Not long after Valve's new handheld game PC Steam Machine was released, users reported the first "red line of death" hardware failure. The user said that a red line prompt appeared only about 20 minutes after the system was turned on, and it could not start normally after that.
According to Valve's official support page about different red indicator light styles (RLOD), the red line extends from the middle of the screen to the right, clearly pointing to a GPU (graphics processing unit) failure. This means that the graphics card chip of the device is damaged, and because the Steam Machine uses a welded GPU design, ordinary users cannot repair it themselves like replacing a desktop independent graphics card. They can only send it for repair or apply for a warranty replacement.
For players who have experienced the Xbox 360 and PS3 era, this scene is reminiscent of the infamous "three red" and "yellow light of death" glitches of those years. Hardware design flaws at the time forced Microsoft to conduct a massive redesign of the Xbox 360.
The starting price of Steam Machine is as high as US$1,049 (approximately RMB 7,600), and the first batch is already in tight supply. For users who encounter RLOD, it is still unknown whether they can get a replacement in the short term.
Some analysts pointed out that compared to the pricing of Steam Machine, there are a large number of DIY assembly PC options with lower prices and higher performance on the market. In addition, SteamOS will soon support a variety of PC platforms, and the cost-effectiveness of this device is being questioned more and more.
A large number of Steam Machines have been sold. It will take time to test whether the RLOD problem is only an isolated phenomenon in early batches or a larger-scale quality hazard. Valve has yet to issue an official response to this incident.