According to The Verge , Valve has just delivered a heavy blow to Microsoft with the launch of Steam Machine, the company behind the Steam platform has created a PC-based gaming machine, aiming to directly challenge the dominance of PlayStation and Xbox. Ironically, this machine is the epitome of the dream that Microsoft is pursuing: a hybrid device between PC and console.
Steam Machine: Valve's 10-Year Defense Strategy
The Steam Machine looks like a 'cut in half' Xbox Series X, a compact 6-inch cube that packs a formidable punch from two AMD chips, promising performance close to that of the PS5 or Xbox Series X. But the 'secret weapon' isn't the hardware, it's the software.
The machine runs Valve's Linux-based SteamOS and uses the Proton compatibility layer. This is a game changer. A decade ago, the original Steam Machines project failed because developers had to port their games to Linux. Now, Proton allows most Windows PC games to run smoothly, and even better than their Windows console counterparts.
Valve's Steam Machine
PHOTO: POLYGON SCREENSHOT
Meanwhile, Microsoft is struggling with its own vision. Devices like Asus’ Xbox Ally, which uses Windows at its core and the Xbox interface overlaid on top, were seen as an early look at where the next Xbox could go. But the combination now feels like a clumsy beta, trying to hide the complexity of Windows and selling for $1,000.
Valve's Steam Machine now exposes that truth and puts tremendous pressure on Microsoft to execute its vision perfectly.
This battle is aimed at a common audience: gamers who want a simple console-like PC gaming experience, or those who already have a massive Steam library and want to bring it to the living room. Valve has it all, including a controller-friendly operating system (SteamOS) and a dominant store (Steam).
Meanwhile, Microsoft is building its next-generation Xbox on Windows and faces the huge hurdle of convincing users to buy games on its store instead of Steam.
Of course, Microsoft still has some trump cards. The PC Game Pass service remains a Windows exclusive. More importantly, multiplayer titles like Fortnite, Valorant , and Battlefield 6 don't run on SteamOS due to its complex anti-cheat system. This is where Xbox has an advantage.
Price will also be a deciding factor. Valve has suggested that Steam Machines will cost “comparable to a similarly specced PC,” while Microsoft has also hinted that the next-gen Xbox will be a “premium experience,” meaning both will be priced more like a PC than a console.
Notably, Valve's move is the result of a decade-long hedging strategy that began when CEO Gabe Newell called Windows 8 a "colossal disappointment." Now, that hedging strategy appears to have delivered Microsoft's long-held dream of a PC in the living room.
Only, it's not Windows. It's Linux.
And when Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, took to X (Twitter) to congratulate Valve, it was understood that: The real battle for living room entertainment... had officially begun.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/valve-vua-tao-ra-chiec-xbox-ma-microsoft-hang-mo-uoc-185251114154456134.htm
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