, Controller, Steamdeck, and Index, interconnecting into a universal gaming experience.
The Xbox Controller connectivity issue is easy to fix: just update the firmware of the controller via the Xbox Accessories app on an Windows pc. That was an known issue with Steam OS and Microsoft fixed it shortly after the issue was coming up.
Watching Linus watch Anthony work is always a good video.
ANTHONY WITHOUT A MASK!?!?!!
BUT HES GOING TO DIE!!!!!
HOLY FUCK
Anthony didnt even stand 20 feet away on the other side of the room as if he was going to die the moment someone got near him!
ANTHONY IS ABOUT TO DIE FROM COVAIDS!!!!!
I built a steam machine about a decade ago myself. I took some old hardware from work that was gonna be recycled and decided to build a homebrew box to mess around with. I used a dell precision server box with dual xeon cpus and four quadros that were good for the time. It was a fun experiment before junking the old hardware.
I want a Steam Controller 2 already! After the Index controllers and Steamdeck I can't wait to see how a newer version would feel. Still one of the best controllers made of all time.
Ikr. There are dozens of us! 😂
Waiting for this as well, I refuse to pay over $200 for a ten year old Steam Controller that is lower quality and higher price than a Xbox Elite Controller
As a beta tester, it is awesome you are showcasing this machine. In many ways the steam machine laid the ground work for the steam deck and I personally think it would be a fantastic idea for a dedicated vr machine in the future.
I have question. What about the rest of us that don’t want a screen STRAPPED to our FACE?
@@paulcarmi8130 headsets coming out this year are like goggles rather than TVs, give it a few years, and they will be more like google glass, but..good
Tell me please! Is there ANYTHING for Team fortress 2 that you tested?
@@paulcarmi8130 get with the times
@@denni8271 I’m more than happy with my tv, I don’t want anything strapped to my face
So nice to see Anthony making his way back into the videos. He always brings the good vibes.
Seriously missed anthony in some of these videos, hes honestly the most interesting and knowledgeable person at LTT ngl.
If I ever had difficult issues especially with Linux that needed sorting, I'd want Anthony on my team, anyday.
Techno Buddha speaks once more!
That jacket, though!
@@sierra715 Emily now, it's why they took a step back.
0:18 I actually had one one of these back in 2014-2015. With a RAM upgrade, better wi-fi card and a good SSD, it was a decent mid-grade machine for what I needed it for. I used it for around 5 years until I eventually built my own PC.
My friend got the alienware one too. Did you use it with windows mainly or with steamos?
I recall it dual booted.
@@siruski I used Windows 10 at the time. I believe mine it had some kind of Alienware UI built into the OS but I never really touched it.
Do you still have it? I've been searching far and wide for someone willing to sell me one...
@@ThatGuyThatRules I don't unfortunately.
Yes! I love prototype/dev stuff!
same
Same here!
+1
Shit's rad, especially the more dated stuff.
ANTHONY WITHOUT A MASK!?!?!!
BUT HES GOING TO DIE!!!!!
Anthony is like a super hero who always shows up to save the day, even for old hardware which was way ahead of its time. Bring back the Steam Machine and make Anthony lead designer. 😎
I actually ran my regular gaming rig with SteamOS as a dual boot system back when it launched. Other than being very limited in game choices at the time, it was an overall good experience.
Got to say. Linus and Anthony videos are ALWAYS my favorite. Learned almost all I know about computers and tech from you guys. Thank you! Just finished my liquid cooled 4090 pc❤️ my first build was back in the Radeon HD days. Time flies.
I agree there the best, but let's honest if Anthony wasn't there Linus would've broken it more lol
I wish I was an Anthony but I'm just another Linus 😭
🆒✅
The Steam Controller is my favorite controller of all time by far, as a person that didn't grew up playing shooters in consoles the SC is the closest to M&K experience, nowadays I use traditionals controllers only for emulation and 2d platformers.
The SC may not be for everyone but it clearly has a market, I would absolutely love a SC2 that "premium" materials and bigger buttons since those are the only aspects I would change de SC.
I really love the Steam Controller myself. Am at the point though where the rubber on the analog stick has been worn down though
Did you know that Linus has thermal paste in between his toes
Tasty
This is the unexpected humor I keep going on the internet for
I prefer liquid metal
@IkBenMejoe that's funny to you huh. We are doomed as a ppl
You don't?
The Steam Machine got me into ITX/SFF builds. The Silverstone Milo series really got that form factor slimmed down, until NCase shook up the scene
What's the cheapest horizontal case that would fit a standard psu and low profile gt 1030 cheapest I could find is Silverstone for$ 78 ml04b
Yep. I ended up building a ML-08 build because of the Steam Machine concept. Still using it with a 1080ti. Juuuust starting to get long in the tooth now, really.
@@Durkhead For LP builds, off-lease HP/Dell business units might be the best bet. Is there any reason why you have to use a GT1030? The A2000 is a beast at around $250, might as well put your $$ towards a better GPU and use a slim desktop platform from the big boys.
@@namastyle I already have everything mb gpu psu I just need case I have extra parts from other builds and Wana make a htpc
Yeah that classic IBM/Apple PC form factor where you could basically have your PC also be your monitor stand has always been my favourite ever since the first PC I had growing up which was an old 386 from a bank.
Was just talking about this with a friend of mine. It would make sense for Valve to bring this one back at some point in the future, bundled with a controller similar to the layout of the Steam Deck. Great backwards compatibility going forward and standardized hardware for out of the box settings per game seems like a win, though some of the OTHER hassles with PC gaming like multiple launchers and invasive DRM are a different conversation I suppose...
They could probably do a modern, compact Steam Machine with just a R7 6800U, but it'd have to be cost competitive with the Series S. Valve is supposedly releasing Steam OS 3.0 official for general desktop use at some point this year, so you should be able to build your own.
i mean you kinda can already cus you can use deck ui on computer. i use manjaro and i can use deck ui although iẗ́s very laggy for some reason. i think it might be cause i use nvidia card.
I cant wait for the official os. Locking to 60 hz with vsync off in retroarch is a game changer.
@@oplkfdhgk Same thing for me on Arch, it seems to be software rendering the UI for some reason. And on a single CPU thread at that.
Best you can do for SFF PCs these days is using a RTX A2000 on an SFF Dell or HP. It's pretty cool but still a way less compelling offer than something like a Series S or PS5.
@@chlorobyte_projects really? That's very interesting. 🤔
Wow, I know it sounds unbelievable, but this video made me realize that I have one of these 300 prototypes as my office computer! I remember reading the iFixit article about how the marked hole has a special meaning, but I never realized the interesting story behind these machines.
Noooo you actually installed Windows on one of these? You poor fool.
That's crazy, how did it end up as an office computer!?
@Squashyhex I am a graduate student in the US. A former member of my research group graduated, and he left me this desktop. I installed a Linux OS and have been using it daily for the last few years. The original GPU is reaching its limits, though. Most deep learning libraries have dropped official support for the last CUDA version that it supports, so it's been a struggle lately.
Hello there would you be willing to sell that machine mabey just the case with the ring light 😅
I remember wanting a steam machine so bad but never being able to afford it. Years later the steam deck is everything I wanted from the machine and more.
Same here. The Steam Machine lead me to building a SFF PC with my dad when I was 10
Anthony & Linus together in a video I love so much! All the hosts bring a different type of chaos to the videos and I love the absolute nerdy technical chaos these two have when in a room together ❤
The issue with the xbox controller not pairing is actually because of the controller's firmware, happens on the steam deck too. Just needs to be updated and it'll work fine
xbox controler also has problems on just beeing used on windows...PS controller works out of the box, dont know why
@@georgwarhead2801 never had an issue pairing my xbox controllers to my pc, laptop, ipad, galaxy
@@georgwarhead2801 me and all my pc friends had the opposite i have never had a ps controller work smooth without emulating a 360 controller
@@leviathan19 the xbox controler got recognized by windows, but didnt work in ~50% of the games, never had this pronlem with my old PS4 controllers
@@Gizzor dont know wich controller you used, but the PS4 controler was compatible over usb with windows out of the box, just plug and play, for the PS3 controler you needed a software for conversion into xbox 360 controler. PS5 controler is also plug and play for windows
As you said, this was ahead of its time. But now that we have the Steam Deck, Valve may not see much of a need to revisit the concept for a while.
They don't need to at all, you can dock the steam deck if you want
Actually this is more powerful than steam deck and should rekindle everyone's interest in new and improved Bossy steam machines.
If a steam machine cant be bought for 500$ or less and be powerful, it will always fail. Most people would just buy a ps or xbox at that point.
This was Steam Machine 1. The Deck is Steam Machine 2. Valve will _never_ visit this concept again.
Valve would be better capitalising on the Decks success and produce upgraded versions with better battery/better performance.
...and a new steam controller. Please.
I love how Anthony felt like a special guest for this episode! Thank you!
He's always a special guest in my heart.
Anthony is the best asset LMG has apart from Linus himself. Better take care of him and pay him well because if he’d start his own TH-cam channel it would get a million subscribers in no time.
@@Ozymandias1 yep
When ever Linus needs adult supervision, cue Anthony. Srsly, while I don't distrust Linus - Anthony could have sold me an AC if I built an igloo on the North Pole.
Anthony really made this episode epic. Sometimes we just want to experience person's such as Anthony . Thank you for that. And thank you for the whole team
Aww man, I remember being so excited about the Steam Machines becoming a thing. It was such a cool concept, and it felt like Valve had actually put a lot of thought into it. I was so bummed when it didn't pan out. I'd love to have it come back.
I'd love to see a steam controller with a right side analog stick. It would be my daily driver.
I guess the Steam Deck is the follow up to that concept and will likely have a future as it was a successful launch. And the SteamOS that can be installed not only on the Deck but on any PC. Of course without the tight hardware control from Valve it might not always work as expected. It would be nice to get an improved version of the Steam Controller, but it seems unlikely at this point.
@@HNedel Valve has a history of not really revisiting history.
Maybe a third party would make a Steam Controller-like, but I wouldn't expect Valve themselves to do it (hopefully I'm wrong.)
It had the same OS as whats on the steamdecks now, it just wasn't the right time because we needed Proton and DXVK and some other nuts and bolts to truly get Windows Games working on linux. The crazy thing is they could release basically the same product now and it'd probably succeed.
I was pretty happy, they waste money and nobody wants to buy a modified PC from them. Nowdays you have Steam Deck wich is handheld, so it's different..
Just wanted to add that testers weren't prohibited from taking it apart. Many community members, myself included, ended up using the GTX 780 in our own PCs after frustration with the controller/limitations of Steam OS. Pretty sure I remember valve saying we could do whatever we wanted with it as well.
Anthony is one of my favourites. A lot of people might say it, but it’s probably nice,, from an information standpoint I expect to hear something good and also anticipate being able to trust that evaluation; it’s informative and not a pun or abstract joke
I recall when the controller video came out how some people were pointing out how you guys missed a few things that made it great.
Glad to see it being recognized
I own 3 steam controllers and likely spent 2000+ hours with them . But now so many PC games have added native controller support it makes Steam controllers less useful.
@@Justagamerhere1 Especially with SteamInput bringing the SC's programmability to most other controllers too.
Steam Controller is still the most comfortable controller I've ever used and the right trackpad is superior to an analog stick, and I'll die on that hill.
Anthony - “yu have the power to destroy things”
Linus - “that’s not magic that’s just gravity”
Epic response
Never stop being you, Linus.
I think bringing some console-like uniformity to the PC gaming space has a lot of potential. One thing the Steam Deck definitely has going for it is that users have a very good idea of a how a game will run/perform (or won't...) on the console, which takes some of the guesswork and user unfriendliness out of the PC gaming experience. If Valve brought these back with, say, three tiers of performance (e.g. 1080/60, 1440/60, 4K/60) and limited the hardware options/variations so that performance is pretty consistent and reliable at each tier, I think plenty of people would be interested. And they could certainly hit a roughly $400-500 USD price point for the "low" tier and directly compete with consoles (especially if they implemented system-wide FSR 2 or 3), not to mention offer upgrade paths for tinkerers (i.e. buy the 1080/60 machine, swap out a compatible/verified GPU that fits when you have the cash, or upgrade the CPU to something with more cores, or upgrade to a faster SSD, etc.).
I really hope that Valve will release a new Steam Machine in the future. One version, just like consoles and Deck. I would buy it immediately!
@@cykes5124 SteamOS absolutely can play more than "a few" games, geez; you think people are gushing about the Deck because it can run TF2 and Psychonauts?
@@cykes5124 it really isn't
@@cykes5124 sorry you're a wally. Consistently been Valves top seller for a year. The entire reason the Deck exists is to get people to buy stuff from the Steam store in a convenient manner. Valve don't make any money on the console it's the conduit to the store. SteamOS can play literally 1000s and 1000s of PC games. For a 'console' OS it has huge game compatibility. The complete opposite of Steam Machines and the original much much older versions of SteamOS.
@@cykes5124 PS4 and PS5 run on an Unix-like OS too. They have their own technology stack and use Vulkan like Steam OS. Linux (and Unix-like OSes in general) not compatible with most games is not the OS's fault. It is because of Windows' marketshare dominance that lead to lack of support. The PS4/5 and now Steam OS is the proof that you can game on any OS if a company aka Sony and Valve backs it up. A decade ago you can't game on a BSD, the same Kernel as PS4/5's OS. But now 100th of million of people game on BSD ( PS4 and PS5). That's the same impact Valve do with Linux exept that Linux is more used as a Desktop OS than BSD which is even better.
PS: I forgot. Android runs on Linux Kernel too. And the Mobile Market is the biggest market in gaming so Linux is the best OS for gaming in this perspective
@@cykes5124 A) Linux is a kernel it's only a small part of the OS. SteamOS IS a console OS, it has modifications not common in a standard desktop Linux based OS.
B) performance is very similar th-cam.com/play/PLwP5QT1i3Hqztl9hEBmDHuIqa7KJHM0tC.html
th-cam.com/video/DeQuS2UDhYI/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/B7OzNQ9IUbg/w-d-xo.html
C) Valve have made improvements within DXVK as it's a Vulkan based version of DX9-11 that are not possible in DX without a total rewrite breaking compatibility it's why DX9 games and older DX10/11 titles will often run quicker on Linux.
I remember my steam machine! I got a W trade swapping my Xbox one for a Alienware one that was worth almost double 🙌 Back in my bartering days 😂 These were a great idea just not fully thought through or executed especially with modular components.
3:44 "thats not magic thats just gravity"💀
I still love and use steam controllers. The problem with them was the learning curve. They worked decent enough in standard layouts, but with the bazillion things you could do with them, people were sure to start messing around with the settings. As soon as a person started doing that, it was a guarantee that they would screw things up at first. Here is where soooo many people just said 'to hell with this'. But if you actually learned what you could do with them and started making your own configurations that were not broken af, you quickly learned that no other controller came remotely close to its ability to be tweaked to whatever you defined as perfection. If you took the time to do it.
As a bonus for me, this made it even easier for me to jump onto the Steam Deck, as I was already well at home with most of the controls it has. Not that it would have been hard in the first place. I have no loyalty to a single brand or style or anything of that nature, nor do I ever feel tied to a specific control setup (though obviously some devices are better for certain things, flight sims and HOTAS joysticks for instance). So perhaps I can jump from one controller to another better than other people, but I still think that the Steam Deck controls are perfect for anyone, not just people such as I.
yeah its amazing, i remember setting it up to trade with someone in path of exile and then send them a nice thank you message with one button on an alternate profile
I agree as well, steam controller feels oddly intuitive to use in many cases. I also loved in particular Valve's solution to typing with the controller, giving you two independant halves of the keyboard to tap felt so much better than any other controller keyboard layout I've ever used.
@@squashyhex9818 I really like that method of input as well. It takes about 3 seconds to learn how it works and before long you are cruising.
I remember this, I was really disappointed, that I didn‘t get picked for the beta. The steam machine prototype inspired me to build my first ITX pc in the Silverstone ML08.
i love videos where anthony is involved. it usually means high tech stuff i probably wont understand much but is still very interesting (:
Little known fact (although they did talk about it during development) but the Dr. Zaber Sentry series of SFF cases were originally designed to be Steam Machines. They very clearly have an almost identical mounting solution for the components, as well as a similar size. The big bonus being that it is just a case so you could outfit it with whatever hardware you wanted, although it looks like this Steam Machine prototype could probably accept just about anything current as long as it physically fit.
I didn't know that, and I own a white Sentry from the very first run! (And gave a ton of feedback during development.)
I notice a number of differences between the Sentry and the steam machine chassis, though - mostly that the Sentry is smaller due to using the body itself as the case frame, and is also built like an absolute tank with very thick metal.
@@softxpandguest708 Yeah, the Sentry really is a beautiful little brick. Lol. Being made entirely of steel it is crazy heavy for no bigger than it is, but I never have to worry about anything ever happening to my Sentry 2.0 because of it. Currently trying to hunt down another one to mod to shoehorn a 4090 FE in.
Just want to point out that to access the right menu on Steam's new big picture (so SteamOS 3.x by extension), you press Logo+A (Steam+A, Guide+A, PS+A).
There's no Vsync labeled option but you'd probably be looking at the "Allow Tearing" switch.
with keyboard control its control + 1 for left menu, control + 2 for right menu
works on deck with keyboard and new big picture mdoe
Hearing Anthony even mention Welsh people has made my day. You never expect 'foreigners' to have heard of our tiny little country. As if I needed another reason to love Anthony!
I've always loved this case and was very disappointed that it never became available. I still would love to build an HTPC in it.
You could probably design it in CAD based on its appearance and get it 3D printed by a metal 3D printing outfit.
the case is nearly identical to the node 202
Linus: "That's not magic that's just gravity"
Gravity: "Linus, I am your father"
The moment i heard that sentence, i knew someone will respond. Great
Flat earther : Gravity doesn't exist, only density.
& ANTHONY SURVIVED AN EPISODE WITHOUT WEARING A MASK!?!?!?!?! HOLY FUCK!
@@permacultureecuador2925 Say you're an uneducated fool without saying you're an uneducated fool.
Gravity: "And now we are a family again."
Im just gonna say Anthony has some of the best 4th wall looks goin. Sometimes its wry, sometimes its bewilderment. But always sincere.
Anthony is just so insanely quick with fixes/diagnosing issues it's amazing. Honestly he's my favourite presenter by miles (Not just LTT, I mean TV etc too)
13:12 just to confirm, Anthony is correct. Gamescope uses Wayland instead of X11 and Wayland gained the ability to disable vsync only recently!
I applied for the original beta back in the day, these things were incredible for their size, especially as we were still in the midst of the LONG lived 7th generation consoles. I still want one if an opportunity comes up.
The Steam Controller is awesome. The problem is that you forgot what it was like to learn how to use a controller for the first time. It's actually easier to learn how to use the Steam Controller than it is to learn how to use a dual stick controller. I actually first used both styles at basically the same time. If people had given it the same amount of time that they had originally given to a dual stick controller they would have found it better in many ways.
To be fair valve killed it before it got anywhere.
I remember being excited to buying one, they teased the controller in my country for a LONG TIME but it never actually was available for purchase here.
Yes, but the true power was the mapping software behind. Where you could map the touchpad to work as a mouse while the stick still works as a Gamepad stick. Also, on the right touchpad you can configure an on screen menu which could be a grid or a circle, where you could trigger buttons. I used this to directly trigger magic spells in Witcher 3. Even today I still use my Steam Controller for some games (currently Divinity Original Sin 2 ... just perfect for this!).
Yet for some games it was not good, like racer or flight sims and such.
Truth.
I actually remember how much people bitched when Sony introduced the very first dual shock, for the PS1. I remember a lot of my friends disabling the analog sticks in favor of the d-pad, in most games of the era. These same people now say that never happened. :p
I still have mine and it is the most comfortable controller. Community mappings are mighty!
The steam controller still is awesome. Our community provided so many of the unique profiles people are using on the Deck today. Even now the Steam Controller discord is still active, although now it's more about steam input to include the Deck and other controllers.
3:44 "Thats not magic that's gravity"
Linus drop tips drops in again!
Really good job at not letting the end of the video feel like the end. It just abruptly ended. I know its a good thing.
Since the prototype was made of mostly off the shelf parts, aside from the custom bits, I basically built one for myself. It was a really nice build too.
It sucks that no one put the time in to learn the steam controller. It's truly amazing for pc gaming.
The first trick is remap x and a to the back paddles . Now, you can interact without taking your hand off the trackpad. Then, adjust the spin rate and threashholds of the trackpad.
@hello For real. I'm running KDE Wayland on Nvidia and I could consider it more stable than Windows, even with occasional freezes of plasmashell and kwin_wayland's vram leak. I will take that over the Windows settings menu being all wrong and completely unusable, incompatibility with hardware such as Switch controllers without a funny driver and a third party application for some reason, still no proper dark mode, and other general jankiness any day.
14:40 If it was not done already, make sure to update your Xbox test controllers every once and a while. I remember trying to connect mine to my Steam Deck a while back and it didn't work. Connected it to my Series S and ran a quick controller update and it connected flawlessly to my Steam Deck, plus it also fixed some connection stability stuff on Windows as well. (The updating process can also be done via the Xbox Accessories app on Windows with the controller connected via USB).
I would love for them to bring back steam os for general use. That would be my gateway drug into Linux. Still my only problem is I need windows for certain games like valorant, but if steam somehow natively supported some way to get plugins for all retro games. I would have a steam machine for everything else my computer couldn't do or could do. Lastly, assuming they could do these things they might finally be able to have some partial fixes for cheating and bots, solely because they would know their OS inside and out giving them insight on potential spots to patch.
Linus absolutely struggling for a rebuttal to Anthony’s “You’re just calling people poor, Linus” was gold.
I remember the steam machine. Then they realized a steam link made more sense. Then the steam link sales made them realize steam remote play on an old laptop makes a LOT more sense.
I lost it when Linus dropped the line "that's not magic, that's gravity"
You should give ChimeraOS a try. I hear it's much improved and could be a better option over HoloISO.
ChimeraOS is nowhere directly related or even similar to HoloISO, they're not comparable.
@@kerichuu Yeah they're entirely different distros, but who cares if they're not directly related? They perform similar functions and Chimera's latest version looks pretty much like SteamOS3 now... so I think they're absolutely comparable since you can use both to make a Steam console.
@@kerichuu they are a lot closer today after the last few updates than ever before. In benchmarks they score higher and if you set them side by side you will not see a difference. HoloISO is a joke, little no development by the so called developer. All they did was take the recovery image and make it bootable. So tired of seeing this lazy steamos distro getting so much attention. HoloISO sucks
Valve needs to release a Steam Controller 2.0. With the MANY updates over the years to the software, the Steam controller has become FAR more than just a gimmick; it's become an incredible input device with seemingly endless customization. I'm so happy I purchased 2 back when they were like $30 because they go for literally hundreds in the aftermarket now. If Valve where to produce an updated controller, I'd absolutely purchase two more.
That would be great even just for people who already have a Steam Deck and don't want to have to give up the touchpads and grip buttons when they want to dock it. I wonder if Valve just doesn't think people ever use their Decks docked.
@@stevethepocket Yup, I use my Steam controllers with both my PC and my Steam Deck when it's docked. My Deck has basically become my new bedroom TV gaming console.
They don't have to cost hundreds after-market, that just what some people are trying to get for them. You can find a _very_ lightly used steam controller for ~$50 on ebay if you spend a bit of time searching.
2:14 "we missed a lot"... nice words for "We were so caught up in our mindset that we weren't able to just think outside the box"
To use this X-Box controller in the Steam OS/HoloOS you need to upgrade the controller's firmware using the Windows machine and some additional Microsoft app. Same issue will happen when trying it with normal Steam Deck or in macOS; needs a latest upgrade.
Its neat how the Fractal Design Node 202 has nearly the same internal layout as the Steam Machine.
Couldn't help but grin when Anthony came into frame. Such a likeable guy
girl?
@@smeersmcdunkurmom what girl?
Anthony is the star of the show, this guy is amazing, a true tech magician.
Anthony and Linus are the dynamic duo we didnt know we needed.
I have one of these! It was a life changing experiencing getting one! I was only 16 years old and wanted to desperately playing PC games but couldn’t afford one. Valve gave me a super (at the time) high end PC for FREE! along with every Valve game and a cool badge on my Steam profile! I still have all the original components, box, and beta controller! We were actually allowed to do anything we wanted with the beta Steam Machine so I literally just installed Windows 7 on it, and then 1.5 years later I took all the components and put it into another case.
Did you keep the original case with the ring light or is that what you sold 😅
I really LOVED my Steam Controllers on PC. So much better for PC gaming Vs re-purposing a toaster controller. Highly accurate, highly customizable. Unfortunately the 2 I bought have both died from hard use. The build quality and the time needed to set one up were the killer issues for it. But I have a full flight-sim setup, binding and tweaking aren't alien to me.
I got a good laugh from "It doesn't smell like magic smoke." I feel that one. LOL
i was so upset when one of the batteries leaked and i coulnt remove it, still can use wired but, a 2.0 controller would be amazing
I have been thinking about this since I picked up my steam deck. I 100% believe Valve will use what they learn with the deck to give steam machines another go, even if it is just an official image for people that want to make their own linux gaming systems with a configured OS.
I literally have a stack of Steam Machines and Alienware Alpha R1s. For a while, they were absolutely awesome bang-for-buck on the after market.
When you say a stack of steam machines are you referring to this exact model
@@alicestobart3121 No, Steam machines from 6-ish years ago. They were made by Alienware/Dell.
I have the original Alienware one if y'all want to check it out! It's been running my Plex server but it runs hot and could use some work
The level of detail you guys reached with this troubleshooting omg. Top of the line. You are absolutely the tech best channel. But you already knew that
I would totally love a steam machine today, especially if its cheap enough. I remember one of the problems with the original version was that it required special attention to put things on there, and with the Deck thats been fixed
Can't believe it's been so long since this launched. I'm getting old :/
If it's called a steam machine must run pretty hot.
stop
I owned a steam machine for a while. I downloaded windows onto it and used it as my main gaming PC for years, only upgrading it in 2020. It lasted me a long time and I still have it as something to travel with. I would love for them to make a come back.
I would buy a newly made steam machine tbh. Especially now with the incredible compatibility of the steam deck (still have a ways to go, but it's so impressive so far).
God damn it I love Anthony. What a guy!
Hate him
Gotta love the dynamic duo of Linus and Anthony! Like watching Laurell and Hardy (if they were personality swapped)
I had the same SteamOS issue when I decided to build my own custom console. PS5 was still months away and I knew they would be expensive and rare as hens teeth. I built a Linux/GNU custom OS which boots into a game library in like 20 secs. You can be fragging in less than a minute!
Just a tip: You could have given it a try with the original GPU with ChrimeraOS. It's also based on the idea of SteamOS, but is it's own thing with some extra features, more up to date packages and improved compatibility.
Or since the original SteamOS was based on Debian, assuming Linus doesn't have too much PTSD over his Linux Daily Driver challenge, he could have tried Pop_OS!
I was one of the lucky 300 back in the day - this thing was wild but the gaming experience was mediocre at best; I think this is mostly due to the prototype controller feeling so clunky. I remember being super impressed by the unique input methods but for some reason this just didn't translate into games very well. As a steam deck owner now, I see exactly what they were going for and it's a shame this never took off.
I eventually took mine apart when the beta ended and 'borrowed' that 780 and used it for YEARS until a bad PSU took it out. That hardware totally changed the hobby for me, I went from a casual gamer to an enthusiast. The parts I scrapped out of the steam machine made up my first ever PC build.
As a fun aside, the thing came in the COOLEST wooden crate, stamped with valve and steam logos. I still have the crate sitting in my basement and I'm hoping to one day implement it into my office decor. This video was a really nice trip down memory lane, thanks guys.
I’m really hoping for a fully fledged version of SteamOS 3.0 or higher. HoloISO is cool, but an official release would have my preference.
Anyone else notice it looks extremely similar to the the system that everyone was claiming could be a companion box for the deckard after the sepheroth apu revision was leaked?
Free Geek is pretty cool. I've been there a few times. I recommend donating to them as well if you old PC parts so others can use them
I never bought a Steam Machine but I desperately wanted this effort to succeed. In a way - it's a great thing that it failed because we got something even better. Steam Deck FTW!
Hey LTT! The compositor crashing could be the new NVidia Driver not working with the old GPU. Or the new XORG stuff not working with the old gpu/driver. You might want to try installing ArchLinux and do the work that way. (Id be willing to install and get it working via SSH-)
Honestly, I really like that power button and the general form factor of this system, it would be really interesting to see this with a 5600xt ITX model (because AMD is generally better on Linux) or potentially some custom chipset, like how the steam deck works.
It's cool but way to bright if you had it under your tv in a dark room it was like a flash light pointing in your face
@@donsolo6697 Usually you can change if the power button is on or not in the bios, and i'd imagine for something that bright you would want some software (or physical) brightness toggles
this reminds me of bringus studios
Valve needs to bring it back and the Steam Controller. I FUQQING LOVE MINE. Still use it religiously.. it was made well too. it's never failed me like almost 9 years now!
I really wonder how a device like this would do in todays market now that the steam deck has become more successful, and overall pc build prices have gone up. I could see this doing well with some mid range pc hardware in a small form factor. Also we need steam controller 2 (ideally with the option to swap between a second stick, and a larger track pad). The track pads are pretty meh on the steamdeck, because of their size.
Like realistically they just need something a bit stronger than a 5700G. I'm hoping AMDs next generation APUs kill the 1080p GPU market
Valve should make a steam machine with the latest version of amd's apu and open up all the power limits. Should be relatively cheap and very powerful.
Imagine just the steam deck main board, in a case, with a big hsf and the power limits removed. A cheap full size m.2 drive. All the connections that the current dock has to connect to a tv. No need for controllers, battery, screen. I bet they could make this for less than $150.
@procrastinatingnerd the steam controller is excellent, and needs a followup. It just wasn't well understood in its time. Now that people understand it more, it is very capable, and much better than a clunky m&k couch setup. Ofcourse use m&k if you are at a desk, but a good pc controller is a must. The steam controllers configuration was unparalleled.
@@aboveaveragebayleaf9216 The steam controller is very good. I just can't get used to using the touchpads. I think a new steam controller more like the steam deck's controls would be awesome! Mainly I would like thumbsticks on both sides.
Edit: The track pads are still very useful for many things so I am not saying they should go, no, I would like to see basically a steam controller that is the steam deck controls, but on a separate controller.
In my Steam Machine idea, I'm saying the built in controller parts wouldn't be needed, so some money saved there. You would still want a separate controller. I think pretty much everyone has some controller laying around. Our ps3 controllers work great on the deck.
@@procrastinatingnerd modern pc gaming on controller needs to include gyroscope. Sticks suck on their own.
You should have used it with ChimeraOS, which is a way more solid alternative to HOLOISO and that adds Nvidia drivers (and few other nice things)
especially considering the guy who maintains holo is a serious pos
I've got a home brew Holoiso Steam Machine and I love it!
1:02 This video is sponsored by Truly
You can thank Free Geek for wiping those drives and recovery usb :D
Valve's next step should be in-home game streaming/personal cloud gaming. Nvidia's exit from GameStream is a clear marker that they see the cloud as the future of gaming, and a personal cloud game setup is a big competitor to that.
So you never heard about Steam Link?
@@zperdek Steam Link isn't a personal cloud. What I'm talking about is an extension/doubling-down on in-home streaming and taking it to the next level.
@@TRK--xk7bb And how would you describe Stream Link? Or you just want to replace NAS?
Thought the sponsor was going to be Truly Hard Seltzers. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day has been ruined.
Shoutout to the Keychron K4 you're using. I use it for my Mac and Steam Deck. Great keyboard.