No one is happy with the Steam Machine costing over a grand, and that includes Valve. But, the storefront giant isn't holding back on trying to make the mini PC a success, and I'm thrilled to see what looks like a previously pitched Linux VRAM management fix put into action with the latest SteamOS update.
The SteamOS 3.8.20 Beta patch notes allude to the Steam Machine receiving "greatly improved VRAM management, improving performance and stability in cases where VRAM is limited." That sounds a lot like a Linux Kernel patch proposed by a savvy Valve engineer back in April, and if it is indeed that same fix, it'll help the box use "every last byte" of its 8GB GPU memory for gaming.
I know, the idea of a gaming box not doing that by default sounds a little silly, but SteamOS still has some janky old Linux elements under the hood. That's not to say Windows 11 suffers from fewer quirks, as that's not remotely true, but in the case of devices like the Steam Machine and Steam Deck OLED, crucial data for games in memory was at risk of being "evicted" by other processes.
By adding "Device Memory Control Groups", or "Cgroups" for short, to the Linux Kernel, Valve developer Natalie Vock was able to prevent games from being sent to a slower GTT (Graphics Translation Table) fallback memory reserve, which would lead to big performance woes. While SteamOS 3.8.20 Beta doesn't explicitly mention using this exact approach, the description featured in the general updates section does sound exactly like this previously proposed Kernel tweak.
Simply put, running beefy games on the Steam Machine like Cyberpunk 2077 on 8GB VRAM should be far more stable. That's not going to help its $1,409 price tag hold up against custom PC builds or consoles, but it will demonstrate that it can provide OS-level optimization more like the latter.
The way I see it, the Steam Machine is setting the stage for Valve's console-PC hybrid platform, rather than stealing the show right away. Had the box arrived for the same price as a Steam Deck like originally planned, it'd perhaps be more of an immediate threat to the PS5 and Xbox Series X, especially with the latter set to get even more expensive.
For now, though, the Steam Machine is a premium platform that has some growing to do. The latest SteamOS Beta is also bringing an updated Mesa graphics driver to the cube "containing many ray-tracing performance improvements, as well as other performance and functionality improvements." I'd say that's an excellent start for a mini PC that's been on the scene for a week, and the updates will also benefit custom builds, gaming handhelds, and anything else using Valve's Linux-based Windows rival.
Side note, but if you've already spotted cheaper Chinese Steam Machine clones making the rounds, you may want to tread carefully.
You'll want to peek at the best Steam Deck docks if you're sticking with Valve's gaming handheld for now.
