I am very a lot a console woman. Certain, I play loads of video games on PC, however I largely desire the console expertise. When a brand new recreation comes out, I haven’t got to fret about upgrading my PlayStation 5 or Xbox Sequence X. I simply hit “new recreation,” and away we go.
That is a part of why Valve’s just lately introduced PC-console hybrid, The Steam Machine, is so interesting to me. My present PC struggles to play fashionable video games, and I am lengthy overdue for an improve. However I am additionally not an enormous {hardware} individual. Steam’s pre-built, all-in-one Steam Machine is a dream come true, and it is also the least-ugly gaming field in the marketplace proper now. Valve’s dice is much less boring than the Xbox Sequence X, and much more sensible than the PS5’s weirdly curvy can’t-fit-it-anywhere design. There’s even a Companion Dice model!
The Steam Machine may additionally make issues simpler on non-tech-savvy people who wish to purchase somebody a PC however do not know the place to begin. Little Timmy desires a gaming PC with a VR headset for his birthday? Grandma can decide up a Steam Machine and Valve’s new VR headset, the Steam Body, with out worrying about which video games could be accessed, or struggling to match headset specs that learn like gibberish.
There are two caveats right here: We do not understand how a lot Valve’s Steam Machine, Steam Body, or new Steam Controller will price. We additionally do not understand how lengthy the Steam Machine’s projected lifespan is.
Traditionally, consoles cannot actually be future-proofed — you follow the one you’ve got till a recreation you need launches solely on a next-gen console, then you definitely improve. The Steam Machine’s SSD could be upgraded, however its GPU cannot, which can frustrate some customers who need a extra customizable expertise. Conversely, SteamOS software program engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais says third-party Steam Machine-style hybrids could turn out to be out there from different distributors, that includes completely different {hardware} that can permit customers to decide on the proper SteamOS product for his or her wants. That opens the door to extra future-proofing potentialities, however these different Steam Machines are nonetheless hypothetical at this level.
Value is one other issue. Would I purchase a Steam Machine if it have been much like the price of a PS5 Professional? Certain, I might completely purchase one for $700 to $800. Would I purchase a Steam Machine if it retailed at a “gaming PC worth”? Possibly, however I am actually not dropping $1,200 to $2,000 on {hardware} that is troublesome (or downright unimaginable) to improve with out considering lengthy and arduous about it first. Valve says it desires to maintain the Steam Machine’s worth “as approachable [and] as inexpensive as doable,” however we nonetheless do not know how a lot it would price.
Finally, Valve’s new PC-console hybrid may very well be the most effective of each worlds — or the worst. Till we all know extra concerning the Steam Machine’s upgradability, its worth level, and whether or not or not Half-Life 3 will debut as a launch title, it is arduous to know for positive.
