It’s mostly heat sink and fan out the back, cube shape is no frills and works great for what it is.
Honestly the whole “modern tech style” thing is making me feel off.
The console looks nice tho. Supports linux and would go well with retroarch to emulate old games on thinkpad.
Lawnman23@lemmy.world 1 day ago
NormalPerson@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I think the faceplates will be swappable so I can get that custom gabecube look.
potustheplant@feddit.nl 1 day ago
In my case I just can’t see the appeal. If you want a small desktop computer, just build an itx machine that can be fixed and upgraded.
freebee@sh.itjust.works 23 hours ago
It’s likely the steam machine will be repairable, what makes you think otherwise?
Not everyone loves to build a computer, look for compatible parts, compare 100 prices, choose a distro, spend 2 or 3 days troubleshooting unexpected things anyhow… The appeal of this box for people who want a “decent” hardware with steam/Linux on an open machine (free to install whatever you want afterwards) plug and play ready out of the box looks pretty damn big too me, if the price will be low enough. Not everyone is a tinkerer to the same degree or has enough time for it. This will for sure open Linux to a broader audience, that are interested but scared or short on skill/knowledge/time. Plus you get support, the real kind, not only random people on forums. Maybe it’s not for you, but to me the appeal is enormous. If it’s priced sharp enough I’ll probably get one and make it my “smart” TV device.
potustheplant@feddit.nl 16 hours ago
It has a custom soc that is most likely soldered and most of the components (except maybe storage and ram) are custom as well. If you need to repair it, you depend on steam still providing the parts. I doubt the parts will be available in retail stores, so that’s another inconvenience. Upgrading (the cpu/gpu, etc) will also probably be impossible.
Also, building a pc is a lot simpler than you make it out to be. Not sure what you mean about that “support” bit either. People have always been fixing their computers getting help online. Either from forums or manufacturers.
To top it off, the “benefits” you’re mentioning are literally the same as if you bought a prebuilt pc.
pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 13 hours ago
To top it off, the “benefits” you’re mentioning are literally the same as if you bought a prebuilt pc.
Do you have a favorite pre-built PC that ships with Linux and Steam installed?
That’s something I want pretty badly, but haven’t run across a good lead for.
With a good recommendation, I might not wait for January!
freebee@sh.itjust.works 12 hours ago
The steam deck seems very repairable, I would be surprised if this machine won’t be. They know their core customers and how to please them.
It’s simple for you and people you know to build a pc and install an operating system. I think that kind of people % of total population is way smaller than you think it is.
And prebuilt PCs 95+ % of the time come with windows and all crap it brings along pre-installed. Really, installing Linux seems child play for you and me but for the vast majority of the population it’s still a big big scary thing to try. On top, I expect for the hardware you get it will be very well priced, just like steamdeck was, because the real revenue is customer bonding and steam purchases.
Carrot@lemmy.today 7 hours ago
Not trying to attack you or anything because you did say that you don’t see the appeal for your own casw, but that’s because this product isn’t for you. If you see building a PC and putting it in your living room as an alternative, it’s not meant for you. This is for everyone else who doesn’t see those things as easy. Being someone who has been building/upgrading my own gaming PCs since I was a preteen, I understand how simple it seems to you. But not everyone has that perspective. What seems like simple step-by-step instructions to you is actually really complicated. Part compatiblity alone is difficult, and even the best sources of info can get it wrong, and that’s really demoralizing for someone who doesn’t even know what RAM is. Step-by-step guides seem easy, but there are many predatory ones out there, which suggest using a free trial of paid software to do the things FOSS software can do. You and I know how to avoid it, but if someone doesn’t even understand the concept of an .iso file, how would they know that better alternatives exist? Also, an extremely common case when following tutorials online is that they are out of date, or an unexpected error happens when following them. You and I can quickly RCA these issues and get back on track, but when you don’t even understand what the steps you are taking are actually doing, these minor hiccups leave you dead in the water.
What you are actually suggesting here is people do like, a year of introductory computer classes. It doesn’t feel like that to you because you’ve been figuring all this crap out as you go along, but having walked people through the most basic of IT problems, you are overestimating what a normal person finds intimidating when dealing with a computer.
Jocarnail@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
If the price point is around 500$/€ I think it would be challenging to build a good pc for less than that
potustheplant@feddit.nl 16 hours ago
That’s wishful thinking. Valve hasn’t even announced a price range.
Jocarnail@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Maybe, but it would be more or less in line with consoles. I would be surprised if it was much more.
alekwithak@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Did you want it to come in a Beige Box?
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
Throw it in a G4 Cube case and we can talk.
cassandrafatigue@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
I personally like wood exterior or utilitarian sheet metal with no lights.
ltxrtquq@lemmy.ml 17 hours ago
Image
digitalfoundry.net/…/hands-on-with-steam-machine-…
The front panel comes off, you can have a steam machine with a wood exterior if you really want
Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 9 hours ago
We love wood grain around here
purplemonkeymad@programming.dev 22 hours ago
Honestly I expect someone to make custom cases for it. If valve don’t release a model there will at least be someone doing a 3d printed model that fits the board.
Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 9 hours ago
Yeah, for looks, I’m not sure valve could stop a customization market from popping up even if they wanted to. Case in point: search for “steam deck custom shell”… Ugh, wasn’t planning on customizing my deck, but some of them look pretty good. I bet the steam machine will have ones that make it stand out and others that make it blend in with furniture.
turdcollector69@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I would absolutely fuck with a beige/Earth tone box.