The first owners of the new Steam Machine have already encountered hardware malfunctions. The first confirmed case of the so-called Red Line of Death (RLOD), which signals a critical hardware failure, has appeared online.
The problem was reported by a Reddit user who posted a photo of his Steam Machine. According to him, the device worked for about 20 minutes, after which a red line appeared on the screen, and the system stopped booting.
According to Steam support documentation, the location of the red line helps determine the nature of the malfunction. In this case, the line runs from the center of the screen to the right side, indicating a graphics processor failure.
Unlike a regular desktop PC where a discrete graphics card can be easily replaced, the Steam Machine uses a graphics chip soldered onto the board. This means that the device owner will most likely have to send the system to a service center or use the warranty, as the repair will require replacing the graphics processor itself.
The appearance of RLOD brings to mind the infamous Red Ring of Death (RROD) on the Xbox 360 and Yellow Light of Death (YLOD) on the PlayStation 3 – indicators of serious hardware malfunctions that became symbols of problems in the first revisions of these consoles. Subsequently, Microsoft had to significantly redesign the Xbox 360 to eliminate widespread failures.
It is not yet known whether the current case is isolated or if it indicates a more serious problem with the first batches of Steam Machines. Although many devices have already found their buyers, it is too early to talk about the prevalence of RLOD.
An additional factor remains the cost of the Steam Machine. Given the high price of the system and limited supplies of the first batches, obtaining a warranty replacement can take a long time. At the same time, users note that for comparable or less money, a more powerful PC can be assembled, and the upcoming support for SteamOS on a wide range of regular computers makes purchasing a Steam Machine a less obvious choice.