I Bought a Steam Engine - Here's Why (and How)

I bought a steamer, despite the high price. This is why I have no regrets.

To buy a steam car, you must first join the waiting list.

I signed up for Lark. I actually wasn't going to buy one. I've already resigned myself to running PC games on my TV through my Steam Deck. That is, when I wasn't playing on my PS5, Xbox Series X, or Switch 2. The last thing I needed was another game console connected to the back of my TV via a tangle of cables.

Despite all that, I joined the Steam Machine waiting list (for the 512GB model with a Steam controller) - and then quickly forgot all about it.

So I was pleasantly surprised when my purchase email arrived almost 10 weeks later. After your email arrives, you have three days to place your order, otherwise you will lose your chance to buy.

Reading the email, I'm sure I'm not going to buy it. Between the high price of the Steam Machine and my ability to play almost any game I want on my other consoles, it's an expensive and unnecessary addition to my gaming life.

I joined the waiting list for a steam engine – and then quickly forgot all about it.

Even though I wasn't planning on buying a vaporizer, I was thinking about it during my three day shopping window. I watched and read reviews, mentally weighing the pros and cons, trying to determine if I could actually buy one.

Ever since I bought Valve's Steam Deck handheld in 2022, it's been my platform of choice. I've managed to amass a large library of Steam games over the years, and it annoys me that more high-powered games don't run or look good on the TV. Connected via Steam Deck.

But I loved the PC platform, which offered endless backwards compatibility and the ease of emulating older consoles. SteamOS is an amazing thing that combines the convenience of a console with the versatility of a PC.

Meanwhile, Sony and Microsoft didn't exactly endear themselves to this generation of gamers. There have been very few first-party killer games. Both companies have laid off employees and closed or vacated studios. Both still charge a monthly fee for online play. And Sony's decision to stop making discs in January 2028 fired up the company's fans like I don't recall ever seeing.

None of this makes me eager to keep up with what these companies have in store for the next generation. Valve, on the other hand - while not perfect - has been much more customer-friendly.

In the end, I ordered a steamer just a few hours before the window was finished. And I love that thing.

Now that the dust has settled, are you interested in a steam engine?

I'll be interested when Valve lowers the price

While I had some initial issues trying to play older games that didn't support Steam cloud saves (and thus couldn't see the progress I'd made in Steam Deck), I downloaded a handful of newer games (The Witcher 3 Remastered, The Order of the Sinking Star, ARC Raiders) and played happily on the devices.

It's no more powerful than my other consoles, but it has my main library of games on it and plays them beautifully on my 4K TV. The Steam Controller instantly became my favorite game controller, replacing the Xbox controller that I had always preferred.

I ordered a steamer just a few hours before the window was finished. And I love that thing.

Right now, hardware-wise, I might be done with Sony and Microsoft. I will be playing most games on the Steam Machine/Deck Combo. I will be playing Nintendo's first person gems on my Switch 2. And when the PS6 arrives, whenever possible and however much it costs, it almost certainly won't be a one-day purchase for me.

Is Steam Machine expensive for what it offers? yes Is it suitable for everyone? Absolutely not. But that's fine for IGN tech editor Jackie Thomas. And as someone who's been buying 99% of my games on PC and Switch for the past few years, that's fine with me.

Chris Reid is IGN's senior business editor and deal expert. He also runs IGN's LEGO coverage and maintains articles on upcoming release dates for video games, LEGO sets, and 4K Blu-rays. You can follow him on Bluesky.