For reference compare it to a PC.

SM: AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T

PC: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core ($170)

-

SM: AMD RDNA3 28CUs 8 GB

PC: AMD Radeon RX 7600 8 GB ($280)

-

SM: 16GB DDR5

PC: 2 x 8 GB DDR5-5600 CL40 ($225)

-

SM: 512GB NVMe SSD

PC: Samsung 870 Evo 500 GB 2.5" SSD ($283)

-

Other parts the PC will need:

- CPU Cooler ($18)

- Motherboard ($100)

- Case ($60)

- PSU ($60)

-

SM: $1,049

PC: $1,196

That's pretty good. Even if the SM cost 20% more the cuteness factor of its small quiet aesthetic has its own appeal. Hope PC prices come down...

If Valve wants users to compare the Steam Machine to a PC, then it's going to be outdated in 6 months.

It is already outdated I think? 8GB of VRAM, and CPU and mobile GPU from 3+ years ago. Nobody would build a gaming PC right now with a GPU that anemic and 8GB of VRAM.

No one would build a gaming pc right now at all.

And yet my steam deck still plays everything I throw at it. Could I find a Crysis-type game that was basically designed as a GPU torture device that it would struggle with? Obviously. Is there a resolution difference? Yes. But there are a lot of games coming out only asking for moderate specs.

I wish PCs were still advancing that fast...

Dude still thinks it's 2003.