Steam machine is a console:
- homogenous and standardised hardware
- vendor backed compatibility certification programme
- standardised OS with atomic, image based updates
- plug in, login and play your library potentially without touching a mouse or keyboard
- HDMI CEC out of box
- controller integration with instant sleep/wake (as seen on steam deck)
- operates quietly
Steam machine is a PC (not like a console):
- not priced as a loss leader
- runs any desktop OS
- it’s a PC
You can do all of this out of box, it’s turnkey, it’s primarily a console experience but a PC if you need it. My point was that comparing this to a prebuilt or BYO PC is like comparing a console to a PC. Different value prop.
It's not comparing a console to a PC because a console, historically, has had way more firepower than the cost. It's only with recent hikes that that changed. There is no way you could've matched a PS5 at launch for $400 even with the most patient of PC builds.
It's telling that depending on who I talk to, they go "it's a PC, not a console" or "it's a console, not a PC." It's neither and it's both. It brings the PC's flexibility to a console experience, but for $1100 is that enough? It won't be as turnkey as a console (steam deck showed they can't quite get there) and it's hundreds more than one.
A steam machine is a PC in a small form factor. I’m not talking about consoles, I said PC.
Steam machine is a console: - homogenous and standardised hardware - vendor backed compatibility certification programme - standardised OS with atomic, image based updates - plug in, login and play your library potentially without touching a mouse or keyboard - HDMI CEC out of box - controller integration with instant sleep/wake (as seen on steam deck) - operates quietly
Steam machine is a PC (not like a console): - not priced as a loss leader - runs any desktop OS - it’s a PC
You can do all of this out of box, it’s turnkey, it’s primarily a console experience but a PC if you need it. My point was that comparing this to a prebuilt or BYO PC is like comparing a console to a PC. Different value prop.
It's not comparing a console to a PC because a console, historically, has had way more firepower than the cost. It's only with recent hikes that that changed. There is no way you could've matched a PS5 at launch for $400 even with the most patient of PC builds.
It's telling that depending on who I talk to, they go "it's a PC, not a console" or "it's a console, not a PC." It's neither and it's both. It brings the PC's flexibility to a console experience, but for $1100 is that enough? It won't be as turnkey as a console (steam deck showed they can't quite get there) and it's hundreds more than one.