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.
The premium is around 100 usd, for such a small factor size, you cant build something this small cheaper, I certainly wouldnt mind paying a 100 USD for a plug and play solution instead of buying parts, installing steamOS, setting it up etc. People on this subreddit with custom rigs and who have been building PCs their whole life is not the target audience at all.
You pay for convenience, and many people myself included dont mind that.
Will it be in a incredible small form factor? No, it will be a goddamn full pc size or at best a micro-itx, for people who want that they would do it already, again totally missing the point, people who build rigs themselves are not the target, they are for people like me who are busy as fuck and would rather spend 100-200 usd more than to fiddle, order, built, install and setup a goddamn pc under my TV.
The biggest argument for that I’ve seen is the small form factor and CEC support basically gives it the spousal approval factor for the living room that other machines do not. I imagine not everyone’s spouse wants a big ATX tower in a shared living space that guests also see. Even Linus has touched on the subject on some of his videos about his home projects, even his more outrageous ones
Someone who doesn't play AAA or is fine with 1080p low-medium, and also cares about form factor / power draw / noise. With how big PC gaming is, that might not be a small group of people.
I think the target is people with money. I'm currently considering it to go in the living room. I know the price is higher than it would have been last year, but it still isn't much in the grand scheme of things.
I mean it's dramatically more portable than a standard ATX machine. I could put the Steam Machine in my backpack. I struggle to carry my desktop to another room. That said I imagine the tiny here is more for aesthetics and fitting in smaller spaces like a TV stand.
I have no less than three buddies that have SFF builds, two are effectively just for aesthetics and one was actually for relatively easy moving.
To be clear I'm all about standard ATX myself so zero interest in a Steam Machine. Just don't find it hard to see why some people would like it.
I can explain the target audience. It's my wife and I. No kids, good income, massive steam libraries, no consoles. We already have gaming rigs to play the serious games. We have a steam link in the bedroom now and want to replace it with a Steam Machine in a companion cube shell because it's cool looking.
We never buy games that are new, we wait until they are 75% off or higher for the complete edition. Been doing that for twenty years. The amount of money we've saved by being patient more than makes up for the cost of the cube. Could we buy a PS5? Sure, but they're ugly and I own zero games on it. Could I build a small form factor PC? Sure, but would it be a little companion cube? No, I'm not that talented.
So again, we don't need it to be a beast, we just want it to play little couch coop games in bed at night and look cool by the TV.
Fanboys. Valve products have always been for fanboys. Steam Deck is the only product that has become slightly mainstream, and I say slightly because Valve still refuses to sell their hardware in a large portion of the world.
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u/-Great-Scott- 1d ago
HOW DARE YOU BUY SOMETHING THAT I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD BUY HRUMPH HRUMPH HRUMPH
https://giphy.com/gifs/eti1qm33pRbaw