From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.advocacy
Valve’s long-awaited Steam Machine has started shipping. Here’s some
of what Sean Hollister has to say <
https://www.theverge.com/games/952765/steam-machine-review>:
In 2022, the Steam Deck handheld began as a buggy, broken mess I
could only recommend to early adopters. One month later, I could
recommend it to savvy friends. A year of updates later, I felt
comfortable recommending it to anyone who could understand the
pros and cons. By early 2024, I could recommend a Deck OLED to
just about anyone. I fully expect the Steam Machine will have a
similar trajectory, because nobody does updates like Valve does
updates — its track record is impeccable.
But the Steam Deck didn’t just open up PC gaming to people who
wanted it to be portable; it made gaming PCs more affordable too.
At $400 for LCD or $549 for OLED, it was the best deal in town,
opening up PC gaming to those who had console money but couldn’t
afford a traditional gaming rig at all.
That’s not quite what’s happening here. Valve explains that it’s
not subsidizing the Steam Machine because of its “beliefs about
how healthy ecosystems are built.” Sure, but that means with the
Steam Machine you’re paying normal PC prices, instead of what
you’d pay for a console. I still think this package is special and
is an incredible deal — if you plan to use it as a PC and not just
a game console. I wish it existed back when I went off to college
and needed a compact setup for work and play in my dorm room.
Not just a game console, but a fully-fledged PC, for work and for
play. Yes, there are pros and cons with that. The success of the Steam
Deck suggests that a fair number of people are looking for just such a
product.
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