00:00Valve initially pitched the Steam Machine as a 4K, 60 frames per second device, but
00:05honestly, it struggles to reach these levels, prompting them to even modify their marketing
00:10language. So, how powerful is it really? We're doing a special series of gaming benchmarks on
00:16the Steam Machine to give you a better idea of how it performs in the real world.
00:20So, here's the plan for this video. We're going to see how five modern games stack up on the
00:26Steam Machine at 1080p, 2K, and, if we can get it to work, 4K. Then, we'll optimize with the goal
00:33of
00:33getting a smooth 60 frames at the highest resolution and settings possible.
00:39So, let's start with Fortnite because it doesn't run on the Steam Machine. That's because the anti-cheat
00:44software Epic built into the game doesn't currently run on Linux, aka SteamOS. This is also what blocked
00:50us from running some of our standard PC gaming benchmarks because many game launchers don't
00:55support Linux. This is going to be a problem for many multiplayer games with anti-cheat software,
01:00so if you're thinking of getting a Steam Machine for online gaming, check if it supports SteamOS
01:04first. If the GTA 6 news has got you in the mood to play GTA 5 again, good news! It
01:11runs shockingly well
01:12on the Steam Machine in single-player only. Like Fortnite, the multiplayer mode won't currently work
01:18on SteamOS. But, in single-player with very high settings and ray tracing on, we got well over 60
01:24frames a second in 1080p and above 30 in 4K. We were even able to get a stable 4K 60fps
01:30just by
01:31switching off the ray tracing. Technically, this game is over 10 years old, but this is actually the
01:364K 60fps gaming that Valve originally promised!
01:41Forza Horizon 6 is another story. With high settings and ray tracing on, we got 43 frames at 1080p and
01:48only 25 at 4K. Our 2K result was strangely lower than either of those, but we expect whatever bug
01:54caused that to be fixed eventually. We also clocked some frame timing issues when the racing got
01:58especially fast-paced. To get a stable 60fps, we had to go to low settings, disable ray tracing,
02:04and crank up the FSR 4.1 to performance. This is pretty disappointing when you know how good this
02:10game can look on a cheaper Xbox Series X. For the twitchy first-person shooter Doom the Dark Ages,
02:17we only managed a measly 38fps at 1080p on medium settings and it only got worse from there, scoring
02:2425 frames at 2K and just 11 at 4K. For an optimal 60fps rate, we had to keep it at
02:321080p,
02:32but step down from medium to low settings and set the resolution scaling target to 60fps.
02:40Monster Hunter fared a little better. We used medium and FSR on performance and got
02:4550 frames on 1080p, 48 at 2K, and stayed just above 30fps at 4K. For consistent 60fps,
02:53you'll need to step down to low settings at 1080p. In Indiana Jones and the missing 4K support,
02:59I mean the great circle, we had our most pitiful results. With high settings, we couldn't even get
03:0530fps at 1080p and it was a 10 frames per second slideshow at 4K. And that's all with FSR off,
03:13because turning it on only made it worse. If you turn down settings to low, you can get a stable
03:1930fps at
03:201080p, but that's the best we could do on the Steam Machine. Maybe play this on console?
03:27Let's wrap up with something the Steam Machine actually can run well. Indie games. Lighter 2D
03:33games like Stardew Valley aren't going to have any trouble running on the Steam Machine, even at 4K.
03:38If these are the types of games you play and you don't mind the price, the Steam Machine is ideal
03:43for playing indie games on your 4K TV. So there you have it. The Steam Machine's current performance is
03:49undoubtedly more of a 1080p slash 2K machine, but how well it performs really comes down to each
03:55individual game and how you choose to optimize it. Here's everything we tested today as a refresher,
04:01and be sure to check out our full review on Tom's Guide for more benchmarks and tests. Just note that
04:07because Linux prevented us from running these benchmarks the same way we do on other gaming
04:10PCs, these results won't directly compare to those on our website. If there are other games you'd like to
04:17see tested on the Steam Machine, let us know in the comments, and if you found this video helpful,
04:22be sure to leave us a like and subscribe for more gaming videos. As always, I'm Phil Rodriguez,
04:27this is Tom's Guide, and I'll see you in the next video.
