Not sure how it compares but I'll stick with my laptop, i7 2.3GHz 11th gem, NVIDIA RTX 3070 (8 GB), 64 GB RAM, 4.5 TBs. Admittedly it costed more than $1000, and that was before I added extra RAM and another SSD to it.

I plan to get the controller when there is a sale, and the waiting times are shorter than 6 months.

Techpower Up's GPU database says that ta 3070 is around 30% faster than a 7600 (link), which should be more powerful than the 7600M Valve chose for the SM.

Granted, I don't know is the laptop 3070 is the same as the desktop part, but I'd say that your laptop should come on top.

In other Steam machines not related to Valve's hardware:

Data Shows Sony Made Good Money on Steam, Then May Have Realized PC Gamers Don’t Need a PlayStation
https://respawnfirst.com/data-shows-sony-made-good-money-on-steam-then-may-have-realized-pc-gamers-dont-need-a-playstation/
(...)

According to data from Alinea Analytics, PlayStation Studios games made more than $1.5B in gross revenue on Steam. After Valve’s cut, Sony made $1.2B while overall PlayStation ports sold roughly 43M copies on Steam. That is not a failed experiment, in fact, it is a reminder that PC players will buy PlayStation’s blockbuster IPs when Sony lets them.

My guess is that, other than the "no exclusives = no consoles sold" excuse, Sony may lot like the average of $28 per game, which is likely a lot higher on console.

Sony has been making stupid decisions this gen so I am not surprised they were making money and still decided to pull out. But hey, least they cancelled Destiny 3 to focus on another flop called Marathon. Que the layoffs...

I checked a few retailers here in Finland, and for the price of a Steam Machine, you can get a PC with maybe an RTX 3050 or maybe an RTX 4060. An RTX 5060 costs more already. Perhaps you can build one for cheaper but it's not an entry-level option, and if you pay for assembly, it's probably not cheaper anymore. The small form might also be a great benefit to some. Don't get me wrong, the price is terrible, but it's not necessarily as bad as you think.

Not sure what Valve has been smoking, but just looked up on PCPartPicker - 5600X, 2x8GB DDR4, RX 9060XT and 512GB NVME is around $990-1000. And that is ~ 70% faster than GabeCube.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ reviews are here, Intel Arc G3 Extreme takes the lead in performance and pricing

https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-claw-8-ex-ai-review-are-here-intel-arc-g3-extreme-takes-the-lead-in-performance-and-pricing

AMD confirms Adrenalin 26.6.2 issue on Windows 10 with Radeon RX GPUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-confirms-adrenalin-26-6-2-issue-on-windows-10-with-radeon-rx-gpus

Steam Machine now faces discounted gaming PCs with faster GPUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/steam-machine-now-faces-discounted-gaming-pcs-with-faster-gpus

I really do not believe their excuse about "current market pricing" as a justification because of how slow the CPU and GPU is in this thing. Either they got fleeced from their supplier or they got greedy.

Valve Steam Machine ships with only one DDR5 RAM stick

https://videocardz.com/newz/valve-steam-machine-ships-with-only-one-ddr5-ram-stick

ONEXPLAYER 3 officially priced at $1,399 with Intel Arc G3 Extreme and AMOLED display

https://videocardz.com/newz/onexplayer-3-officially-priced-at-1399-with-intel-arc-g3-extreme-and-amoled-display

Samsung UFS 5.0 storage reaches 10.8 GB/s read speed

https://videocardz.com/newz/samsung-ufs-5-0-storage-reaches-10-8-gb-s-read-speed

Valve is working with NVIDIA on SteamOS support

https://videocardz.com/newz/valve-is-working-with-nvidia-on-steamos-support

Arm servers capture over 45% of data center market revenue — GPU clusters and high-end AI infrastructure fuel a tectonic shift away from x86

https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/servers/arm-servers-capture-over-45-percent-of-data-center-market-revenue-gpu-clusters-and-high-end-ai-infrastructure-fuel-a-tectonic-shift-away-from-x86

The Tuesday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Steam has new deals that will last until Thursday (tho that tells us the kind of deals we can expect from them during the Summer Sale) and a few sales:

• Starfield will be 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1716740/Starfield/
• Bellwright , still in Early Access, gets a 34% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1812450/Bellwright/
• FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves is going to be 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2492040/FATAL_FURY_City_of_the_Wolves/
• Besiege features a 90% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/346010/Besiege/
• These are the Sales/Events:
  • HAELE 3D Publisher Sale is mostly about software, but they’re working on one game. All their tools are 30% off and will last another 17 hours: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44505409/sale/publishersale2026summer
  • Horizon Franchise Sale has the two games 40 and 50% off until Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/HorizonFranchiseSale2026
  • Anshar Publishing Sale puts its games on sale with up to 80% discounts. Most, but not all, will last until the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/AnsharPublisherSale2026
• And while their number is much lower than usual, this week there are also weeklong deals

Fanatical’s new Star Deal is Monster Hunter Wilds , 65% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/monster-hunter-wilds

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 26.6.2 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/amd-radeon-software-adrenalin-26-6-2

HIGHLIGHTS
New Features

• AMD FSR Upscaling 4.1 support for AMD Radeon™ RX 7000 Series Graphics cards.

New Game Support

• Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
• DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations

FIXED ISSUES

• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing RoadCraft on Radeon™ RX 7000 series products.
• Purple screen may be displayed when using an HP Reverb G2 headset with SteamVR on Radeon™ RX 6000 series graphics products.

>>***ATTENTION!*** Don’t update the driver if you’re still running Windows 10. As Jizz posted, AMD has confirmed that there is a problem (link to the same article)

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Rockstar Has Listed NoPixel V for GTA 5 on the Game Launcher
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/rockstar-has-listed-nopixel-v-for-gta-5-on-the-launcher/
In September 2025, we informed you about the latest version of the NoPixel Mod for GTA 5. And earlier this week, Rockstar added it to its launcher, hinting at an imminent release.
NoPixel is one of the most popular roleplay (RP) servers for Grand Theft Auto 5. Unlike normal GTA Online, NoPixel is all about roleplay. Players create their own characters and live out their stories in the city of Los Santos.

Grand Theft Auto 4 RTX Path Tracing Mod V1.3.2 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/grand-theft-auto-4-rtx-path-tracing-mod-v1-3-2-released/
Modder ‘xoxor4d’ has released a brand new version of his amazing RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod for Grand Theft Auto 4. So, let’s see what Update 1.3.2 brings to the table.
Version 1.3.2 implements a new anti-culling system, which renders map sectors outside the player’s view frustum with their lowest LOD. According to the modder, this will fix most of the long-distance shadows that were popping in and out of existence. Moreover, he has adjusted other anti-culling settings to regain some performance. Not only that, but he added a new system that forces high LOD objects, which are really close to the player, outside of the view frustum. This will prevent lights from turning off when they are no longer in view, as some are only attached to high LOD objects.
Another cool feature of Update 1.3.2 is the new 3D objects that the modder has added. To be more precise, xoxor4d has started replacing alpha-tested / blended chainlink fences with fully modeled fences all around the map. As he noted, this should improve performance as there will now be less OMM building.
Version 1.3.2 also comes with better raindrop visuals. The modder has also removed the expensive rain collision setting as it’s no longer supported. As such, the game should run faster in the rain.
Update 1.3.2 also fixes some vehicle light z-fighting issues. It also fixes the overly bright bowling interior and underground lights in centralpark via light tweaks. Furthermore, it adds weather and clock settings to the utility tab.
You can go ahead and download GTA 4 RTX Remix V1.3.1 from this link.
>> The article has no media.

GAMING NEWS

MUDANG: Two Hearts Is Dead as EVR Studio Has Filed for Bankruptcy
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/mudang-two-hearts-is-dead-as-evr-studio-has-filed-for-bankruptcy/
MUDANG: Two Hearts was a game I was really looking forward to as it had major influences from Splinter Cell. Sadly, though, we may never get the chance to play it as its developer, EVR Studio, has filed for bankruptcy.

The second part of the news:

After a delay in 2025 and two delays this year (plus two more short delays this morning) mech fortress-builder Sand has finally launched
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/after-a-delay-in-2025-and-two-delays-this-year-plus-two-more-short-delays-this-morning-mech-fortress-builder-sand-has-finally-launched/
Picture a huge metal beast lumbering through the sand dunes. As it lifts its mechanical legs and places its heavy metal feet down, you probably wouldn't be surprised if it stumbled, lurched, or even got stuck here and there for a bit.
That's what's been happening with Sand: Raiders of Sophie, a PvPvE extraction shooter where you build and pilot giant walking mechanical bases, stomp around in the desert on an alien planet, and battle both other players and their own walking bases. It's taken quite a few missteps on the long, sandy path to launch.
(...)
But here we are on June 22, and Sand: Raiders of Sophie is finally out in early access! That doesn't mean there weren't still a few more little stumbles at the starting line: as eager fans in the official Discord witnessed today, "a couple of wires got crossed that we need Valves help us uncross," the development team said, which delayed today's launch "an hour or two."

I usually skip soulslikes not made by FromSoftware, but one Steam demo just won me over
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/i-usually-skip-souslikes-not-made-by-fromsoftware-but-one-steam-demo-just-won-me-over/
I'm a FromSoft fiend, but there are hardly any other soulslikes I can stand. I can dig something a bit more removed like the first-person Lunacid or 2D Mina the Hollower, but there's an uncanny valley effect for me with stuff like Lies of P or Nioh: It's so close to being the thing I love, but doesn't quite bring it home.
Enter Prison of Husks, whose demo is live on Steam: It carries the same risk of comparison to the champaign of Souls with its camera, controls, and vibes, but manages to be different enough to really get my goat. The first thing that won me over was its commitment to a retro PS1 rendering style, boasting little touches that come off as genuine retro expression rather than hopping on an indie trend.

'Our game isn't gore porn' says director of game whose trailer features a zombie baby's skull being crushed and someone's eye getting scooped out with a knife
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/our-game-isnt-gore-porn-says-director-of-game-whose-trailer-features-a-zombie-babys-skull-being-crushed-and-someones-eye-getting-scooped-out-with-a-knife/
A story trailer for the gross-out horror game Ill dropped earlier this month, although frankly I didn't notice much in the way of story: I was too busy looking at, as cataloged by our Australian goremaster Shaun Prescott, the eye-scoopings, skull stompings, zombie baby punchings, and other such goings-on to really hone in on the narrative angle of the whole thing. Still, Max Verehin, CEO of developer Team Clout, assured me during a recent chat that there is indeed a story going on in there, and that those over-the-top visuals are actually inspired in part by one of the best-loved horror sequences in videogame history: Half-Life 2's We Don't Go to Ravenholm.

I played that $1,000 Steam game. I regret it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/i-played-that-usd1-000-steam-game-i-regret-it/
A recent Steam release has been making the social media rounds of late. Congratulations On Your Purchase is a, I hesitate to say 'game,' but a product, released at the end of May, that costs $1,000 / £748. "You paid for this. Not accidentally. Not on impulse. You saw the price. You read the description. And then you bought it anyway. Welcome" reads the description. Kind of. There's actually a bunch of broken HTML in there I can't copy over without confusing our CMS.
It's a status symbol, in essence: a 2026 replay of that I Am Rich iPhone app from 2008. The intention is that Steam users with more money than sense see it, purchase it, and flaunt it as a testament to their fantastic wealth, while also conveniently signing themselves up for the guillotine come the October Revolution 2.

Games Workshop never detailed how the Skitarii's most iconic weapon reloads, so Fatshark helped model it after a gaming classic
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/games-workshop-never-detailed-how-the-skitariis-most-iconic-weapon-reloads-so-fatshark-helped-model-it-after-a-gaming-classic/
What weapon comes to mind when you think of a Skitarii in Warhammer 40k? A Shock Maul? An Arc Rifle? Or even the cool Transonic Blades that the Sicarian Ruststalkers use? For me, and a lot of others, it's their iconic longarm, the Galvanic Rifle. Visually, it resembles a flintlock with a glowing blue cylinder mounted on its undercarriage, a cool combination of old and new. But it's never been entirely clear how it reloads—does it take a clip? Or is it a revolver rifle?
Well, when creating the Skitarii class for Warhammer 40k: Darktide, it's a problem the developer Fatshark had to tackle.