Valve is taking on PlayStation and Xbox with its own Steam Machine, but why is it missing HDMI 2.1 five years after the launch of the other consoles?
Valve explained to Ars Technica that the issue is related to open source drivers:
- "Valve tells Ars that, while the hardware itself actually supports HDMI 2.1, the company is struggling to offer full support for that standard due to Linux drivers that are 'still a work-in-progress on the software side'."
Apparently, the HDMI Forum has blocked any open source implementation of HDMI 2.1, including 4K120 HDR, VRR, ALLM and more features.
Valve trying to "unblock things"
Valve told Ars Technica in reference to HDMI 2.1 that it has "been working on trying to unblock things there".
The company highlighted that its upcoming Steam Machine will still support 4K 120Hz, instead of the official limit of 4K 60Hz for old-school HDMI 2.0.
However, FlatpanelsHD must note the important context omitted by Valve. Even though 4K120 is not an official HDMI 2.0 mode, HDMI 2.0's bandwidth does allow 4K120 at 8-bit with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling (color signal compression), which Valve is doing. In other words, 4K120 works only without HDR, limited to SDR with 8-bit. This really has nothing to do with HDMI 2.1, as HDMI 2.0 has delivered 4K120 SDR on monitors and some TVs for years.
Steam Machine has both HDMI and DisplayPort but both ports are significantly limited. Photo: ValveHDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4
To be clear: Steam Machine does not support HDMI 2.1 in any form or function, despite the hardware being capable. This will disappoint users hoping to connect it to their premium TVs. With HDMI 2.0 you are limited to 4K 60Hz if you also want HDR.
Valve highlighted that it features DisplayPort 1.4, which has higher bandwidth, but DisplayPort 1.4 is also an aging standard, with DisplayPort 2.0 announced way back in mid-2019. Very few TVs are equipped with DisplayPort.
The limitations result in Steam Machine not supporting HDMI VRR. It is restricted to AMD's FreeSync VRR system.
With weaker hardware, limited HDMI and DisplayPort connections, significant Steam game fragmentation (including poor controller support), and plans to price it "like a PC", the Steam Machine faces an uphill battle against especially the very popular PlayStation 5.
Steam Machine is set to launch in 2026, with PlayStation 6 and a next-gen Xbox rumored for 2027.
- Source: Ars Technica
