Valve, and by extension Steam, has pretty much been a PC entity in its entirety. If players did not have a gaming computer, they couldn’t access the game store, which did limit some of their options. Tons of indie games start out and often remain Steam exclusives. They’re not quite at Nintendo’s level, but plenty of games were restricted that way. And while that’s not going to change, Steam is going to be accessible outside a PC thanks to the new console from Valve.
The newest take on the Steam Machine is officially here. It is essentially a gaming PC that functions as a console, so it’s highly powerful while also being able to connect to any television for big-screen gaming wherever you want. With tons of PlayStation and Xbox titles landing on Steam, this may become the go-to device for gamers. It’ll be hard to find a better way to play Astro Bot, Starfield, and Half-Life 3 (if it comes to fruition) all in one spot.
Nintendo has yet to get on the bandwagon and likely won’t, but pretty much everything else in the gaming world will be available on this device. Unsurprisingly, it will not be cheap. Consoles are seen as cheaper alternatives to PCs that often cost thousands of dollars, but this won’t be as cheap as a normal console. A PlayStation 5 is $500, and the newest hardware from Valve is going to cost a bit more. Valve has not confirmed how much, though.
It serves as a console Steam Deck with six times the power of the handheld device. That means it can run the games store and give players access to hundreds of games, but it also means players will be able to install different apps and programs or run a different operating system. The possibilities are truly endless, and this is the next evolution of gaming.
Some important figures and features to note:
And despite its power, it’s not all that big. The dimensions are: 152 mm tall (148 mm without the feet), 162.4 mm deep, and 156 mm wide. It only weighs 2.6 kilograms, too. It’s smaller and more powerful than most consoles, making it the ideal item for gamers.
Featured image via Valve
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