OneXPlayer 3 vs. Steam Machine: 45W Handheld Takes on 140W Gaming PC

The OneXPlayer 3 is a mobile gaming PC, while the Valve Steam Machine is a desktop gaming PC. One prioritizes portability and power efficiency, while the other uses dedicated graphics hardware for higher performance. The two devices are different, but both target gaming, so comparing them is an interesting test of how far handheld hardware has come.

OneXPlayer 3 and Steam Machine Specifications

The OneXPlayer 3 has an integrated screen, battery, and detachable controllers, whereas the Steam Machine is for televisions, monitors, and entertainment centers. Their shared focus on gaming makes it worth seeing whether a handheld can compete with a much more powerful system.

The Steam Machine features a six-core, semi-custom Zen 4 APU that reaches 4.8GHz, paired with a Radeon RX 7600M GPU based on RDNA 3. The graphics processor includes 28 compute units and 8GB of dedicated VRAM. The tested configuration also includes 64GB of DDR5 memory running at 5600MT/s. The CPU can draw up to 30W, while the GPU reaches 110W, for a combined CPU and GPU power draw of 140W.

The OneXPlayer 3 uses an Intel Arc A3 Extreme processor with 16 cores, 16 threads, and clock speeds reaching 4.6GHz. Its integrated B390 graphics feature 12 Xe3 cores. The handheld includes 32GB of unified memory running at 8533MT/s, with 18GB allocated to graphics. Unlike the Steam Machine, the OneXPlayer 3 operates within a combined CPU and GPU power limit of just 45W.

Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 6 Results

Testing covered 1080p and 1440p resolutions, using FSR or XeSS Quality upscaling where appropriate, along with native-resolution tests without scaling. In Cyberpunk 2077, the Steam Machine averaged 105fps at 1080p high settings with FSR Quality, compared with 79fps on the OneXPlayer 3 using XeSS Quality. At native 1440p, the Steam Machine hit 50fps, but the handheld could only muster 29fps.

Forza Horizon 6, in contrast, surprised us. At high settings with quality upscaling at 1080p, the Steam Machine averaged 67fps, while the OneXPlayer 3 scored 68fps. The handheld extended its lead at native 1440p, outputting 51fps vs the Steam Machine's 41fps.

This might be due to Windows optimization, as Forza games have historically run better on Windows than on SteamOS. The Steam Machine's GPU consumed approximately 80W to 95W during testing, while the handheld remained within its 45W limit.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Left 4 Dead 2

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Steam Machine averaged 125 fps at 1080p on high settings without upscaling, compared with 103 fps on the OneXPlayer 3. At native 1440p, the difference narrowed to 89 fps versus 83 fps.

Left 4 Dead 2 gave the Steam Machine a bigger advantage at 1440p on maximum settings. During this test, the OneXPlayer 3 used slightly more than 25W, while the Steam Machine's GPU alone drew about 101W.

Frame Generation Narrows the Gap

Frame generation improved perceived smoothness on both systems at 1440p. The Steam Machine averaged about 74 fps using FSR frame generation at 2x. The OneXPlayer 3 used Intel XeSS multi-frame generation at 4x, reaching frame rates that matched or sometimes exceeded the Steam Machine.

However, generating additional frames does not mean the handheld matches its rival's native rendering performance.

Steam Machine Leads Overall Despite Higher Power Consumption

Across the tested games, the Steam Machine delivered approximately 72% higher performance in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p and a 32% advantage at 1080p. Its lead in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered reached 41% at 1440p and 37% at 1080p. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the advantage ranged from 7.2% at 1440p to 23% at 1080p.

With the Steam Machine averaging around 120W during testing compared with the OneXPlayer 3's 45W maximum, the dedicated GPU clearly benefits from its larger power budget. Nevertheless, the handheld's Forza Horizon 6 performance shows how competitive modern integrated graphics can be.