> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.matthewbrunelle.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # My Steam Machine is a 50ft HDMI Cable - URL: https://blog.matthewbrunelle.com/my-steam-machine-is-a-50ft-hdmi-cable/ - Published: 2026-06-22T22:06:29.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-09T17:47:35.000Z - Description: It turns out that a _very_ long HDMI cable, a Steam Controller 2 and Bazzite on a second drive was all I needed to get a comfortable couch gaming experience. - Author: Matthew Brunelle - Tags: Games, NixOS #### On this page You can now [pre-order Valve's Steam Machine](https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/45479024/view/685257114654870245?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com)! Fortuitous timing as I drafted this as a follow up to my post from December where I wrote [about using Linux for PC gaming](https://blog.matthewbrunelle.com/my-second-year-of-the-linux-desktop-for-gaming/). At that time Steam ran well on my desktop and I chipped away at lighter games on the Deck. I ended that post by saying: > I don't think I'll buy a [Steam Machine](https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steammachine?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com), but I'm very happy it will exist. I've been testing out dual booting Bazzite on my desktop and I'd love to replace that with SteamOS proper. If I can pick up a controller and play a game on Steam with my TV as easily as the PS5, then I won't need to boot that up as much. I underestimated that last sentence. --- ## The Desktop to TV experiment Initially I ran a 20ft HDMI cable across the floor to my TV so I could play games from my NixOS install. The setup was fiddly though. Each time I wanted to play a game I had to hook the cable up, change sound outputs/display, etc. I installed my Steam games on their own NVME drive separate from my NixOS install. So I added a third NVME drive [\[1\]](#fn1) and put [Bazzite](https://bazzite.gg/?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com) on that. In Big Picture mode Bazzite figures out the correct display to use and remembers to use the HDMI out for sound. That meant I could reboot and play games without any setup. Yet I stopped using that setup and went back to docking my Steam Deck. As silly as it sounds, two additional changes have made the new setup stick for me: - The release of the Steam Controller 2 - A 50ft fiber optic HDMI cable --- ## The Controller I want a controller that has: - Good compatibility with Linux and Steam - Symmetric joysticks - A touchpad for when I need to do something mouse-like - Back buttons I used to use a DualSense Edge with steam and it checked all those boxes. However, I prefer the controls on the Steam Deck even more. [\[2\]](#fn2): - Split symmetric touchpads - First class support with Steam and Steam Input - More comfortable for my hands thanks to the larger vertical height When the Steam Controller 2 dropped I managed to snag one by spamming the checkout button in the Steam Store for *18 continuous minutes* before they went out of stock. I also no longer need to use a USB extender with a UB500 bluetooth adapter. The range on the DualSense leaves a lot to be desired. Even with perfect line of sight, my *arm* will often interfere with its reception. The Steam Controller 2 puck works great and has not set anything on fire yet. --- ## The HDMI Cable I doubted long HDMI cables would work well, so I never bought one. Turns out we've had active fiber optics cables for a good while now! I snagged a 50ft cable that supports HDMI 2.1 for about \~$75 and have had no issues. I now run the cable along the molding and keep it in place. I do not need HDMI 2.1 at the moment since my aging TCL Roku TV maxes out at 60hz. Regardless, I plan to get an LG C5 as they go on sale since [Fox bought Roku](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/fox-buy-roku-22-billion-deal-2026-06-15/?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com) [\[3\]](#fn3) and that will require 2.1. Unfortunately, HDMI 2.1 does not work with AMD graphics on Linux due to shenanigans from the HDMI Forum. As far as I can tell: - In 2024 AMD tried to release official patches, but [the forum rejected them](https://www.phoronix.com/news/HDMI-2.1-OSS-Rejected?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com) saying it would expose IP. - A couple months ago independent users [shared patches](https://www.phoronix.com/news/AMDGPU-HDMI-2.1-FRL?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com) that added support though reverse engineering efforts. - In the last month AMD started [releasing their official patches](https://www.phoronix.com/news/HDMI-FRL-2.1-Submitted-DRM?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com). The HDMI forum made no official announcement on why they allowed this. Sounds like [Valve played a role in persuading the forum](https://www.techpowerup.com/348723/amd-readies-full-open-source-hdmi-2-1-support-for-linux?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com)! I also like to hope that the threat of a reverse engineered implementation that they could not control convinced them to change their tune. [\[4\]](#fn4) --- ## Why not streaming? Finally, why not use Steam's in-home streaming [\[5\]](#fn5) to connect to my desktop from my Steam Deck? Try as I might I couldn't get a good stable setup. No amount of triaging worked for me in the end to get a simple and reliable setup. I expect streaming would work better with Bazzite than NixOS, but at that point, why not just run the cable? For me, a 50ft HDMI cable was the lowest friction option. I grew up playing games on desktops with a keyboard and mouse. I never expected to want a console-like experience. However, as life gets busier I've come to appreciate the ability to pick up and put down a game as needed. The Steam Deck handled that well and new setup gets even closer. Plus, I still get to keep control over my system unlike a console. I have one last problem to settle: Right now I can sleep Bazzite and resume without issue. If I want to boot into NixOS, I need to quit my game and restart. It looks like you can [enable swap and hibernate to disk](https://docs.bazzite.gg/Advanced/swapfile/?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com) with Bazzite. That would allow me to save my state and reboot into NixOS. I can't share the game SSD anymore in that scenario though. Even mounting read only while hibernated could cause file system corruptions. If I like using Bazzite long term, I might start booting into desktop mode for games I would play at my desk. Then I can detach the third SSD from my NixOS install. --- The Steam Machine costs about as much as a comparable self-built PC. So if you want a gaming computer at that spec tier, it's a great option. Especially if you primarily use Steam or prefer Linux. I almost ordered a Steam Machine just to support Valve and all the work they do to support gaming on Linux, but I have a feeling the Machine will sell just fine without me. Instead, a 50ft HDMI cable will do. --- 1. I had an old NVME SSD that Windows was installed on many years ago. With the [End of 10](https://endof10.org/?ref=blog.matthewbrunelle.com) there is no use keeping it and I had an extra M.2 slot. [↩︎](#fnref1) 2. I have a Steam Controller 1, but it collects dust in a drawer now [↩︎](#fnref2) 3. Even though I always keep the TCL TV offline. [↩︎](#fnref3) 4. A great example of why we need the right to inspect hardware to interoperate with it. [↩︎](#fnref4) 5. or Sunshine [↩︎](#fnref5)