Leave it to Valve to announce some new hardware out of left field that quietly one-ups its competition, except for maybe Nintendo. If anything, Nintendo might be an inspiration for the PC czar and its continued attempts to give customers more options to play their library on the big screen. There’s no way to look at Valve’s new Steam Machine without thinking about the Nintendo GameCube. But the similarities go well beyond mere shape. The vibe of the latest Steam Machine is playful, and that’s a rarity in the hardware space.
Think about it. When was the last time you bought a piece of hardware, or any tech for that matter, that genuinely felt joyful? Surprises do happen here and there. There was the Playdate in 2022 and its whimsical crank. Keyboards occasionally come with silly little features, like tiny programmable LED displays. Microsoft brought back translucent controllers that let you peek at the innards, I guess. And then, of course, there’s Nintendo and its weird little console with detachable, sometimes mismatched controllers. But for the most part, gaming hardware tends to look and work the way you expect it to. In a space that’s supposed to be jolly at its heart, that reality is disappointing.
Cue the Steam Machine. In terms of color and finish, the black matte follows the pack. Size and shape are another story. Even without taking up much space, it’s hard to imagine putting this in a living room without visitors asking what it is. It doesn’t look like other tech, and that will especially be the case if you customize it. You can set whatever LED color you want, and Valve is coming out of the gate with replaceable front panels. Someone out there is already designing a plate to look like a companion cube, I just know it.
Compare that to Microsoft or Sony, and the design gulf couldn’t be wider. The PS5 looks like the hardware equivalent of Facebook come to life, and its unwieldy size routinely sparks arguments between couples about where to put the dang thing. The Xbox Series X, meanwhile, is just a big box. Sleek, sure, but hardly inspired.
Steam Machine looks like what you might get if you squished an Xbox Series X into the smallest possible size. That diminutive frame hides a pretty capable PC, according to official specs, but it seems like even Valve doesn’t want you to think about it that seriously. On the official Steam Machine website, for example, Valve boasts about the hardware’s form factor by encouraging people to put it under a banana. The icon has an actual banana on it. Imagery of the actual console tends to be lighthearted like this, with the Steam Machine shown next to a ping pong paddle, next to action figures, or in the middle of a toy landscape. Clearly, the designers at Valve are having fun with it.
The chasm between the imposing, demanding design of a PS5 or Xbox and the frivolous Steam Machine cube might be intentional. The design grabs eyes, yes. But pay attention to the branding surrounding this thing. On the official website, one of the first major visuals is a short video of two apparent LGBTQ+ individuals. Scroll further down, and you’ll see a looping video of a pink-shirted female streamer playing Stardew Valley. The faceplates are shown off by someone wearing jewelry and nail polish.
It would be easy to chalk this up to a generic attempt at inclusivity that has less to do with a company’s actual values and more to do with its willingness to receive dollars from anyone. But to me, the parallel between what the Steam Machine looks like and who is depicted using it seems intentional. Hardcore gamers will naturally be interested in anything that Valve puts out, but those folks are also just as likely to already own a Steam Deck. Functionally, both pieces of tech are fairly similar.
The world of PC gaming as a whole, however, is intimidating and unwelcoming. Never mind having to figure out how to build a machine or decide what goes into it. Prices for things like graphic chips are ridiculous right now. Your casual friend who just wants to continue enjoying her 20th generation of a Sims 3 family is probably not particularly compelled to be poking at PCPartPicker.com at the moment.
The Steam Machine comes across as Valve’s attempt at doing what Nintendo does best, and that’s appealing to the mainstream with approachable hardware. It’s a new tack for Valve, which has been persistent about putting out new tech every couple of years. Many of these releases have been whiffs. The Steam Deck is beloved, but it has only sold a few million units. The Switch 2 has likely already sold more units than the Steam Deck ever will. And who is clamoring for a VR headset in 2025?
The success of the Steam Machine and its ability to appeal to a wider audience than Valve has reached before is to be determined, then. But as someone who perpetually feels bored with gaming hardware design, I’m rooting for the weird cube.
