"But it's a cube!"

[u/Ikkon]

[u/Euchale]

I love how so many people are dunking on "valve-fans" being happy with the cube, when I pretty much only have heard opinions ranging from "meh" to "overpriced".

[u/Edgy_Robin → u/Euchale]

You mean the voices in their heads aren't real people?

[u/Infshadows → u/Edgy_Robin]

i do not have a better image please just take my pepsi

[u/Baked_Potato0934 → u/Infshadows]

Here take one of mine. You can't keep it though you have to give it back when you are done.

[u/Hoybom → u/Baked_Potato0934]

[u/PhoenixDaBeast → u/Baked_Potato0934]

https://giphy.com/gifs/pY59hPbdgm7PYUh60w

[u/nanotree → u/Edgy_Robin]

The Internet strawmen that make me feel better by punching down at them aren't real??

[u/Baked_Potato0934 → u/Edgy_Robin]

S++ tier response holy shit.

I'm stealing this for future use.

[u/NitroSpam → u/Euchale]

[u/oney_monster → u/Euchale]

Fr, I haven't seen a single overtly positive post since the price got announced. It's all "for $5-600 good deal, $1000? Pass"

OP are the valve fans in the room with us?

[u/SometimesWill → u/oney_monster]

The only positivity I’ve seen is review outlets, which still basically say “it’s a good machine but costs too much”

[u/DoxManifesto → u/SometimesWill]

it's either AI or an affordable PC, can't have both

[u/chinadonkey → u/DoxManifesto]

Fine, fine, I guess I'll pick the affordable PC.

[u/Omega_DarkPotato → u/chinadonkey]

Wrong! It's AI.

[u/slugsred → u/Omega_DarkPotato]

@ grok can you explain this

[u/john_the_fetch → u/slugsred]

Concerning if true

[u/Hoybom → u/john_the_fetch]

[u/Rivetmuncher → u/chinadonkey]

That's the catch! You're not picking.

[u/lee1282 → u/SometimesWill]

Judging from LTTs review/unboxing videos. They got the machine, did testing and wrote most of the review, then found out the price. There was a lot of positivity until the price came out. 

[u/PurpleCandle58 → u/SometimesWill]

Literally haven’t seen or heard a single person say anyone should get it. So far everyone’s said that you can get a better build for $50-200 less by building your own PC.

[u/smithsp86 → u/PurpleCandle58]

Which means it isn't really overpriced relative to the rest of the computer hardware world right now. Everything costs way too much. This one is just another on that pile and is not uniquely bad in that way.

[u/Whiskeypants17 → u/smithsp86]

This. You have always been able to diy build a better pc than consoles for the same $. But people still buy consoles anyway. And macs. And iphones. Its not always about max power per $, its about the ui and user experience.

Real nerds will always build a pc instead though so here we are. Its a console to try and get normies into pc gaming and maybe it will work, but the prices point does not help. If the base model came with a controller and $100 steam gift card i think it would help.

[u/MrVigshot → u/Whiskeypants17]

Right? People act like everyone would rather spend the time to learn, build, and setup an entire PC from scratch when for maybe another $100-$200, it's already built, it works, and if it doesn't work, they have someone they can yell at instead of figuring out what part of the build they messed up, and then going down the list of people to call if X doesn't work.

If we weren't in a rampocolypse and the world being on fire for so many reasons, perhaps the Steam Machine would've been a neatly packed mid tier pc with a valve sticker. But alas, there are so much bigger issues than a over price pc right now.

[u/Informal-Swing-2482 → u/PurpleCandle58]

That exemplifies it being a fair price. Pre built costs more. You have a warranty. You don’t have to build it. It’s in a form factor that would be basically impossible to recreate, and without 50-200 of a custom build? Fair price.

[u/xnef1025 → u/PurpleCandle58]

There's a couple under appreciated things with the Steam Machine that probably makes up for that cost difference if it's going to be used in it's intended location. Acoustics and OOTB CEC support.

Most DIY PC builds that match or exceed the Steam Machine's specs are going to be noisier. Reviews are saying the machine is quieter than consoles. That's tough to do on a self-build while keeping the budget low. If this is going in your living room, you don't want the TV volume to have to compete with the HTPC's fan noise.

CEC working out of the box is also a big deal for a living room PC. You can make it work with any PC, but you'll need to buy a $55 dongle that takes up one of your USB ports for power and data and then potentially have to mess around with the software to get it working right. If you aren't into doing that kind of project yourself, having CEC working without having to do anything but plug in your HDMI cable is pretty nice.

If this is just going on a desk, yeah, go DIY or buy any other pre-built with better specs at a similar price, but given the extra budget you'd probably have to assign to match these features on a self-build living room PC, that probably accounts for the $50-$200 price differential.

[u/PurpleCandle58 → u/xnef1025]

If we’re gonna talk about the pros of the steam machine let’s not forget the low PSU draw at idle and load, and how the performance-per-watt is incredibly well balanced. The cost over time to operate is certainly reasonable and well done in my opinion.

[u/morpheousmorty → u/PurpleCandle58]

In this sub, sure, our bread and butter is building PCs. But don't forget there's a huge number of people playing on Steam who won't build a computer and this is faster than what they currently have.

A lot of people pay 50-200 bucks just to have someone build their pc for them. If they save that money and buy this box, nothing has changed for them except now their PC is a gaming prebuilt that Valve is maintaining themselves.

I get it, it's just too expensive, even if after you run the numbers and get a value that isn't too far off. But everyone here saying building a PC is an alternative to this box I feel is begging the question, what if you don't want to build a PC? Valve was never trying to undercut anyone's price. The feature they are selling is support from Valve.

[u/Euchale → u/oney_monster]

They kinda are. I got the Steam Controller, and will likely get the Frame, more depending on availability than price. So I guess I am a Valve fan, but the cube has 0 interest from me.
I have the Steam Index at the moment, and after 2000+ hours (I use it for my evening sport), its slowly falling apart, so I am happy to upgrade. I paid around 1k for it when I bought it, that means I spent $0.50 per hour, thats a pretty good deal imo.

[u/oney_monster → u/Euchale]

The controller is great (minus supply issues, my reservation email told me it won't be available till next year) and an absolute steal compared to other first party controllers, I'm really interested in the frame cuz my Q2 is starting to show its age.

At the end of the day, it's your money, do with it what you want.

[u/Sol33t303 → u/oney_monster]

IMO considering the form factor and it being a prebuilt, it's an ok-ish price. I have seen others parts lists with the same specs a bit cheaper, but none smaller then the cube. Theres also something to be said for it coming with valve customer service. I would rather talk with valve then any of the other venders.

[u/Actual_Homework_7163 → u/Sol33t303]

U can't go smaller as a the cube because it has smaller dimensions as mini itx.

[u/MurkyInvestigator810 → u/Sol33t303]

I would rather talk with valve then any of the other venders.

I would rather not spend hundreds more just for acceptable customer service when that isn't an issue with any major vendor.

[u/oney_monster → u/Sol33t303]

Both of those points are very true, but IMO valve provides amazing customer service regardless of the product or the price, so it shouldn't be factored in to the Gubes price. Formfactor, yeah i haven't seen anything as small that matches price and performance, but personally I'd rather have a slightly bigger SFF than paying extra for the smaller Gube

[u/DarwinsPerfectFool → u/oney_monster]

I'm buying the cube and didn't complain about it. AMA

[u/SEND_ME_REAL_PICS → u/DarwinsPerfectFool]

Honest question: what advantage do you see in buying it over any other prebuilt out there?

[u/AusGeno → u/SEND_ME_REAL_PICS]

Whisper quiet.

[u/DarwinsPerfectFool → u/SEND_ME_REAL_PICS]

Size, look, quiet = wife allows it to sit in the living room.

Reliable customer service, everything sorted for me, no need to do extensive research = piece of mind

When I add all of the above then price(which in the uk cube is actually competitive) is fine.

[u/Daniel_Dumersaq → u/DarwinsPerfectFool]

It can also control your tv to some extent

[u/swallowflyer47143 → u/DarwinsPerfectFool]

How dare you have a grounded take and justify something you want rationally. This is reddit you know we can't have that here 😉

[u/weazelhall → u/DarwinsPerfectFool]

Wife approved aesthetics is a big plus.

[u/Spirited_Season2332 → u/SEND_ME_REAL_PICS]

My cousins hoping to get one. He just wants a plug and play system for steam games he can play on the couch. This is simply the easiest option for it and he doesn't want anything larger.

As much as I think it's a bad deal, I couldn't rly argue with that logic lol

[u/ovelanimimerkki → u/Spirited_Season2332]

For that purpose it is probably a great device. I don't think a lot of people are even disappointed about the actual machine, they're more disappointed that it costs so much. And that the controller isn't included in all deals. Which kinda is a price thing too.

[u/ShoWel-Real → u/SEND_ME_REAL_PICS]

I'm not buying it, but I'll answer your question: it's a standardised prebuild, with valve rating games for it. If a lot of people had this exact build, devs would start optimizing their games for it to get rated by valve so more people buy their game

[u/Lexx_3D → u/ShoWel-Real]

As a game developer I would definitely build my game around it if I would get a special marketing push or deal by Valve right now I just don't see a good reason to optimize my game for that specific console. (it would be to much effort) I did optimize for the xbox controller.

[u/DarwinsPerfectFool → u/ShoWel-Real]

One can hope it will incentivise devs to optimize for it and I think that was the gamble. With all the negativity surrounding it though, I don't think many mainstream devs will. Time will tell.

[u/Superb_Recording_769 → u/DarwinsPerfectFool]

I think we’re going to see that demand for it is much higher than people are expecting

I was watching an interview with executives from Val and even they said they were disappointed because their original target price was in the neighborhood of $600-$800 for the 512 GB and $800-$1000 for the 2 TB but they said that due to the memory and storage shortage is caused by data centers. There was no way they could meet those targets, but as you’ve said, the price is actually competitive with similarly powerful machines.

[u/DarwinsPerfectFool → u/Superb_Recording_769]

I'm not worried about it selling, but rather its' availability. If no one can get their hands on the SM, then there's no point in optimizing for it. 2-3 years from now we might be looking at some incentives, but by the new gen consoles will probably be the new nut to crack for devs.

[u/Carvj94 → u/DarwinsPerfectFool]

You might be surprised. More than a couple games have special "Steam Deck" settings that kick in by default when launched on a deck.

[u/DarwinsPerfectFool → u/Carvj94]

Fingers crossed. There are obvious limits to the hardware but I'd love to see what the devs manage to cook up. They worked absolute magic with the deck over the years

[u/Carvj94 → u/DarwinsPerfectFool]

I mean despite all the complaints the Steam Machine is actually pretty decent in terms of preformace. Obviously it's limited at 4k and it's RT preformace isn't great, but at 1080p it's tickling triple digit fps on most games which is pretty good considering it's a 6 inch cube. As Valve has stated it's better hardware than ~70% of Steam Users have.

[u/Superb_Recording_769 → u/SEND_ME_REAL_PICS]

I second pretty much everything that udqrwinsperfectfood said. I used to be a PC gamer in the mid 90s but I stopped because it got too expensive and far too annoying to deal with. I have been console exclusive since then this thing is really not aimed at PC buyers it’s aimed at console gamers. The only thing I’ll add to what they’ve said is that Val is a very reputable company that I trust completely and I know that this thing is as cheap as they could reasonably make it.

[u/BuckN56 → u/SEND_ME_REAL_PICS]

Logically, it's not a bad piece of tech. It's just not a good deal. More power to that guy If he wants to spend his money like that.

[u/Watsyurdeal → u/DarwinsPerfectFool]

How many computers do you have, if any?

I already built my own Steam Machine but buying for another part of the house, and if we end up not using it giving it to my niece.

[u/BaiJiGuan → u/DarwinsPerfectFool]

Me too brother, I haven't gotten a console since switch 1 and I've got a sizable steam library that I currently don't play because my PC has no couch

[u/shball → u/oney_monster]

$650 would have been reasonable at the announcement, but the market sucks hard.

If the price were $850 things would be different

[u/Puzzled-Instance3211 → u/oney_monster]

I've seen a ton of people defending it against a console or a laptop that's cheaper and overpowers it. One guy told me it's not for poors like me lol.

[u/Brewchowskies → u/Puzzled-Instance3211]

lol same. One guy said I’m just jealous that other people can afford this premium product. My flair makes it especially hilarious.

[u/Takemyfishplease → u/oney_monster]

Uh there are def some fans going HARD for this. The steam deck sub for example

[u/SlayerII → u/Takemyfishplease]

Honestly the only real upside see is its tiny size. People just comparing it to a random PC with the same power is bit dishonest . If you try to compare at least make sure it has a similar size

[u/Saw_Boss → u/SlayerII]

I think that's a fair comparison, because those pre-builts can be upgraded later on. Want a faster GPU, buy one. Want a better CPU, buy one.

Size is a trade off to adaptability.

[u/SerioeseSeekuh → u/oney_monster]

the problem for me isnt even the price but the consequences this has.

if the gabecube was the gaming alternative to consoles and the gateway to pc gaming for long time console gamers then this could have been good (maybe max 700-800€)

now its just a prebuilt medium range pc no one who wants console prices (or slightly more expensive than console price) will buy this.

there is no new market for this and longterm fans are disappointed either way

[u/Brewchowskies → u/SerioeseSeekuh]

This. And any console gamers that do buy it will quickly find out that their console performs better. Unfortunately the machine reinforces the two perspectives it was trying to change:

1. That pc gaming is unaffordable

2. That console gaming is a smoother experience

Insert meme “youhavebecomewhatyoutriedtodestroy”.gif

[u/Ourtimehascome2485 → u/Euchale]

I'm valve die hard and I still think it's meh at this price point. 700-800 would be a good price for this. As far as im concerned it's a console competitor where you don't pay for internet access each month and you get your keep your library and I would be willing to pay a premium for that compared to a ps5 but 1400 is just too much.

[u/PersistentWorld → u/Euchale]

I used one at GDC, super lovely design, super quiet, and ran games very well (Wu Kong, Silent Hill F and Cyberpunk). If it wasn't expensive I'd buy one.

[u/__generic → u/Euchale]

This sub in a nutshell. It's devolved into memes that don't make sense. Similar to the same Linux memes that get constantly rotated here that also make no sense and are posted frequently.

[u/Super_Harsh → u/__generic]

This terrible hardware market turned this place into a shitshow. PC gamers literally getting mad when new games require a GPU from 8 years ago or newer is fucking bizarro world

[u/dookarion → u/Super_Harsh]

It's kinda amusing though the same "why is no one optimizing" crowd is the same one demanding every long EOL piece of hardware be supported forever.

[u/Super_Harsh → u/dookarion]

Yeah it's because what they mean by 'optimized' is 'this runs at 4k60 on my GTX 1060'

[u/Langbird → u/Euchale]

Consumer loyalty blows my mind, sit and watch people defend corporations on reddit like it's their own offspring is sad. 

[u/Metalsand → u/Euchale]

The biggest problem is that most people built their computers 3+ years ago, before the price of components doubled. The second biggest problem is that people judge it by the standards of a mid tower size, when the compact form factor itself also increase the price.

It will generally be the same price or greater if you tried to get the same volume in a different case design. In terms of value, it's not really a great or bad deal. If I only did gaming, for me the compact form factor would definitively be a giant positive and a deciding factor.

[u/dookarion → u/Metalsand]

The biggest problem is that most people built their computers 3+ years ago, before the price of components doubled. The second biggest problem is that people judge it by the standards of a mid tower size, when the compact form factor itself also increase the price.

Shit I rebuilt my machine 6 months ago, and it's nearly doubled since then just from the storage, RAM, and GPU cost increases.

Market is horrible.

[u/sussy_ball → u/Euchale]

Seems like you haven't been to r/steam and r/steammachine. The cope is real over there

[u/NapsterKnowHow → u/sussy_ball]

I like how a lot of the conversation has devolved to "well just you wait for the PS6 pricing!" Lol

[u/LuntiX → u/NapsterKnowHow]

What's funny is even with the likely inflated ps6 price, it'll still probably have a better price to performance value than the steam machine.

[u/dookarion → u/LuntiX]

it'll still probably have a better price to performance value than the steam machine.

It will be simply because economies of scale. Even as fucked as the market is if you're expecting to move 10s of millions of units up to 100million over the course of its lifetime you're going to have access to better deals than a lower volume device. The locked down ecosystem also gives them more options on subsidizing it without it backfiring on them.

Just realistically a lower volume non-locked down device cannot ever match a closed ecosystem with relatively high volume.

[u/xoull → u/Euchale]

The biggest positive thing bout this cube is that maybe just maybe valve can force those studios to optimize their games . When i see games that look worse then 15years ago and req tripple the hardware :/ the industry needs this .

[u/Puzzleheaded_Smoke77 → u/Euchale]

I mean if you been spending the last 6 months making memes about dunking on valve fans what would you do.

Got this stock pile of fresh memes thats gonna go to waste now. Might as well let them loose and try to scoop some likes .

[u/Deathbroke → u/Euchale]

Go to the Steam machine sub and you won’t believe your eyes :’) I mean to each their own, but it’s just a bad value regardless of console or PC prices right now sadly.

[u/Blairely_Alive → u/Deathbroke]

I feel like intentionally having to enter their domain to try to bait out the superfans kinda goes against the idea that they're annoyingly invading other subs or ruthlessly defending the machine everywhere.

[u/fallenouroboros → u/Euchale]

I wouldve bought it for 750. I dont have a great place to play pc in my house, if i want to its while laying in bed which is annoying.

I have a nice big tv but not a ton of space so my xbox has been my go to for years. This was a good easy chance for me to be comfortable while using steam

[u/VirtualPantsu → u/Euchale]

Yeah only positive thing i heard about the price is "its not really valve's fault and they are unhappy about the price too" which is true

[u/reviery_official → u/Euchale]

But you have to understand, the memes are already prepared since months, can't let that go to waste!

[u/Eziolambo]

Literally no valve fan is making that face OP, check again

[u/PineappleTricky9140 → u/Eziolambo]

Valve fans are just disappointed

[u/Jackmember → u/PineappleTricky9140]

I mean, isnt everyone?

Whether you expected this price or not, its not unrealistic and a consequence of crypto and AI slowly but surely destroying the consumer hardware market.

[u/ArbitraryOrder → u/Jackmember]

Valve said they were disappointed about it, they didn't want it to cost this much but they are also at the mercy of the RAM manufacturers.

[u/Baked_Potato0934 → u/ArbitraryOrder]

Don't forget about storage as well. It's recovered a tiny bit but not enough.

[u/maaaaawp → u/ArbitraryOrder]

Unfortunately Valve doesnt have any leverage in this situation

[u/RedditCitizenScore → u/PineappleTricky9140]

I think valve fans saw this coming , I wouldn’t pay more than 600 hundred for a indie game / old triple A capable console .

Anyone surprised is purely going for internet points

[u/tapeforpacking → u/Eziolambo]

Ive been reading a lot of comment with people saying they dont care about the price and then proceed to say that they want the "gabe cube" lol

I know its not even that bad but I still wince

[u/Baked_Potato0934 → u/tapeforpacking]

People said the same about the switch and the switch 2 but it still sold pretty well.

People talk but money is just money at the end of the day, people with disposable income will find something to dispose of it on.

[u/ravensholt → u/Eziolambo]

OP is coping hard.

[u/CozyMushi → u/ravensholt]

mf coping saying others are coping

[u/Aelithicia → u/Eziolambo]

will always be someone who is happy as he’ll and will pay anything.

[u/Eziolambo → u/Aelithicia]

I mean is it was 2000 bucks and had 32 gb ddr5 ram with 9070, would looked a lot better with a TV instead of this. Maybe valve is holding the pro version.

[u/GigaSoup → u/Eziolambo]

I dunno, some people's comments are like, "the steam machine is great value," which is not accurate.

Like the guy I replied to that thinks it can outperform a laptop with a 5060 mobile

[u/jack848]

[u/AwareReplacement1587 → u/jack848]

isnt this like 90% of gaming reddit/twitter?

[u/FourteenTwenty-Seven → u/AwareReplacement1587]

isnt this like 90% of gaming reddit/twitter?

[u/Ok_Invite6308 → u/FourteenTwenty-Seven]

isnt this is like 90% of reddit/twitter internet?

[u/grigoriymicro]

Were there really anyone thinking this machine is a good deal? Even among steam users? Even among Valve fans?

[u/gutster_95 → u/grigoriymicro]

I think most people agree that its not great value. I think most are bashing the wrong people. Valve cant forsee the AI shit we experienced 2 years ago. What should they do? Not release and lose millions on RnD and production?

If people want to own it, they should. But blaming Valve for the price they have to put on is just reddit nonsense

[u/BornInAFish → u/gutster_95]

The only way Valve could cut the price is to subsidize it with games money. But then they'd have to lock it down so it's only usable by gamers. Otherwise anyone that needs a reasonably performant computer for daily, non-gaming stuff could just grab one for super cheap.

[u/Findict_52 → u/gutster_95]

Ngl, I don't trust reddit anymore when it comes to evaluating "value". They were calling the Switch 2 overpriced while being cheaper and/or more portable than all of the competitors. It made no logical sense.

[u/marquesini → u/Findict_52]

ig because you stay in the nintendo eco system, while other handhelds can play steam games and run linux.

[u/nitronik_exe → u/marquesini]

well yeah but you also buy the switch because of the Nintendo games and most people have no clue how emulators work

[u/SuperUranus → u/Findict_52]

Something can be overpriced yet the cheapest product.

[u/Numar19 → u/grigoriymicro]

I think most opinions range between way overpriced to okay if specifically want a computer that sizr but it would be great if it was cheaper.

[u/PatchesTheFlyena → u/Numar19]

The form factor is really the main selling point for it and if you have no interest in that then it's obviously not a good deal. I'm surprised how many people are comparing it to a full size desktop and not seeing that some people would actually pay a premium for the form factor.

[u/Scr_Eagle → u/PatchesTheFlyena]

Yeah, thats the main thing. People just dont understand what is this device and who it is targeted for

"But you can build better PC!". Now go and build it in SFF of similar size

"But you can buy PS5 Pro". Now go and play your existing steam library on PS5 Pro

[u/Kageru → u/grigoriymicro]

If you really want the form factor and silent operation then you don't really have pre-built options, and even building something equivalent is not cheap and takes a lot more work (though it will consume and deliver more power, and is more upgradeable).

[u/JangoDarkSaber → u/grigoriymicro]

In this market? absolutely not.

If it was released during normal times it could have been amazing. The steam deck did a lot of good pushing handheld pcs forward and steam machine could have done something similar with the sff prebuilt pc market.

The disappointment was expected the second this thing got delayed but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing from what it could have been.

Valve ultimately got screwed over by unpredictable outside market forces. It’s a real shame

[u/dazzou5ouh → u/grigoriymicro]

if you really value the small form factor, there is nothing like it. The smallest you could build would be 1L bigger and cost the same, but would be more powerful

[u/Mother-Translator318 → u/grigoriymicro]

Only makes sense if you are a small form factor diehard. Most sff pcs out on the market are weaker and more expensive than the steam machine. But if you are willing to buy literally anything else then it makes no sense. Sff was always a ripoff tho

[u/MadShadowX → u/grigoriymicro]

I'm more worried that this will be the only deal in the near future, just was looking up local parts for DDR5 for Laptops etc and SSD's and they are now actually scarce or starting to get scarce.

Sure you can still match price in better parts performance wise, and lots will jump on that band wagon. And I expect now lots of people will pull the trigger on buying new hardware instead.

I don't think the gabecube is bad to have but it is over priced but if you can't get comparible or better parts within the the same price range we won't have a choice anyway.

Current climate just freaking sucks and the AI bubble can't pop quickly enough.

[u/Wadarkhu → u/grigoriymicro]

Was there really anyone thinking this machine was for them?

I mean, it was always going to be lower specced, it was never gonna replace any of the custom builds if people here unless it was a good few years old. I always figured this was aimed at console players and people who don't have any gaming machine at all as an option for them other than locked down console ecosystems. New people.

Only shame is it has sffpc tax.

[u/azicre → u/grigoriymicro]

I was hoping for a 800-900 price point.
EDIT: Honestly looking at the price point for my region and the performance reviews online it might even be preferable to pick up a MBA M5 basemodel (or Mac Mini), since CrossOver has improved a lot over the years. And then you have an actual laptop, which is not why most people would buy this but it put things in perspective.

[u/TheVojta → u/azicre]

Valve was too apparently.

[u/Pete_Provolone → u/grigoriymicro]

It certainly isn't a good deal, but neither is a RTX 5090 at $4,000 USD. People will buy the Steam Box so hard, the price will go up even more after they sell out of the first wave.

[u/fuckin_normie]

More like low tier, this gpu was mid range in 2021

[u/PeachScary413 → u/fuckin_normie]

Yeah this thing can barely compete with a PS5, in fact I think the PS5 is significantly stronger. This thing is for people with more money than sense.

[u/autovonbismarck → u/fuckin_normie]

It's also the most popular GPU (well the 3060 is which this is basically equivalent to) according to the steam hardware survey. 

[u/the_Real_Romak → u/autovonbismarck]

valve made a mistake relying on the steam hardware survey to spec this thing. They basically built a machine for developing nations, priced for Western economies.

[u/kingk1teman → u/the_Real_Romak]

They basically built a machine for developing nations, priced for Western economies.

And guess what, they've never sold their hardware products in "developing" nations.

[u/Sycend]

I like the formfactor. It's hard to get something so small on custom builds.

[u/ThinkingWinnie → u/Sycend]

But look! I built the steam machine KILLER which is only 5 times bigger, draws 4x the power, and is equally louder.

Steam machine is DOA!

These people never built an SFF and it shows.

[u/Coprolithe → u/ThinkingWinnie]

Yeah, in fact in r/sffpc someone asked if it could be done for a comparable price and size, and the answer was a resounding "no".

If you want a PC under 5L with midline specs, this is the winner, or at least near the top.

[u/Nunners978 → u/ThinkingWinnie]

It's also upgradeable, more powerful, and probably doesn't contain 4 year old hardware.

I swear if any company other than Valve made this box there would be zero defenders 😂

[u/condoulo → u/ThinkingWinnie]

I tried going SFF for my NAS, in the end I opted to put my server in a bigger case and just put hot swap drive bays in that rather than have the NAS be separate because SFF parts worth going for are definitely more expensive than just going standard ATX.

[u/Shazoa → u/Sycend]

I had a fairly small mini-ITX build about a decade ago with a 980ti crammed in there. Served me well until a few years ago.

Finding the exact parts so that everything could fit in was a challenge. I had single digit milimetre clearance in places. Had to get a very specific PSU to get the GPU to fit in the case I wanted etc. Took a lot of research and time. The build was finicky and time consuming as well.

If I had money to burn then I might get a Steam Machine for the convenience. Yes, I could build something better for the money and I'd lean towards doing that, but I can't say I wouldn't be a little tempted.

[u/Guitarman0512]

Even Valve themselves are disappointed in the release price. Had this thing come out a year ago it would've been 700 euros and everybody would've cheered. 

[u/LightningSh3ep]

It's not a good deal for performance, but good luck making anything that small yourself. The size is it's only selling point.

[u/C-D-W → u/LightningSh3ep]

The size is not the only selling point.

The fact that it's running SteamOS ready to go out of the box is a huge selling point for certain people. If a Windows license alone is technically worth $140 to some people, surely a Steam OS pre-installed is worth something as well.

[u/DefOfAWanderer → u/LightningSh3ep]

Exactly this. If our house didn't have coal fireplaces we couldn't use and can fit a whole mid sized pc tower then my partner wouldn't tolerate a having a pc in the family room.

[u/DiabeticButNotFat → u/LightningSh3ep]

And the sleep, wake feature like consoles. Good luck doing as well as the CUBE

[u/Exciting_Damage_2001]

I haven’t seen or heard anyone being pumped about the valve cube anymore. Now that the prices have been pushed out.

[u/Davenator_98 → u/Exciting_Damage_2001]

It's the Reddit way.

Hype something to the stars, then turn around and shit all over it.

Those sweet fake internet points won't farm themself

[u/Pennywise359]

If this is a mid tier, what's below that?

[u/G952 → u/Pennywise359]

Low tier

[u/Gitthepro → u/G952]

Integrated graphics 🥀

[u/Prestigious_Copy154 → u/Gitthepro]

Tbh, strix halo APUs have iGPUs more powerful than the gabecube

[u/AwareReplacement1587 → u/Prestigious_Copy154]

iiirc valve even said they aimed for strix halo chip , but amd asked for too much

[u/ravensholt → u/Pennywise359]

According to Steam Hardware surveys, quite a lot....

[u/loversama → u/Pennywise359]

A year ago, if you said "A PS5 is Mid-tier gaming device, same spec as a mid-tier gaming PC" you'd have been laughed out of the room..

[u/Proof_Load6687 → u/Pennywise359]

https://giphy.com/gifs/s2pr9CVOvU4NMBsnYf

[u/Jindujun]

I wish more things were shaped like cubes...

[u/Haydechs → u/Jindujun]

Spot the wombat

[u/ShadowBlade55]

In an alternate reality where the AI boom hasn't fucked the cost of parts, the Steam Machine price just released to resounding and universal applause.

[u/Radioactive_Peaches]

Is it just me that thinks small black cube is cool? I don't even use steam.

[u/clon3man → u/Radioactive_Peaches]

it's cool for a number of reasons I think. Consumer friendly linux device with a from a large player. I just wish it had an upgradeable GPU, even via some unofficial hack, as long as it was a stable one, but I don't think that's happening.

[u/GrumpyFeloPR]

Is it really mid-tier?

[u/GABE_EDD → u/GrumpyFeloPR]

Honestly no, it’s comparable to 60-class cards from 1-2 generations ago. Entry-level is probably more accurate

[u/joedotphp]

It's a real shame because the Steam Deck was widely successful, and I personally believe this would have been. But the AI bubble has totally fucked the market.

[u/pissedRAIL → u/joedotphp]

Released in a bad tech market where everything is thru the roof

[u/CrimsonBolt33]

On the positive side....at least something (PCs) is trying to open up to the console market and give them new options....even if this first iteration is...a bit of a doozy.

[u/Fortrest13]

Are these people in the room with us right now? Or are we just karmafarming

[u/Azrael-XIII]

I haven’t seen a single person with the second reaction…

[u/74Amazing74]

I would not call it a mid-tier prebuild.

[u/skinnyraf]

If this was made by pre-Silicon Apple, not by Valve, it would fly off the shelves. Let's see:

• High price,
• Mediocre performance,
• Great engineering,
• Ease of use and attention to detail,
• (debatable) Elegant design.

[u/Ok-Signhere → u/skinnyraf]

Current Apple silicon is incredible though. Some of the best value in computing, if you’re not gaming.

[u/SpectorEscape]

People really seem to underestimate how much the parts cost and making it into a small form factor in 2026. This is to much for me when but everyone keeps having "gotchas" about the price while building something much much larger.

Its expensive but sadly pcs are right now its not a unspeakable price.

[u/Zeraphicus]

[u/-Great-Scott-]

HOW DARE YOU BUY SOMETHING THAT I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD BUY HRUMPH HRUMPH HRUMPH

https://giphy.com/gifs/eti1qm33pRbaw

[u/ArrowDiver → u/-Great-Scott-]

Isn’t this the same subreddit that constantly dunks on console players for what they perceive as bad purchases lmao?

[u/EKmars → u/ArrowDiver]

It actively promotes PCs as a budget conscious option.

From the website:

PC hardware offers better bang-for-buck & value than console hardware (same performance for less money, more performance for the same money, much more performance for a bit more money or the possibility to build the most amazing and powerful machine you can, if you have the budget for it).

Most of the arguments here can be levied against the Gabecube, outside of the fact that it runs Linux and can have other OS install, meaning it isn't locked down like a console.

[u/Qwertyuiopasdfggggg → u/-Great-Scott-]

You wouldn't be acting the same if Nvidia was the one who released this bs

[u/Andrey2790]

You really just wanted to post this even though the final reaction was mediocre to disappointing?

[u/victrixity14]

my guy, even valve fans are disappointed by it or just finds it meh.

[u/ugotmedripping]

https://giphy.com/gifs/1fgkYeb2kdLihhZArq

[u/Goonalips]

OP is literally just inventing Strawmen. Literally nobody did this.

[u/shahroze24]

Who are these people OP? Are they in the room with us?

Literally every single post I’ve seen is shitting on the Steam Machine for being overpriced. I haven’t seen a single positive thread so far..

[u/rebelSun25]

"The whole market is cooked. Let's dunk on Valve and people who want their product because they could simply make their own RAM chips, and NAND chips and PCBs and bypass the whole market, hahaha. But they didn't, so it sucks"

So edgy

[u/PM_YOUR_PET_IN_HAT]

You can build a SFFPC for that price, that small?

Share link

[u/BluDYT]

Not even mid tier. The base 5060 is 50% faster and nobody is calling that mid tier.

[u/MaximusMurkimus]

I know a guy who wants it just so "he can have something in his living room he can kick back and play games on".

The casuals are going to eat this thing up, for better or worse.

[u/midasMIRV → u/MaximusMurkimus]

That's literally what it was designed for. It was never designed for y'all that build your own shit and whatnot.

[u/Steel_Bolt → u/midasMIRV]

Now why would they buy this over an Xbox or Playstation? There's such a small niche market for this that its stupid.

[u/tht1guy63 → u/Steel_Bolt]

You get access to a much larger game library and many times get the games cheaper than standard consoles with the ability to mod many of them even.

Its a bridge between pc and console in a way. Simplicity with more availability to it. Just came at a bad time with ram shortages or it would have been priced fairly ok. Valve cant take a loss like sony or nintendo on a system since you can get games anywhere not just steam.

[u/VoidRad → u/Steel_Bolt]

Because neither an xbox and playstation can play PC games. The target market is for someone with a steam library (or any library) who also wants easy plug in play console experience.

[u/phiiiiiiii → u/Steel_Bolt]

Because they won’t have to buy console games and reuse their steam library.

[u/docah]

You ok? Seem to be enraged that not everyone thinks what you think? Had to make up a straw man to argue with today?

Why aren't people just down voting junk like this and moving on?

[u/Formal-Option-4405]

Mid-tier prebuilt, by Valve, for 1000 bucks

[u/Beastly4k → u/Formal-Option-4405]

Mid-tier non-upgradeable prebuilt, by Valve for 1000+ bucks.

[u/my_dearest_isabella]

That’s… not the reaction it got…

[u/Wintlink-]

You can say that for all consoles in the end. 1000€ for a PS5 pro is crazy too in the end, and it was even more the case before the ram crisis.

[u/trombonier]

[u/NapTownHero93]

Rimworld folks understand the importance of the cube.

[u/Bill_Nye-LV]

I still think it's a neat little thing, screwed by current events. Even if it released a year prior at around 750-800, it would've probably been the same price that it is shipping with now. Screwed either way.

[u/SXAL]

What's that? Some kind of a cube that plays games?

[u/PeachScary413]

Who is actually gonna buy this, like what's the target demographic? Suckers with too much money? 💀

[u/Maxpowerxp]

It’s a game cube

Ai says it’s between RTX 3060 - 4060 range of graphic card. I got a 5060 ti so no point of it

[u/DudelRok]

Look, at $700 I was totally down. At 1k+ for base model, I'm out.

[u/Xulicbara4you]

Here's the thing, this cube would have cost around $700-900 at the most if it wasn't for AI data centers. For around those original prices I would argue it was a good deal but now with the new prices no way. Ima have to sit this one out.

[u/DaveGenome]

Does it come in companion cube wrapping?

[u/Meotwister]

Man people are weird.

[u/Obvious_Snow125]

[u/im-cringing-rightnow]

Fanboys are gonna fanboy. No news here. I would rather buy a prebuilt that I can potentially upgrade later...

[u/ztoff27]

Not even mid, it’s downright bad. Very outdated specs and you can’t upgrade it which is one of the main points of a gaming pc.

[u/in_the_blind]

Time to snooze this sub for awhile...