La Steam Machine This is Valve's strategy to encourage more users to play Steam titles. Many say they intend to eliminate consoles by making a bold move, and much more, but the truth is, it has nothing to do with that. Their goal is simply to make the experience of playing games on their platform easier, and of course, to make money along the way.
Many people refer to the Steam Machine and Deck as consoles, but they aren't. They're disguised with a special hardware and software design, but They are actually computersA console is about turning it on, choosing a game, and playing, and on a PC it can be that way or it can be very different. If we add to that the fact that Steam Machines use Linux, then even more problems can arise. Here we'll detail the issues we might encounter with the Steam Machine, which They're not very different from the ones we already find on the Steam Deck.
NOTE: Before we continue, I should explain that this article was written long before the Steam Machine was released, but it's being published with the understanding that it may be helpful in the future, both for troubleshooting and for deciding whether or not to purchase a Steam Machine. With that said, let's get started.
Common problems with the Steam Machine
A game won't open on the Steam Machine
Okay, this It's not common at allProton is mature enough that a game shouldn't do anything when you try to open it. However, it's possible that a full-screen message might appear preventing the game from starting, as can happen with The Witcher 2.
The Witcher 2 is quite old and is marked as incompatible with the Deck, and it shouldn't be on the Steam Machine either. The reason is that if you try to open it in game mode, the first thing that appears is a message about a graphical issue, and that message appears randomly. In this case, what you need to do is Start the game in desktop mode, accept that message, and configure it from there.Once you have an initial configuration file, all that remains is to start as usual.
Another possibility is that an error message appears and the game won't launch. It's rather ironic that I've seen this in the native Linux version of Alien: Isolation. The message warns that it's not compatible with the graphics card and closes upon clicking OK. In cases like this, it's advisable to go into the game's settings and... force compatibility with a specific version. If the Linux runtime appears, we choose Proton. This will downgrade the Windows version, and you'd be surprised how often that's better.
The image and sound quality are poor.
Some games don't look or sound right on SteamOS. The reason It is usually related to older components. The games in question are based on certain operating systems, and they don't run very well on Linux. For example, the Devil May Cry HD Collection. I remember playing the first two on Windows because the videos were awful and infuriating, but it wasn't necessary. Video and audio problems can usually be fixed.
The first one I recommend is use a different ProtonTry going into the game settings and forcing compatibility. It might also help to check ProtonDB and see what the community says. If the game uses proprietary codecs or something similar, Proton-GE might have the answer.
There's another possibility: the cutscenes might use codecs that aren't fully compatible with Linux. This is the case with the Devil May Cry games in the HD Collection, and the solution involves... use a "mod"Mods are modifications made to change something in the game, and this one in particular contains the corrected videos so that they work properly on Linux.
The game isn't available in my language, even though Steam says it is.
This can happen, though not very often. It does happen in The Witcher 2, and it's something that confuses the community. Some people claim they played it in Spanish years ago, reinstalled it, and now Spanish isn't an option. The solution in this case involves... search for a compatible patch on our own.. For example in This Video The description explains where to get the patch and how to apply it. It's supposed to work in 2025, but my Steam copy of The Witcher 2 is in Spanish using the patch for the final GOG version.
I can't open an EXE file on the Steam Machine desktop
This is not a flaw; it is what it is.The Steam Machine uses SteamOS by default, and although it is compatible with Windows games, it is not so easy to launch an EXE file unless it is from Steam.
If you're looking to install an application, I don't recommend it. If it's a game, things change. There are many ways to run a game from outside Steam on SteamOS, and I recommend using Heroic Games Launcher. It works by default with stores like Epic, GOG, and Amazon Games, which covers most scenarios. Even if the game is from an unsupported store, Heroic allows this. To do this, you would specify that it's a game from another store and where the installer or EXE file is located. If it's an installer, there's an option to have it install first, and then you point to the game's EXE file. If it's already extracted, you just need to specify the path to the EXE file.
It's a bit more complex than that, as you have to configure some parameters, and the best thing in these cases is trial and error.
Applications can also be installed, but a system bar may appear at the top and they don't look as nice.
My Call of Duty, "FIFA" or other online games are not working
Back to the operating system: SteamOS uses Linux, and some games, like the ones mentioned, won't work. This is where the game comes in. anti-cheat software o anti-cheatand it can really mess things up. There's no solution here if the developer doesn't want to fix it. The only way is to use Windows, and there are three ways: on an SSD with Windows To Go (here explained how to get it on the Steam Deck), by using Dual-Boot and completely changing the system.
Of the three options, I'm happy with my setup in Windows To GoIt doesn't affect anything in my Deck (and it'll be the same on the Steam Machine) and it's saved me in trouble with titles like Devil May Cry 1 and 2 and Darksiders. I might change my mind in the future, since Valve will release an official tool for dual-booting. What I absolutely don't recommend is changing the operating system. There are very few games that don't work on SteamOS, and Windows in general isn't really suited for a living room experience.
Titles with special launchers
Some games rely on special launchers, such as EA's. In these cases, if the company is interested, they will facilitate the installation and execution of the game. For example, Mass Effect depends on EA's launcher, but it's fully integrated into the system.
If the company doesn't want to do its part, then perhaps the best thing to do is to look at Windows as in the previous point.
Performance is reduced on the Steam Machine
The Steam Machine It will feature Steam's most popular hardware.Or, to put it another way, the average hardware of those of us who play on Steam. It will be good hardware, but the most demanding AAA games might not run as well, depending on several factors.
Generally, I don't think I'm wrong when I say that the default settings shouldn't cause problems, but the Steam Machine is a PC. For example: imagine that in 2026 the second part of Black Myth: Wukong comes out with even more demanding graphics. If we launch it on the Steam Machine and it runs terribly, we'll have to check the graphics settings.
Among the settings you can lower are the quality of shadows and textures, the graphics in general, and the resolution. Many are obsessed with 4K, but if your screen isn't huge, lowering it to 1080p might be the solution. In the future, when graphics become even more demanding, you might even be able to lower it to 720p. Crazy? Not at all. It's the resolution of the PS3, where titles like God of War 3 are available. It might look a bit pixelated, but it's an option offered by PCs.
I'm not lying when I say I recently played Guardians of the Galaxy on the Deck connected to the screen and I enjoyed it immensely. Sure, the hair in close-ups looks a bit pixelated. It lags a bit? A little. But I finished it from beginning to end without any problems, and I had a blast.
My controller doesn't work on the Steam Machine.
It's possible, but I don't know if it's common. Most controllers on the market mimic those of Xbox or PlayStation, and they usually work with Steam Input. If not, there are several things we can do:
- Go to your Steam controller settings and "map" it.
- Try enabling and disabling Steam Input. Either way should work.
- Updating your controller drivers can help. How to do this depends on the brand, but it usually involves going to their support page, downloading the drivers, and installing them as instructed. In most cases, this will need to be done from within Windows.
Regarding the accuracy of the analog sticks, there's a setting in the controller configuration to adjust the dead zones. I have two different controllers, and on both I've had to reduce these zones to improve accuracy.
Where do I put my mods?
the mods They work the same as in Windows, except for the pathsThe best approach is to follow the instructions provided by the author and the community. To find the folders, you can access a game's profile by clicking the gear icon in the title menu, selecting Properties, and then Installed Files. There, you'll find an option to display these files if you're in desktop mode; this isn't possible in game mode.
My favorite app doesn't work well in game mode
It's possible, and even likely, that your favorite app won't work well in game mode. Many apps launch as desktop applications, and using them in game mode isn't supported by default. For example, FreeTube expects a mouse and pointer and doesn't respond to controller input.
In cases like this, the best solution is to map the controls, for example, by assigning the right touchpad to move the pointer. This is only possible if you're using a controller like the Steam Controller. If you have a keyboard with a touchpad, the pointer usually works without issue.
Other problems
This last point is no less important than the rest. The Steam Machine is a PC, and it can experience all sorts of problems at any time. So, the best thing to do when faced with a less common issue is to search online or ask your favorite AI. Many game-related problems have solutions explained in ProtonDB, and others can be found on Google or even YouTube. If the problem is with the PC itself, the same applies.
It's important to remember that the Steam Machine isn't always plug-and-play, but for many people, myself included, it's the best of the best because of everything it offers.