Steam Machine is an encapsulation of the state of gaming

I enjoyed reading Aftermath's Chris Person discuss the Steam Machine and how it represents a noble and needed move in gaming. It's the Linux gaming machine that treats gamers like adults that own their tech and their games, but it couldn't have come at a worse time.

It starts at $1,049 and costs $1,500 if you want 2TB and a controller. It's underpowered at that price, but spec-wise, it’s comparable to some prebuilt PCs. However, it's kind of terrible when you consider the PS5 Pro is $900, comes with a really good controller, and can play every game for the platform up to 4K HDR 120Hz.

To be fair, the Steam Machine was supposed to cost something like $750. That's still a bit pricey given the specs and lack of controller, but more digestible.

Given that Xbox is currently shitting the bed, I had hoped that Steam could try to represent what the future of gaming might be. And this could still be it! Just not today.

I don't want a Windows PC in my home, so Linux is a good alternative (if you're not playing competitive games). A prebuilt console configured to run most games well at 1080p is fine. I'd own one just to experience Steam games I'll never get on Mac or PS5.

But at over $1,000 starting, no thank you. At this point, I'd be better off waiting for the industry to shift to ARM and make Mac more viable almost by accident.