Shuhei Yoshida, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, shared mixed impressions after testing Valve's Steam Machine for a few hours in early July 2026 [1, 2, 3].
Yoshida described the Steam Machine's 3D performance as "just…meh," noting that the system defaults to 1080p resolution. He questioned, "Am I going back to PS4 days?" to highlight the dated experience compared to contemporary consoles [2, 3]. He also criticized the long boot times some games require, affecting user experience [1, 2, 3].
Despite these drawbacks, Yoshida praised the system's user interface for being easy to use and appreciated how the device can be powered on by pressing a button on the Steam Controller [1, 2, 3]. He also liked the customizable face plates and the random boot-up videos, calling them nice touches [1, 2, 3].
Regarding the Steam Controller itself, Yoshida found the thumbsticks looser than his preference, and said the touchpad was too touchy and hard to use [1, 2, 3].
One clear advantage Yoshida noted was the Steam Machine's ability to let him play Steam games on his living room TV. He said, "It allows me to play Steam games on my living room TV, which is a reason enough to keep it" [1].
However, he called the Steam Machine's price "very unfriendly" and difficult to recommend for general consumers, suggesting it is only suited for research purposes [3]. Valve acknowledged that the Steam Machine's price is above their original target of around $750, partly due to market conditions increasing memory and storage costs [1, 3].
Yoshida first posted his impressions on the social platform X on July 1, 2026, and PC Gamer published a detailed analysis of his comments the following day [2, 3]. The Steam Machine remains available for discovery but faces challenges in performance and affordability according to Yoshida's review.
