Steam Machine Compatibility Now Accessible: What’s Playable and What’s Not!
Hey gamers! If you’ve been diving into the Steam world, you might have noticed the handy compatibility checks for games on the Steam Deck. But guess what? Now you can also see how your favorite titles fare on the Steam Machine and SteamOS right on their store pages!
Since the Steam Machine’s launch back in June, you can easily check if it can handle the games lurking in your library. Just hit ‘learn more’ next to the Steam Deck compatibility rating, and voilà! You’ll get a quick rundown of what’s good to go and what isn’t across Valve’s hardware and software.
However, it’s not all smooth sailing. Some games are still listed as having unknown compatibility. For instance, Black Myth: Wukong is one of those titles, with Valve admitting that they’re still figuring things out for this highly anticipated game set to release in 2024. The speculation is that it might be too demanding on hardware, affecting its performance on Valve’s gaming box.
Even though Wukong doesn’t have a full Steam Machine rating, it’s still reportedly running well on SteamOS. This means you’re not restricted to the Steam Machine’s specs or its somewhat steep price. You could easily pair Wukong with beefier hardware from other brands, like the Lenovo Legion Go, instead!
Switching to SteamOS on your home setup can have its quirks too. For instance, Valve’s Linux-based OS often struggles with the anti-cheat systems found in many competitive games nowadays, which can be a bummer.
Valve is still on the learning curve when it comes to compatibility with several titles, like Dragon’s Dogma 2, Elden Ring Nightreign, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, and Resident Evil Requiem. But some games, like 007: First Light, that are merely ‘Playable’ on the Deck can actually get upgraded to ‘Verified’ on the Steam Machine thanks to its more powerful hardware.
On a personal note, I’ve been enjoying less demanding games lately. One of my favorites, Shanty Town, is fully ‘Verified’ on both the Steam Deck and Steam Machine, not to mention its compatibility with SteamOS. Another one that’s caught my eye is Magical Princess, which has a ‘Playable’ rating on both platforms but comes with a few quirks regarding text input and button display.
Currently, you can’t sift through store results by Steam Machine or SteamOS compatibility yet, but don’t worry! That feature might be rolling out soon, especially with the introduction of the new Great on Frame category. With the upcoming release of the Steam Frame VR headset, who knows what exciting compatibility options will follow!