I gotta say I do not understand any of the hype surrounding this, it feels like it'll fail the same way the last Steam Machine did but I hope I'm just missing something.
It's interesting because from a casual gamer perspective, consoles at this point will still likely have the raw value proposition for purely playing games, but for someone who just wants their PC library in multiple rooms or is looking to jump into the PC space with ease, this should be huge if its priced right. My only worry is stuff like the 8gb of vram already feeling rough in some AAA games released in recent, let alone in 2026 and beyond. Not being upgradable and having less of a raw monetary value prop compared to just buying a used PS5 for like $250 makes it feel like a bit of a hard sell for anyone console only or anyone who cares about their setup being more future proof.
When I first heard about it, I was hella excited but the more I think about it, the less I really understand who exactly it's supposed to be for broadly. It has to be cheap enough that it feels like a decent alternative building an equivalently powered traditional PC but idrk if that's possible. $500-600 feels like about as high as it can go while still making a lot of sense, but even then, I'm just not sure who's gonna be excited for something that by some accounts could struggle with AAA in as early as 2-3 years and is already gonna have issues on some games. Are people really gonna get stoked to buy a box that has them running lower settings in a couple years that doesn't have the upgrade path of a traditional PC?
Idk why the original Steam Machine from the 2010s alongside other attempts at making a PC that mirrors a more console-esque experience failed, but surely all of this pondering has something to do with it. A big appeal of PC is the fact that you have more control and customization with both software and hardware, after all.
Like obviously anyone with a Steam library that this appeals to for any reason should likely get it unless the MSRP is ludicrous, but how many people out there already have a PC and are looking to get a second budget PC? How many people with outdated rigs are gonna wanna bottleneck their upgrade path by getting a Machine over just buying straight upgrades or even building an equivalent rig that they can further power up?
When it comes to existing console users maybe making the jump, you have 1-2 generations worth of games build up that you can't instantly take to PC. For someone entrenched in that space you have to offer more than just a box that can only somewhat outdo a 5 year old console at roughly the same price point, especially when again stuff like 8gb of vram is gonna mean that a lot of games won't really see drastic improvements over what you already get on PS5. The PS5 is still a great 1080p 60fps machine and this seems to be about the same on average with more demanding titles. I want to be more optimistic, but I don't really see existing PC players rushing out to get something like this as it lacks the handheld novelty of a Steam Deck and obviously won't compete with most people's existing rigs in a meaningful way. Again, potentially a cheap second setup to access your Steam library in multiple rooms of the house? Niche but sure ig. It won't entice most entrenched console players especially this late into a console generation. I do not know what person has built a library of PlayStation software since potentially 2013 that is gonna want a Steam Machine in 2026 when the PS6 is expected to launch in 2027. Maybe they're someone on the fence and this gives them a safe, accessible way to jump on board, but that has to be a pretty niche scenario, right?
Who is this really for?
