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It's increasingly likely that the Steam Machine will arrive next week. GTA 6 pre-orders will also go live in a weeks' time, so we could be bombarded with the biggest hardware release of the year and the most coveted game of the decade at the same time. However, I feel like it's a good time to remind everyone that Rockstar's sandbox won't be coming to PC on day one, and that matters if you're eyeing up Valve's box.
Okay, here's a recap so you're up to speed with the supposed timings. We know for a fact GTA 6 pre-orders will go live on June 25. The emergence of fresh Geekbench results also suggests the Steam Machine could launch next week, but keep in mind, Valve hasn't confirmed an official release date for its box. Prior leaks have suggested reviews for the mini PC will land on June 23, meaning there's a chance it'll go on sale two days later.
Yes, I'm sweating at the idea of the Steam Machine and GTA 6 landing at the exact same time. There's no guarantee it'll happen at precisely the same moment, but even both occurring in the same week is bananas. Yet, if playing the long-awaited sequel is a priority, and you're currently leaping to older hardware, the fact that it's not coming to PC will have narrowed your options.
Of course, I know there's a Venn diagram for people who want to both pick up GTA 6 day one and grab the Steam Machine. The immediate issue is that it won't be what you're playing on the box, as you'll be limited to PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on November 19.
I do find it slightly amusing that GTA 6 will only be playable on a system that arrived six years ago and not a new-fangled, console market-disrupting powerhouse that'll arrive shortly before. It's these sorts of situations that could hamper the Steam Machine's efforts against the console status quo, especially if the box costs a chunk more than a PS5 Pro.
That said, PC players are well used to waiting for some of the biggest games (thanks, Sony), and since it'll eventually land on Steam, I'd start thinking about whether it'll actually run well on the Machine when it does grace the storefront. The big question is whether a demanding game like GTA 6 could break Valve's 4K 60fps general performance promise, and I suspect it will.
I should stress that since we're not getting a PC port yet, I naturally don't have GTA 6 system requirements to hand. So, rather than basing theoretical Steam Machine performance on recommended specs, all I can do right now is highlight how the crime caper will run on a base PS5, as that's the closest launch system to Valve's wee computer.
It's incredibly likely that if you're running GTA 6 on a vanilla PS5, you'll be playing at 4K 30fps. In theory, the Steam Machine should pack slightly more of a punch since its custom RDNA 3 CPU should be similar to an AMD Radeon RX 7600, but you'll be at the mercy of less optimized settings compared to the set experience on console.
If I were to guess a hypothetical sweet spot for GTA 6 on the Steam Machine, it'd be 1440p 60fps. That's with a little help from upscaling tools like AMD FSR 4.1, which will absolutely be needed if you've also got ray tracing switched on. That's not to say you won't be able to potentially get Rockstar's latest romp running at 4K, but you'll have to go through the usual PC gaming rigmarole of dialling in settings, and the visuals could take a hit as a result.
As I said above, though, conversations surrounding GTA 6 on the Steam Machine will have to wait. If Rockstar takes the same approach as GTA 5, it should eventually end up on PC, and I actually have a funny feeling Valve's box could make that happen sooner than later.
Take Two Interactive previously described console players as its "core consumers", attributing it as a reason for a delayed PC launch. But if the Steam Machine prompts those players to cross the aisle, and Microsoft sticks with Xbox Project Helix hybrid platform plans, the exclusivity could place a chunk of the intended audience for GTA 6 out of reach. Plus, many players are now also rocking gaming handhelds, so we'll perhaps see the publisher change its release strategy sooner than later.
I'm getting ahead of myself, though, so the takeaway right now is that while GTA 6 and the Steam Machine could go on sale at the same time, their paths won't actually cross. That's certainly going to help keep eyes on PS5 and Xbox Series X as its new rival takes to the stage, and as hyped as I am for Valve's mighty box, I get a feeling more players than ever will be reaching for a new console this year.
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