As you may already know, a couple of weeks ago Valve introduced 3 new pieces of hardware. I don't want to rehash what has already been said, but instead to cover a few things I think a lot of people are overlooking, or at least underselling.

Steam Machine. Your PC can't do this.

Brooks, why would anyone buy that!? If you're a PC gamer you already own a super powerful desktop PC!

Several reasons. While this is not terribly different from any other Mini PC you've seen on the market, there are a few clutch ways that it is different from anything else available on the market. With this device Valve has finally completed their decade-long quest of closing the gap between PC and console. This is the best of both.

Size

I mean this thing is properly tiny when you consider the power packed inside. Most mini PCs have an external power supply and a tiny heatsink, which is compensated for by having tiny tiny little laptop fans that absolutely scream. Seriously, they are so annoying. This thing is more like a typical console, with a built-in power supply, a giant heatsink, and a rather large fan. Just looking at it, I think it's pretty clear it will be very quiet. If it's not, you can replace the front panel with mesh and increase airflow significantly, but I trust that Valve engineers have paid close attention to this. A custom-built PC will simply never come close to being this compact, powerful, and quiet. One or 2 of those? Sure. All 3? No.

The trade-off there is that it's mostly non-upgradeable and less repairable than a PC. Of which, I have upgraded probably a dozen times over the last 20 years. Never have I done a complete build, not since my first. I simply upgrade individual components over the years until I end up with a PC of Theseus. For that reason, I won't be buying this, but it's still certainly better than a console.

HDMI-CEC

A huge feature you won't find in any desktop PCs, but one you'll find in every TV-connected console. This ensures when you hit the button on the controller to power on the PC, that the TV comes on at the same time, and vise versa. You may even be able to control the UI and even play games with your TV controller. Yes, seriously. Not that you'd want to but, PC gamers being PC gamers, I think you'll probably see someone doing it before long.

Wake on Bluetooth

That's right, when you turn on the controller, it wakes the machine. Try doing that with your desktop.

Sleep

Similar to Steam Deck, it's been confirmed, this will have the game-changing feature where you can put the machine to sleep in the middle of the game and come back later and instantly jump in where you left off. No other PC has this capability, to my knowledge.

Background updates

The Steam Machine can run updates while it's "off". This is going to make PC gaming so much more palatable. It drives me absolutely batty when I get home, sit down on the couch to play games with the little free time that I have, only to be greeted by a 60+GB update and a half an hour of staring at a bar excruciatingly moving across the screen.

One more time, your PC can't do this.

Steam Controller

I don't really have much to say about this other than this is exactly what the community was asking for, and then some. That is, the controls from the Steam Deck with just the screen and PC cut out of the middle and glued together, with the added benefit of Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) thumbsticks, which are supposedly the next big thing in this area.

It also comes with a charging "puck", which is also a (presumably?) 2.4GHz adapter. Although this is unnecesary with the Steam Machine, as it has an adapter built-in!

Steam Frame

Alright, this is the really good shit, and the shit I think a lot of people are sleeping on.

VR is for gaming

Lots of companies have tried to cram VR/AR into various spaces. All of them have failed miserably (looking at you, Zuckerfuck and Crapple). Just, no one wants to have a headset strapped on their head at work, or all day. If anything is clear after 20 years of VR evolution, it's that there's only 1 space where VR makes sense and that is for gaming, and Valve unsurprisingly has gone all-in on this. They didn't even include color cameras. I don't understand tech companies' obsession with making this happen, despite the repeated rejections of consumers (much like AI).

Linux on ARM

I think way too many people are sleeping on this. It's barely talked about. But brother, Valve is running x86/Windows on an ARM/Linux device. This is an enormous accomplishment. They've even configured it to be able to sideload Android APKs, such as those made for Android XR. The implications here on the entire tech industry can't be overstated. Let's explore a few of them.

Android games on Steam!

Take this new revelation and combine it with Epic Games' recent antitrust suit, allowing third-party Android app stores to be listed on the Google Play Store, and baby you got a stew goin'!

I thought a lot about why Steam hasn't been in the mobile market for a long time and came to the conclusion that it was because they would be booted from the Google Play Store if they did, and that for whatever reason was not worth it to them. I would still argue the opposite, but I digress. Valve does a great job of "staying in their lane" so I won't complain.

Android games on Linux!

We've had Waydroid for some time, and we know from previous leaks that this is using something similar, but we don't know exactly just yet. And Waydroid is finicky at best.

Linux on ARM!

This is also nothing new, but it is a decidedly "not great" experience. This will likely drive a snowplow through any resistance to that in the near future.

ARM Steam Deck!?

Valve have gone on record for years saying that they would update the Steam Deck when they found a sufficient improvement in performance and battery life to warrant the R&D. I can't imagine anything more suitable with current technology than a Snapdragon X Elite ARM (or similar) processor...

Streaming-First headset

Valve seems to have a habit of making my ideal devices, and the Steam Frame headset is the perfect example. They made it super lightweight by making it a "streaming-first headset". That is, it's primary purpose is to stream content from another PC. This makes it smaller, lighter, and more comfortable than other headsets, as it's not tethered to a cable, and doesn't require an inordinate amount of power, which means it can use a very small battery.

It also means it will likely be much cheaper than competing headsets, as it doesn't require crazy compute power, along with the necessary power and cooling components that go along with it, like Apple's stupid fucking headset.

PCI-e

What Chads the folks at Valve are, adding a PCIe connector on the nose of the device, allowing for external hardware. They just have the best possible version of "We can't wait to see what you do with this" mentality.