Steam Machine vs PS6, There's An Easy Winner When You Look Close

Valve’s Steam Machine launches next year and will give consumers yet another option when it comes to their home gaming experience.

But how will it fare when PlayStation and Xbox drop their next-gen consoles? It might just beat Xbox’s console / PC hybrid. But the PlayStation 6 might be a different story, with the hardware right now a different beast compared to Microsoft's offering.

So far Valve has shared a lot of information about the Steam Machine but failed to get specific. It’s teased at a price similar to that of an entry-level PC, which won’t be cheap, and in terms of performance it’s equal to that of an Xbox Series S but doesn’t surpass the higher-end consoles.

The most interesting tidbit of information shared so far is the Steam Machine will have a verification system similar to the Steam Deck, with games on Steam’s storefront possessing either the Verified, Playable or Unsupported label. This worries me slightly as I don’t want to potentially drop £1,000 on something that can’t run the games I’m looking to play.

From what we’ve seen the main appeal of the Steam Machine lies in its ability to bridge the gap between the console and PC markets. For someone who’s always played on consoles like myself it’s a tempting bit of kit as there’s a variety of games only found on PC that I’d like to give a try, and the option to mod games sounds exciting too.

Steam Deck- Valve

PlayStation 6 is Coming

So how will it compare to the PlayStation 6? Again, Sony has confessed very little about its next-gen piece of hardware but leaks have shared a variety of details about it, though we of course need to take them with a grain of salt.

In layman's terms, the PlayStation 6 will be more powerful than the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro, though pricing indications reckon it won’t cost much more than a Pro to buy.

It’s also rumoured that it’ll launch side-by-side with a handheld, which won’t be a successor to the PlayStation Portal but something more like a Nintendo Switch 2 or Xbox ROG Ally.

Looking past hardware PlayStation also has a hefty library of games, many of which are exclusive but have slowly but surely received PC ports over time. Xbox games have also been popping up on Sony’s platform, which is worth consideration.

PlayStation Portal- Sony

How It All Comes Together

We need to wait and see what the PlayStation 6 will be like before we can draw a proper conclusion but as it stands there are two camps for the Steam Machine vs PlayStation 6 debate.

If you’re the type of gamer that doesn’t care about cutting-edge graphics or top-of-the-line specs and just wants an extensive library of games to play, the Steam Machine might be for you. It feels like it’ll appeal to the casual audience with enough processing power to at least run most games. Many PlayStation games are also available on Steam too, so you won’t be missing out on too many exclusives.

For those looking to experience the latest and greatest the game industry has to offer though the PlayStation 6 might be your desired choice. As a console it’ll be easy to set-up and maintain, you’ll get access to the best versions of new exclusives, PlayStation Plus and it’ll all run like clockwork with the more advanced hardware.