There's almost no reason to buy a Steam Machine if you have a Steam Deck

Published Aug 17, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT João has been covering the tech world for over 7 years, with a heavy focus on laptops and the Windows ecosystem. I also love all things tech and videogames, especially Nintendo, which he's always happy to talk about. Prior to joining XDA in 2021, he worked at Neowin: https://www.neowin.net/news/poster/jo%C3%A3o-carrasqueira/ Valve's Steam Machine was exciting for a few reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it aims to deliver a console-like living room experience while having the full library of PC games available. It's essentially a more powerful Steam Deck for the living room, so you can see the appeal. But that enthusiasm fell through once the price tag was announced, and now, if you're a Steam Deck owner, it's easy to see that maybe the Steam Machine isn't all that. A cheap dock can give you most of the same experience for a lot of games, saving you a ton of money. The Steam Deck also works with TVs Just use a docking station This shouldn't be much of a surprise at this point, but if you're interested in the Steam Machine to use in a living room setup, the Steam Deck can already do all that with a cheap accessory. Docks geared towards the Steam Deck have been making the rounds for years at this point, and they can cost as little as $30. Docks give you most of what you need to get the living room experience. With most models, you'll get an HDMI output so you can connect to a TV, and you might even get an Ethernet port so you can use a more reliable and stable internet connection for online gaming. Plus, the dock keeps your Steam Deck charged and you get a few USB ports that can be useful for a wireless controller, mouse, keyboard, or wireless headset. All of this works just fine through the single USB-C port on the Steam Deck, and unless you're using multiple displays or high-speed accessories like external storage, you should have more than enough bandwidth for all of it. The Steam Machine may have more ports than some docks, but it's also unlikely you're plugging a lot of things into something that just sits next to your TV. You can also use external controllers with the Steam Deck, whether that's the new Steam Controller or anything that uses Bluetooth. It's not like the Steam machine even includes a controller in its base price anyway, so you'd have to spend that extra money either way. 4K is more than most people need You'll be fine gaming on a Steam Deck The most obvious sacrifice you'll make when using a Steam Deck over a Steam Machine is performance. Valve initially promised 4K gaming at 60 frames per second with the Steam Machine, but walked that back later on considering most titles wouldn't be able to hit that. Still, it's a lot more powerful than the Steam Deck. But is support for 4K resolution in some games enough to warrant a Steam Machine? The truth is the Steam Deck is a very popular product because it can run the vast majority of PC games already. Sure, you'll be making more sacrifices, but these games are all playable, and with some older or simpler titles, there may be next to no difference between using a Steam Machine or a Deck. I'd also argue there's a benefit in ensuring your library of games is consistent across devices. If you start using a Steam Deck and Steam Machine duo, you'll need to manage the libraries on both systems, but using the Deck for everything makes things a bit simpler. And if you really want to turn up the graphics quality, you may actually be better off using a different PC in another room of the house and simply streaming your games from the more powerful PC to the Steam Deck in the living room. There's a good chance that you've built a cheaper PC than the Steam Machine that can deliver more powerful performance when it comes to it. Steam Remote Play can work entirely within your home network, so you don't need to use the internet and worry about speeds. It's always good to remember we're talking about a $1,050 product here. Spending that kind of money to experience the same games with higher quality is hard to justify for a lot of people, especially in an era when low-tier devices can handle most modern games with the appropriate tweaks. It's different if you're buying one or the other Buying the Steam Deck now is also bad Of course, as the title states, this is all only valid if you're buying a Steam Machine in addition to the Steam Deck. The Steam Deck was a much more affordable device for most of its life, and if you already have one at home, the Steam Machine is little more than a performance upgrade. Naturally, it's a little different if you're debating picking one over the other, especially as the Steam Deck itself now costs $789, which isn't that far off from the Steam Machine itself. The real answer is that neither device is a good deal right now, and in general, it's a terrible time to buy any computer hardware. But if you must choose one or the other, it's still worth considering the benefits of the Steam Deck over the Steam Machine. The Deck can be a completely valid way to play on a TV when paired with a dock and a controller, but it can also just be used when you're lounging on the couch while someone else watches TV, or take it to bed, or anywhere else. You can travel with it, and at least for a couple of hours, you can continue playing even if power goes out in your home. The Steam Machine will give you better performance when it's available, but it may not always be, while the Steam Deck's battery and the fact it has things such as a battery and display means it can be a completely self-contained experience. You have to decide what you value more, but I'd almost always prefer the flexibility of the Steam Deck. Treat your Steam Deck well If you already own a Steam Deck, your best bet for now is to hold on to it and do everything you can to make sure it lasts a long time. You don't want to be buying a new one or a Steam Machine in the current climate, and you should be able to get by completely fine with the hardware inside the Steam Deck by just pairing it with a cheap dock and a controller. JSAUX Steam Deck Dock Color Options Gray What's Included Steam Deck dock Brand JSAUX Type JSAUX Steam Deck dock The JSAUX Steam Deck Dock lets you hook up your handheld to a TV and use it for couch gaming, so you don't need to buy a Steam Machine. All you need is to pair a controller, and you can still play most games on the TV.