Digital Storm Steam Machine Will Dual Boot SteamOS, Windows

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Steam Machine from Digital Storm will be more of high-end PC than a console.

Boutique PC maker Digital Storm today revealed plans for its first Steam Machine, which it plans to officially launch at CES in January. With a starting price of $1469, it won't be console-priced, but Digital Storm is pitching this as far more than just a games machine. With options for an Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan, up to a 700W power supply, advanced airflow thermal management, and liquid cooling on the CPU, this Steam Machine offering will have the ability to dual-boot SteamOS and Windows.

Those familiar with other Digital Storm systems may recognize that this Steam Machine bears a resemblance to the Bolt PC. We made this observation to Digital Storm and learned what sets the Steam Machine apart. Where the Bolt is 3.6 inches wide, the Steam Machine will be slightly larger at 4.4 inches wide, 14.1 inches deep, and 16.4 inches tall. The Steam Machine will also have improved cooling with an integrated 240 mm radiator and more airflow vents.

Expect plenty more details at CES. The only other Steam Machine we know about so far is from iBuyPower, which is targeting a starting price of $500.

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Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
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10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • icepick314
    if you can boot to Windows, why even bother with SteamOS?

    Steam on Windows have Big Screen Mode...
    Reply
  • sephirothmk
    Because Windows costs money and SteamOS doesn't?
    Reply
  • vmem
    this will make for some easy 'side-by-side' comparisons of SteamOS vs Windows performance :D

    that aside, I guess this implies Steam OS will show up for download anytime now
    Reply
  • ZolaIII
    Even Ubuntu is faster in OGL games with Nv then Windows. Amd actually have problem with quality of they Linux drivers bat i hope that they will resolve this.

    The SteamOS image is going to be released around weakened so it will be interesting to see some actual benchmarks!
    Reply
  • Dirk_Funk
    Weird that they would go with a titan when a couple of faster and cheaper cards just came out.
    Reply
  • photonboy
    TITAN:
    It's just one option, hence the "STARTING PRICE" reference. That won't be with a Titan.

    SteamOS and games:
    That's going to be very limited, as only games written, or re-written for Linux will work. Hence about 98% of games will be Windows only.

    Mouse/keyboard games:
    The new Steam controller is an interesting solution, however many games won't work simply because the text or HUD elements will be too SMALL when viewed from a couch.

    Benchmarking SteamOS vs Windows:
    Only for games that exist on BOTH systems. Since we don't know what OPTIMIZATIONS were made when rewriting an older game like LFD2, most of the results will be useless.

    Will the games even be 100% in terms of graphical features for a fair comparison?

    DUAL-BOOT:
    My big issue with SteamOS comes back to the Windows compatibility issue. I'm not getting a SteamOS machine that won't run my Windows games. Thus, I guess I'll be booting back and forth between SteamOS and Windows?

    I like the POWER of a PC for gaming, but dealing with an expensive dual-boot environment to have full access to my Steam catalogue seems a big hassle to me.

    STREAMING:
    What I really want is a tiny Steambox that has TWO purposes:
    a) Inexpensive, basic media box with simple gaming capability.

    b) Streams games from my high-end gaming PC via an Ethernet connection with a low-latency Ethernet to HDMI chip inside the Steambox (and obviously wireless controller support to the Steambox).

    *Mini Steambox for streaming, plus XBOX ONE and Steam Controller support please!!
    Reply
  • Jordan Nwokolo
    The END of Micro$oft(in term of gaming platform) is near, Get ready to jump from the sinking Redmond ship and swim to the beautiful "Pinguin" coast :vendredi:
    Reply
  • ojas
    "Steam Machine from Digital Storm will be more of high-end PC than a console"

    That was the whole idea, you know. Like, from the very start.

    And Valve announced that they'll start shipping the beta machines and controllers on the 13th, a few hours ago...from the wording i figured that SteamOS will launch around the same date too.
    Reply
  • Cazalan
    I got a spare 256GB SSD just waiting to try out Steam OS.
    Reply
  • SyncroScales
    That's why I build my computers now. It was a lot to learn and always changes. I don't like those pre-builds. I am wondering if these "Digital Storm and Bolt PC's" will allow people to swap parts and upgrade parts. How long do people have to wait so the OS's don't "not boot-up".

    Will the Windows OS not boot up and you have to call Microsoft to be told your license agreement prohibits such a hardware upgrade? Will the SteamOS do the same? What are the license agreements?
    Reply