Steam Is Finally Getting the Performance Estimate Feature Microsoft Had Years Ago
Someone on ResetEra dug through a Steam client update and found strings referencing frame rate performance estimates. The feature lets you input your CPU, GPU, and RAM to get a prediction of how a game will run. Or it just pulls your current specs automatically. Either way, this is something PC players have needed for a long time.
It's not live yet. Still in the beta client. Nothing showing up on game store pages. But it's clearly in active development.
This Should Have Existed Already
The Xbox app and Windows Store have had performance estimates for years. Valve's been collecting monthly hardware survey data from Steam users forever. The data to do this has existed for a long time. I genuinely don't know what took so long, but late is better than never.
The manual input option, where you enter your CPU, GPU, and RAM yourself, is the less useful version. The interesting one is automatic projection based on your existing hardware config. Steam already knows what you're running. Using that to tell you how a game will actually perform on your machine, right on the store page before you buy, would change how I evaluate purchases. That's real value.
Where the Data Comes From
Valve's monthly hardware surveys cover millions of machines. On top of that, the SteamOS beta started pulling performance information about a month ago. So they're building a dataset of how games actually run on real hardware. Not theoretical benchmarks. Not developer-submitted numbers. Real performance across real machines.
That's potentially more accurate than anything the Xbox app offers. If the estimates end up being solid, it could kill off half the "will this run on my PC" Reddit threads.
The Steam Machine Connection
Valve is also working on a Steam Machine. Mini gaming PC, Radeon RX 7600M-level GPU. A performance estimate tool makes a lot more sense if you're also selling a specific piece of hardware with known specs. One possibility is that store pages eventually get a clear label showing projected performance on Steam Machine hardware. That would make the buying decision a lot simpler for anyone who picks one up.
When This Actually Matters
Right now, nothing has changed. Feature is in beta. Not visible on any store pages. Could be weeks or months before it reaches the main client and shows up where it counts, which is before you hand over money for a game.
But the infrastructure is already being built. When this rolls out fully it'll be one of the more practically useful things Steam has added in years. Fingers crossed the estimates are actually accurate when it gets there.
Source: Ign