Love:

• Quiet: For me this is a must, and the main reason I bought the Steam Machine.
• Small
• Powerful enough for 1440p

Before I talk about the frustrations, please note that I want to use my Steam Machine not just for gaming, but as a PC replacement for productivity. I prefer Fedora Workstation (not immutable) with GNOME for my workflow. SteamOS by itself doesn't suit my needs.

Frustrations:

• Dual booting: The BIOS does not have a setting for boot priority. Commands to update the EFI boot order are also ignored. I practically have to trigger the boot menu at power-on every time. Even that is not reliable; the boot option for a secondary OS simply disappears from the boot menu whenever I have any external drive connected. I have tried combinations of different OSes: SteamOS, Windows, Fedora, and CachyOS.

Workaround for automatically booting into Fedora: I created a script to set the next EFI boot priority automatically every time Fedora starts. Somehow, the Machine respects only the "next priority" setting, but not permanent ones.

• USB-C: There is only one USB-C port, and it doesn’t work reliably with hubs or docking stations. One minute it works perfectly at high speeds, and then one restart later it falls back to USB 2.0 speeds. I have tried Dell docking stations and a TP-Link USB-C hub with power passthrough; they all eventually drop to USB 2.0 speeds. It would have been better if the Steam Machine had 10 Gbps USB-A ports, but Valve cheaped out and provided only 480 Mbps at the back and 5 Gbps at the front.

Workaround for USB ports: I am buying a powered USB-A 3.0 hub to use with the front port. Hopefully, it will work properly (though only at 5 Gbps).

• MicroSD slot: I bought a 1 TB microSD card specifically to use with the Steam Machine. Unfortunately, the card doesn’t work at all when inserted into the Machine’s slot. However, the same slot reads my smaller microSD cards fine, and the 1 TB card works perfectly in a card reader and on my laptop. It is an Amazon Basics brand—perhaps I should have gotten a SanDisk instead—but it is still disappointing.

Workaround for microSD: Using a USB-A 3.0 card reader.

• Firmware updates: Because of the dual-booting issues, I wanted to use only Fedora. However, I realized that even though Linux can normally update firmware on most devices, that is not the case with the Steam Machine. I was stuck on an early BIOS version. Updating the BIOS required SteamOS, and installing SteamOS required wiping the entire internal drive.

Workaround for firmware updates: Keep SteamOS installed, shrink its partition, and add Fedora for dual booting so I still have SteamOS available for future firmware updates.

• Shut down: Neither Fedora nor CachyOS can power down the Machine; it always restarts itself after shutting down.

Workaround for shutdown: Pressing the power button on the Machine when needed. Most of the time, I just put it to sleep.

• Wi-Fi: I have a UniFi network with two Wi-Fi 7 access points, including an SSID dedicated to the 6 GHz band for devices supporting Wi-Fi 6E/7. For some reason, the Steam Machine insists on connecting to the AP on another floor instead of the one in the same room with a stronger signal. When I modify my UniFi settings to force it to connect to the nearest AP, the Steam Machine simply refuses to connect. Both APs are the exact same model and configuration.

Workaround for Wi-Fi: I created another dedicated 6 GHz-only SSID specific to the nearest AP.

I still like the Steam Machine and have no regrets. I just wish Valve would fix the issues above to make the system much more pleasant to use.

THE FATHER of a young woman who died as a result of a dog attack has said the inquest into her death will let her family “get on with missing her”.

Nicole Morey from Crossagalla died on her 23rd birthday on June 4, 2024, after being attacked by her XL Bully dog in a rental property in Fedamore.

I am in the Steam Machine 2026 reservation queue now. Please convince me NOT to buy one. I don't really have a gaming PC right now. I am hoping that the Steam Machine can replace my productivity laptop, so I can play modern games on it and also have better general performance for productivity apps.

My current gaming setup:

• Laptop with integrated Intel Iris XE graphics (only for productivity and limited 2D gaming)
• 1440p monitor
• Xbox series S
• Switch Lite
• Switch 2
• Logitech G Cloud
• GeForce Now performance subscription

I spend most of the time playing on handhelds (native/streaming), but occasionally on the computer monitor. Currently I stream from either GFN or the Xbox (remote play) to my Logitech G Cloud.

I have a huge backlog, and very limited time to play games due to busy life.

Other points to consider:

1. Xbox series S is too weak for some recent games, even at 1080p
2. I am not just going to use the Steam Machine with the monitor, I will mostly stream the Steam Machine to my Logitech G Cloud
3. I don't mind the Linux desktop environment, I actually prefer it over Windows
4. Gaming laptops are too hot and noisy
5. I don't want a large Windows PC, I like the steam machine form factor.
6. My Xbox series S is also used only for streaming to my Logitech G Cloud
7. GeForce Now has a limited library, there are many steam games I want that are not available on GFN
8. I've considered getting a Mac Mini, but the new one is too expensive.
9. I worry that GFN will raise their prices or put further limits. Or new games I want won't be available on GFN. I feel like with GFN, I own nothing and it is out of my control.
10. I love retro games and emulation (The Logitech G Cloud is too weak for PS2/Gamecube/PS3 emulation)
11. I have very good internet connectivity and good wifi 7.

Additionally:

• Gaming handhelds such as the Steamdeck and ROG Ally are too big and heavy.
• I want to be able to play upcoming games such as Fable and Elder's Scroll 6
• I do not need to play on the couch with TV
• I only play single player games, mostly RPGs
• I enjoy the cheaper game prices of Steam (vs Xbox/Nintendo)
• I don't need native Microsoft 365 apps, I am happy with Linux apps
• I don't trust most mini PC brands
• I am mostly a patient gamer, and often wait until at least 50% discount to buy games

A devastating tragedy has struck the South African police service after a dedicated female officer was mauled to death by pit bulls in Soweto on 11 September 2026.

A series of videos posted to the Citizen app show the aftermath of the apparent attack. In one of the videos, San Francisco Police Department officers can be seen trying to restrain the canine, a large pit bull type dog that appears to have blood on its head.

Link to the video

According to this article (animals24-7.org):

A Chat GPT translation from a cage card printed in Mandarin Chinese identified the attacking dog as an “American Bully mix,” about a year and a half old, male, not neutered.

During an interview with investigators, Campbell acknowledged knowing that his dogs had previously been deemed vicious, New Mexico State Police said. Investigators also learned that the dogs, both a pitbull mix breed , had reportedly been involved in an earlier attack and had recently been released from an animal shelter.

A variety of dog breeds were represented, with Pit bulls comprising 24.4% of the reported perpetrators, followed by German Shepherds (6.7%), Huskies (3.3%), and Rottweilers (3.3%). Australian Shepherds, Dobermans, and French Bulldogs were each responsible for 2.2% of bites. (Unknown 47.8%)

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities have identified a Clearlake Oaks man killed last week when two neighborhood dogs mauled him.

An ordinary afternoon of playing outside turned into a Jacksonville parent’s worst nightmare when her 11-year-old daughter was mauled by a pit bull at a friend’s home, her family said.