After much speculation, Valve has finally confirmed how the Steam Deck Verification system works, with a framework based on its handheld computer.
During the Steam Hardware Talk at GDC, Valve revealed that “All Deck Verified games are Machine Verified” with the “same input expectations” for the living room PC as with the Steam Deck handheld.
That means Steam Machine-Verified games must run at 1080p, and 30 FPS as a baseline, and Valve has confirmed that this system is “not testing display resolution or legibility”.
As shown in the infographic, Steam Machine testing will follow a similar process to the Steam Deck’s current system. A PC game available on Steam will be “Machine Playable” if it functions, albeit with certain caveats, such as less-than-ideal inputs or OS quirks.
The Steam Machine Verification system also means a lower barrier to entry, as (theoretically) any game that is Great on Deck can be just as good (or better) on Machine.
Valve also reiterates its “6x Steam Deck” performance claims. Considering the (seemingly) vastly superior hardware under the hood, it is a curious decision to award the green tick only for achieving a bare minimum of 1080p and 30 FPS.
Does Machine Verified really mean anything?
The baseline 1080p at 30 FPS for the Steam Machine for verification is disappointing, as it’s far from ideal for playing most games. While technically playable, having this sub-60 FPS barrier to entry to promote an ideal experience is not the most encouraging portrait for the upcoming living room PC.
A green tick means a PC game will just about run, sure, but it doesn’t factor in resolution or display inputs. What if you’re rigging up the Steam Machine to your 120Hz 4K TV or your leading computer monitor? Valve wants to target a console-gaming demographic with this box, but it’s already muddying the waters with its ease-of-use and compatibility features.
While a PS5 or Xbox Series X will (usually) give you the option of Performance or Quality mode, 60/30 FPS, the Steam Machine is said to bridge the gap and reduce the alienating nature of PC gaming. Those who already own respectable computers will be fine here, but what about console gamers thinking of making the jump?
I was hoping for more from the Steam Machine Verification system. I was expecting we would see automatic testing standards for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K at both 30 and 60 FPS. There are also no details of how AMD FSR factors into this. What of native vs downsampled performance? There are simply too many unanswered questions with such vague testing standards here.
Valve claims “4K gaming at 60 FPS,” but now, due to its testing standards, it has nothing to back those claims. We know the Steam Machine specs are AMD Zen 4 (6 cores / 12 threads) with “semi-custom” RDNA 3 graphics with 28 Compute Units at 110W. On paper, it can deliver these results, but there’s nothing to prove it will.
